IEC 62046-2018 PDF

Full title and description

IEC 62046:2018 — Safety of machinery — Application of protective equipment to detect the presence of persons. This International Standard specifies requirements for the selection, positioning, configuration and commissioning of protective equipment used to detect the momentary or continued presence of persons, in order to protect those persons from dangerous parts of machinery in industrial applications. It covers electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) as defined in IEC 61496 and pressure-sensitive mats and floors as defined in ISO 13856-1, and includes informative annexes with guidance and application examples.

Abstract

IEC 62046:2018 provides principles and practical requirements to integrate presence-detection protective equipment with machinery to reduce the risk of injury to persons (aged 14 years and older) by hazardous machine parts. Key elements include selection, correct positioning, configuration, commissioning, and verification of protective devices; considerations for the environment and human interaction; and guidance on muting, blanking and vision-system use. The document supersedes IEC TS 62046:2008 and adds technical revisions and informative annexes.

General information

• Status: International Standard — active (replaced IEC TS 62046:2008).
• Publication date: 28 March 2018.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 13.110 — Safety of machinery.
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (2018).
• Number of pages: 91 pages (base publication).

Scope

This standard applies to the application of protective equipment intended to detect the presence of persons so as to prevent access to or contact with dangerous parts of machinery. It takes into account machinery characteristics, protective equipment performance and limitations, environmental conditions and human interaction (persons aged 14 years and older). The scope explicitly covers electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE) specified in IEC 61496 (all parts) and pressure-sensitive mats and floors specified in ISO 13856-1, and it provides guidance (informative annexes) including examples for integration, muting, blanking and vision systems.

Key topics and requirements

• Requirements for selection, positioning and installation of protective equipment to ensure detection of persons when required.
• Configuration, commissioning and verification procedures to confirm protective function and maintain effectiveness in the intended environment.
• Guidance on integration with machine control systems, including muting and blanking strategies and use of vision systems (informative annexes).
• Alignment with related safety performance frameworks: references and capping to safety integrity / performance levels as given by IEC 62061 and ISO 13849-1.
• Examples and application notes illustrating typical interfacing, layouts and limitations (examples are informative and not prescriptive).

Typical use and users

Typical users include machine designers and integrators, safety engineers, control-system engineers, functional-safety assessors, equipment manufacturers, testing and certification laboratories, and compliance officers responsible for machinery safety in industrial settings. The standard is used when selecting and integrating ESPE (light curtains, safety scanners, etc.) and pressure-sensitive protective devices to ensure appropriate person-detection and safe machine stop or safeguard actions.

Related standards

IEC 62046:2018 is closely related to: - IEC 61496 (Electro-sensitive protective equipment — all parts) for ESPE requirements and types; - ISO 13856-1 (Pressure-sensitive protective devices — mats and floors); - IEC 62061 (safety of machinery — functional safety of safety-related electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems); - ISO 13849-1 (safety-related parts of control systems — general principles for design). It replaces IEC TS 62046:2008 (withdrawn 28 March 2018).

Keywords

machine safety, presence detection, electro-sensitive protective equipment (ESPE), pressure-sensitive mats, muting, blanking, vision systems, IEC 61496, ISO 13856-1, IEC 62061, ISO 13849-1.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 62046:2018 is an international standard that provides requirements and guidance for applying protective equipment to detect the presence of persons and thereby protect them from hazardous machine parts.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers selection, positioning, configuration, commissioning and verification of presence-detection protective equipment (notably ESPE and pressure-sensitive mats/floors), and gives informative annexes addressing topics such as muting, blanking and use of vision systems.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Machine designers, safety and control engineers, equipment manufacturers, integrators, testing/certification bodies and compliance personnel use the standard to ensure proper application and integration of presence-detection protective devices.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: IEC 62046:2018 is the current International Standard that replaced IEC TS 62046:2008 on publication (28 March 2018). The IEC product page lists the 2018 edition as the base publication and shows the withdrawn technical specification it replaced.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is part of the machinery safety family of standards and is intended to be used together with the IEC 61496 series (ESPE) and functional safety standards such as IEC 62061 and ISO 13849-1; it references and aligns with those documents for performance and integrity requirements.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Key keywords include presence detection, machine safety, ESPE, pressure-sensitive mat, muting, blanking, vision system, verification, commissioning, IEC 61496, ISO 13856-1.