The SKEDD connection tech-
nology makes solderless
connections possible
Norbert Pewny and Dennis Mettner are in charge of the new gate controller
C
losing is part of their job, but project man-
ager
Norbert Pewny
and
hardware
developer
Dennis Mettner are not at all closed off when it comes
to the latest product from their ranks: “With Drico 2.0, we
have achieved an unprecedented level of fl exibility on the
market,” says Pewny, summarizing the advantages of the new
gate controller. The two experts work at ASO Safety Solutions
in Lippstadt. The company is one of the leading developers,
manufacturers, and distributors of security solutions for doors,
“We look at a gate like a
machine. With the same
strict safety regulations.”
Norbert Pewny,
Hardware Developer, ASO Safety
gates, and machine building. Around 170 employees work here
and at locations in the US and China on solutions for convey-
ing technology, lifting and access technology, industrial truck
technology, and the safety, sensors, & controls sector.
The gate is a machine as when the door meets resistance, the system control switch-
In the latter area, ASO manufactures three large product es the drive off at lightning speed, the motor stops, and the
groups that ensure that moving door and gate elements don’t door comes to a halt.” Project manager and electrical engineer
get out of hand: safety contact strips, safety contact buffers, Norbert Pewny adds: “We look at a gate like a machine. That’s
and safety contact mats. What they all have in common is a why the same strict safety regulations apply.”
control unit that collects the data from the sensors and trans-
mits necessary commands to the system or vehicle controller.
Machine stopper
It sounds simple, but it is full of technological challenges ASO knows all about this, because their contact mats and
when it comes down to the details. Because what is most im- bumpers ensure that even machines in operation have the
portant is signal acquisition and processing that are reliable right manners when they come into close contact with their
and as fast as possible. Who wants a fast-moving roller shut- human operators. This becomes clear, for example, in the
ter to turn into a guillotine when it closes? Dennis Mettner case of the contact buffers, which are say the bumpers that
shows what’s important for the safety contact strips used here are attached to the moving portals of large CNC milling ma-
at the bottom edge of the gates: “Contact strips are attached chines. These gantries are mounted onto a machine table on
to the fl exible rubber elements. If they touch each other, such which the workpiece, say a wooden plate, is fi xed. The tools for
The Phoenix Contact innovation magazine
UPDATE 4/20
27
à