For many years, TR Electronic has pursued a strategy to make TR’s robust encoder technology available for applications requiring functional safety according to SIL2/PLd or SIL3/PLe. The innovative CD_582 series provides safe absolute encoder values via PROFInet/PROFIsafe, FailSafe over EtherCAT, Powerlink openSAFETY, CIPsafety over Ethernet/IP, and CANopen Safety in a standard installation space of 58 mm encoder.
Safe encoders and the machines and systems in which these devices are used are now subject to the generally introduced Machinery Directive. The transition period for the new Machinery Directive (2023/1230) is about to end. TR Electronic components are well prepared for this change. For example, the encoders have the necessary EC type examination certificate, which is incorporated into the overall assessment of the system or machine. Users can get all the necessary documentation directly from the TR Electronic website based on the item number, so they can fulfill their documentation requirements with a manageable amount of effort.
TR is continuously working to meet the cybersecurity requirements of IEC 62443 and plans to obtain the legally required certification for operational components by the target date of 2027. The various requirements and attack scenarios have already been taken into account in all developments, and the corresponding risk assessments have shown that the currently offered series already meet many of the conditions. Of course, TR (like many of its competitors on the market) hopes that the relevant standards will soon be harmonized, which will also serve as a binding basis for certification.
How pioneering TR Electronic’s efforts are can be seen, for example, from the fact that Siemens has prepared an application note for the connection of F-encoders to F-controls based on the PROFInet/PROFIsafe encoder CD_582 EPN+FS.