B&R Automation develops ACOPOStrak transport system for cobot workstations

November 8, 2018 – B&R Automation has developed the ACOPOStrak transport system for safe productivity at workstations with collaborative robots.

B&R has integrated five safety features in the ACOPOStrak transport system, which operates on a track: Safe Torque Off (STO), Safely Limited Speed (SLS), Safely Limited Force (SLF), Safe Direction (SDI) and Safe Maximum Speed (SMS). These functions limit the speed and force of ACOPOStrak shuttles as they pass manual workstations and then continue around the remainder of the track.

The limit values for safe speed and safe force are calculated dynamically by the safety application at runtime and can be activated or deactivated as needed. The safe speed calculations even take the weight of the shuttle into account. This allows shuttles of different weights to travel at their respective maximum safe speeds without posing a danger.

The safety functions of ACOPOStrak also enable implementation of a safe setup mode. In setup mode, the speed and force limits are activated as needed for the respective track sections. Once humans have left the safe zones, the restrictions are lifted. It is possible to switch between safely limited speed and full-speed operation at any time. Other systems have track elements that are able to limit the speed intrinsically, but this restriction cannot be disabled or adjusted.

Due to ACOPOStrak’s short error response time, safety clearances can be much smaller. Even with collaborative manual workstations and safe setup mode, the machine surrounding the track can be kept to compact dimensions.