Author: ROSS Controls

ROSS CONTROLS® Announces New and Improved Pneumatic Counterbalance

ROSS Controls has introduced a new and improved 1-1/4” pneumatic automatic counterbalance for large mechanical stamping presses.

This new ROSS automatic counterbalance system can be integrated with your existing press controls to set and maintain the correct pressure for each die set, improving parts quality and extending the life of the press.  This latest solution for the Metalforming Press Industry meets all ANSI B11.1 requirements and is available in a variety of port threads, voltages and electrical connections.

For more information, please view our press release on this product.

To find out more about our company and products, visit our website, or give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROSS.

Total Machine Safety

Total Machine Safety is the first integrated electrical and fluid power machine safeguarding training program. This comprehensive approach to evaluating and designing safety controls systems is critical in the overall success of a safety program.

An understanding of global safety standard requirements for lockout and machine guarding is critical to implementing safety systems that both protect employees and promote greater productivity. When safety is addressed in the machine design process you begin to realize that safety is just another aspect of good business practices.

What’s in it for you?

  •       – Understand the existing global safety standard landscape and future direction
  •        -Assess and minimize risk when evaluating machines for safety
  •        -Examine work environments and recognize potential problems
  •        -Grasp the basics of electrical and fluid power safety components
  •       – Manage productivity and uptime by taking a holistic approach to machine safety.

Total Machine Safety will cover topics such as Standards, Risk Assessment requirements, Lockout/Energy Isolation, Electrical and Fluid Power Safety Devices and applications, and overall machine safeguarding requirements and solutions. This class provides a broad basis and understanding of what is required from a design standpoint, how to implement a machine guarding process, and how to select the components that will most effectively provide a solution while avoiding common pitfalls.

For more information regarding Total Machine Safety, please visit http://goo.gl/jYycLU.

To find out more about our company and products, visit our website, or give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROSS.

Save Design Time by Downloading 3D Models from ROSS Controls

3D ModelROSS Controls is now offering downloadable 3D Product Models for Mechanical, Electronics, Electrical or Mechatronics Engineers.

Our 3D models support nearly every CAD system in the world including: SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, Pro/ENGINEER & Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, Solid Edge, TopSolid, Geomagic Design, Kompas 3D, SpaceClaim, SketchUp, Autodesk REVIT, ZW3D, Draftsight, HiCAD, TurboCAD, T-FLEX and more.

New 3D Models will become available with the release of new products.

Visit our website for the latest list of 3D Models and other information on ROSS Controls Products.

ROSS Controls Featured in “Iron and Steel Today”

LOX ValveEric Cummings, global safety manager at ROSS Controls, explains power elements and safety standards to consider when designing a pneumatic lockout system.

To view the article, visit http://goo.gl/5U8M0b. Additionally, visit our safety page for more industry-specific information.

To find out more about our company and products, visit our website, or give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROSS.

ROSS Controls Introduces Expanded Dale CX Series Valves

ROSS Controls has expanded its Dale CX Series Valves with the addition of a new ¼” port size.  In addition to a smaller footprint, the ¼” valve is capable of handling up to 250 psi (17.2 bar).

All CX valve sizes, including the new ¼”, are available as individual valves or combined in manifolds to eliminate piping, allow bi-directional flow, are port pressure independent, and include a poppet design that provides high dirt tolerance.Dale CX Series

For more information on ROSS Dale applications, please visit http://goo.gl/ThOIVa.

For more information on our company and products, feel free to visit our website www.rosscontrols.com or give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROSS to discuss your application.

New Dale Series Valves Bulletin Available

Dale Valve Bulletin

An updated version of our Dale Series Valves Bulletin 200 is now available upon request or as a download from the literature page of our website. The updated bulletin’s highlights include a ¼” size with higher pressure capabilities (up to 250 psi / 17.2 bar).  This new valve is also available in a 3 valve manifold arrangement designed for Leak Tight Applications.  In addition, the original LT Series 3 valve manifold used for Leak Tight Applications is now available with metric port threads.

All Dale Series Valves, including the new ¼”, are available as individual valves or combined in manifolds to eliminate piping, allow bi-directional flow, are port pressure independent, and include a poppet design that provides high dirt tolerance.

Click here for more information on ROSS Dale applications.For more information on our company and products, feel free to visit our website www.rosscontrols.com or give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROSS to discuss your application.

Why Do ROSS Poppet Valves Pop?
ROSS poppet valves pop open and closed almost instantly. Surface areas of the piston poppet, the exhaust poppet and the inlet poppet are carefully calculated to produce strong shifting and sealing forces in each direction. This results in a design which ensures high speed, repeatability and high shifting forces.

The following illustrations show the forces acting on the valve in both actuated and deactuated states. The forces shown are for a Series 27 valve with 1/2″ to 1″ ports. Other valves have similarly proportioned forces.

The only friction to be overcome in the movement of the valve is the U-cup seal on the piston poppet, and the spindle in its guide at the bottom of the valve. The frictional forces at both these points are insignificant in relation to the forces acting on the valve.

poppet

Why So Much Concern Over Valves?

ANSI B11.0 and ISO 13849 define the control systems to include, the mechanical, electromechanical, electronic, hydraulic, and pneumatic components.  Most safety considerations regarding machinery are linked to the movements of equipment and production materials. Think about it like this; how many safety concerns would you have about a piece of equipment that had no moving parts? You would have very few concerns except for non-contact hazards such as radiation. However, it is the inherent characteristic of machinery that machine parts move and their movements are a source of a great portion of the dangers associated with machinery. Control of these potentially dangerous movements is ultimately bestowed upon the control valves for pneumatic and hydraulic systems, and control relays for electrical devices. Because this final control lies with the valves, many safety standards exist that concern valves and valves will continue to be at the forefront of safety considerations.

Safety Valve Basics- Self-Checking, Monitoring, and Redundancy

Self-checking means that on a periodic basis (every cycle, upon machine start up, etc.) a safety monitoring circuit or device performs diagnostics to ensure individual components have not failed. Existing faults (or failures) detected will result in the machine being shutdown, preventing further operation.

Some applications may require that not only are standard faults detected, but also diminished performance faults that occur should be detected. When an application depends on reaction times (such as a stopping function on a guarded machine), the diminished performance becomes an issue, due to the engineering of the safeguard involved stopping time calculations to determine the safe guarding distance.

It is not uncommon to find “sticky” or “sluggish” valves.  A monitoring system that just “checks” to see if both valves shifted may not truly be monitoring the system’s safety. Self-monitoring valves have the necessary logic built-in to check for both types of faults.

Redundancy refers to placing two components that perform the same operation into a system in such a manner that failure of either component will not inhibit the performance of the critical function of the second component. Diverse redundancy refers to a system that uses two dissimilar components in performing redundant functions to end up with the same result.