New Safety Controller Improves Design Flexibility

Eaton’s new SFX programmable safety controller improves design flexibility, helping OEMs to quickly bring new machine functions to market. This controllers series is ideal for a variety of application, in particular as supervisory controller for safety-critical hydraulic system.

Eaton has launched its SFX programmable safety controller, an IEC 61508 safety integrity level (SIL) 2 certified controller for stationary and mobile embedded hydraulics system applications. Featuring a rugged mechanical design and unmatched flexibility, the SFX controller gives original equipment manufacturers the ability to develop and certify functionally safe platforms quickly and cost-efficiently. A key feature of Eaton’s SFX programmable safety controller is its partitioned safety application development environment, which enables changes to control applications without impacting safety function software certifications. Physical separation of the pre-certified safety and application domains minimises the effort needed to introduce new features, as well as the time and expense associated with safety certification. The controller’s configurable I/O and white space facilitates design flexibility and allows for custom safety functions.

Ideal as supervisory controller for safety-critical hydraulic system

The SFX controller features a dual-processor architecture that separates safety and non-safety functions. This can help to future-proof certified software, providing more flexibility to evolve vehicle features in accordance with product road maps. As an IEC 61508 pre-certified SIL 2 controller, the SFX programmable safety controller is the ideal solution for a variety of off-highway steering, work and propel applications, including steer-by-wire and auto-guidance systems. The SFX controller is specifically designed as a supervisory controller for safety-critical hydraulic system solutions. Its embedded diagnostics, safety and control host domains, flexible I/O and CAN-compliance features support system integration with a variety of control devices such as displays, keypads and other user interfaces. Plug-and-play compatibility with Eaton’s HFX controllers also enables simple replacement for equipment upgrades.