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B&R’s moving track slows down for human workstations

The ACOPOStrak transport system and B&R‘s human-track collaboration uses intelligent safety technology to keep  workstations reliably risk-free without the need for safety barriers.

ACOPOStrak is a track system where parts and products are transported quickly and flexibly from processing station to processing station on independently controlled shuttles.

B&R has integrated safety features in its ACOPOStrak system which limit the speed and force of ACOPOStrak shuttles as they pass manual workstations and then continue around the remainder of the track with full dynamic performance.

What sets B&R’s human-track collaboration apart is its flexibility. 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.

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