Bachmann Expands Functional Safety Portfolio with PROFIsafe

Austrian automation specialist Bachmann electronic announces the integration of a PROFIsafe safety controller (F-Host) into its product portfolio. The Bachmann F-Host is a pure software solution. Existing safety solutions can therefore be expanded without additional hardware. Easy to integrate, the F-Host fulfils the range of PROFINET safety applications under the ‘Factory Automation’ category.

Vendor specific F-Device configuration tools are integrated into the Bachmann SolutionCenter via the Class 3 Tool Calling Interface. The integration is suitable for safety functions up to PLe, Cat IV or SIL3. PROFIsafe enables an almost unlimited range of 3rd-party, functional safety sensors, actuators and safety I/O modules (F-Devices) to communicate with the Bachmann Safety CPU, allowing for the completion of a wider range of safety-relevant tasks.

In wind turbines, the Bachmann F-Host enables the integration of absolute value encoders that detect blade and azimuth angles. Bachmann safety CPUs can also now connect with functionally safe pitch drives and integrate safety sensors to measure vibration.

“Until now, Bachmann offered safe digital inputs and outputs, safe integration of incremental encoders and analog signals,” explains Christoph Scherrer, Product Manager at Bachmann, “With the PROFIsafe F-Host, our portfolio has decisively expanded. We are beyond state-of-the-art; this technology allows the integration of a fully-functional F-Host onto standard Bachmann CPUs as a pure software solution.”