SIL 3 CAPABLE SYSTEM
WHAT WE have achieved
SAFETY INTEGRITY LEVEL
(SIL) RATING
COMPREHENSIVE TESTING COMPLETED — FULL SIL COMPLIANCE ACHIEVED
Our devices have now successfully completed comprehensive testing to meet the stringent standards required for safety systems that demand a high level of reliability. These systems require a SIL rating, and all components used within them must satisfy specific failure rate criteria as part of the overall SIL calculation.
To accurately determine these failure rates, each device underwent an extensive and independent Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). While many products on the market rely solely on theoretical assessments or documentation reviews, Safe-T-Products made the deliberate decision to pursue full, real-world testing to ensure unquestionable compliance.
This rigorous independent testing regime was a significant undertaking, but the benefits far outweigh the investment of time and resources. Achieving SIL certification through real-life testing conducted by an accredited independent authority provides genuine assurance—not assumptions—about the reliability and safety of our devices.
This certified level of performance gives safety-driven industries the certainty and confidence they need when selecting Safe-T-Products’ devices for critical safety applications.
High Impact PC/PBT UV Stable Flame Retardant Plastic
3mm Powder Coated Aluminum
2mm 316 Electro Polished Stainless Steel
BENEFIT OF FULLY INDEPENDENT TESTING
- Independent Verification: Engaging third-party testing facilities for device durability assessments and partnering with functional safety auditing companies to conduct a comprehensive device FMEA offers an impartial and unbiased evaluation of the device’s safety and performance.
- Certification Authority: Securing a well-documented durability safety test certification that can be relied upon and will be recognised by relevant certification authorities and regulatory bodies is crucial for trust in the testing process.
- Safety Integrity Level (SIL): SIL serves as a measure for assessing the performance of safety systems employed across diverse industries. Having a fully endorsed performance level applicable to any SIL calculation ensures that Safe-T-Products’ devices are well-suited for a broad range of safety-critical applications.
- Real-Life Certification: The certification is not merely an assumption but a concrete, real-life documented safety test certification, offering tangible evidence of the devices’ safety and reliability.
- Industry Recognition: With the successful completion of rigorous independent testing, industries with stringent safety requirements, such as manufacturing, process control, and others, can have certainty and confidence in Safe-T-Products’ pull cord devices meeting their specific requirements.
Roadmap to Attain SIL rating
Safe-T-Products initiated its journey towards achieving SIL certification in mid-2015. While the process may have had earlier origins, a pivotal moment occurred in July 2015 when Cris Schulze, representing TUVRheinland Japan, presented an Advanced Seminar on the Functional Safety Standard ISO 13849 in our manufacturing facility in Malaga, Western Australia.
The strategic approach was structured as follows:
Clarify the definition of a single “operation.”
Develop an Automation Tester, known as STP-AMDT, capable of conducting the mechanical cycle durability test on three samples of our Safe-T-Pull pull cord devices. This test would subject each device to 6050 operations, record the applied Newton-meters
(Nm) of force and assess the device’s functionality post-endurance testing.
This plan was a significant step toward ensuring the certification of our products for SIL, with a particular emphasis on thorough testing and compliance with operational requirements and safety standards.
MILESTONES
Milestone – Testing of Electrical Component
(Completed)
SIL requires electrical components to comply with IEC 60947-5-1 compliant. Safe-T-Products worked with their supplier to design a microswitch with the stringent specifications required to pass the certification. The electrical durability tests to IEC 60947-5-1 for the safety direct-opening micro switch were successfully conducted by TUV Hungary on the Safe-T-Products special MVS 3400 and MVS 3600 Micro Switches.
Milestone – Safe-T-Pull Automation Mechanical Durability Tester (STP-AMDT) –
(CompleteD)
Develop bespoke SAFE-T-PULL Automation Mechanical Durability Tester (STP-AMDT)
Several of the durability tests specified in the standard were relatively straightforward to perform; However, finding an effective method for performing the 6050 full-cycle tests proved to be persistently challenging. From the outset, it became clear that the only way to successfully conduct the test was by creating a bespoke in-house automation tester specifically designed to suit our pull cord devices. This equipment was to mimic real-life field operations, accurately record the Nm force, and be strong enough to withhold prolonged testing.
After undergoing multiple changes to the initial design and programming over the past eight years, the Automation Tester was completed in mid-2023.
Milestone – Mechanical Cycle Durability Test –
(COMPLETED)
Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station (SIMTARS) in Queensland, Australia was willing to work with Safe-T-Products on the mechanical durability of the pull cord device. The Automation Tester was shipped to the facility, accompanied by technical staff and samples of the pull cord device.
- 3 Sample of the STP in a PC/PBT Plastic enclosure
- 3 Sample of the STP in an Aluminium enclosure
- 3 Sample of the STP in a Stainless-Steel enclosure
Testing Procedure:
6050 full-cycle tests on 1 sample of each version sent, with each cycle consisting of five specific operations that must be executed in a particular sequence, while measuring the Nm of force and recording this data in a spreadsheet.
Operations:
- Left Pull Rod in
- Right Pull Rod in
- Left Pull Rod out
- Right Pull Rod out
- Reset
With a full-cycle time of 23 seconds, or roughly 156 per hour, it took three weeks to complete the testing of all three samples.
ENVIRONMENTAL DURABILITY TEST
(Completed)
Following the operation test, the next phase involves subjecting the same tested devices to extreme temperatures and humidity conditions as well as exposure to a saltwater solution. These conditions are intended to replicate a wide range of environmental situations.
Testing Procedure:
- Testing at high temperature: 96 hours at +70 degrees C
- Testing for variations in humidity and temperature: 96 hours in environment, changing between moist and warm atmosphere, at +25 degrees C
- Testing at low temperature: 96 hours at -40 degrees C
- Testing in a corrosive and salty environment: 96 hours at +35 degrees C in a solution of 5%NaCl
VIBRATION DURABILITY TESTING
(COMPLETED)
After successful completion of the environmental durability test, the same devices proceed through additional tests designed to assess their continued mechanical durability.
Testing Procedure:
- Shock Test: Evaluate the devices’ ability to withstand mechanical shocks
- Vibration Test: Assess the devices’ resistance to vibration
- Electrical Impulse Voltage Test at 2,500 V: Ensure electrical integrity under high voltage conditions
- Resetting Test: Confirm that the devices can return to their proper state after activation or disruption
- Cord Disengagement and Pull Cord Device Operation test: Verify that the devices continue to operate as intended after environmental and electrical durability testing
MILESTONES – failure mode & effects analysis (fmea)
Safe-T-Products have engaged Exida’s certification services to certify certain Safe-T-Pull devices to IEC 61508 and then issue IEC 61508 compliance certificates.
The assessment report and the IEC 61508 compliance certificates will be made publicly available through the Exida safety automation equipment list. The road map with keyhttps://www.exida.com/ milestones is listed below for the final device testing to receive a SIL capable device. The proposed certification time frame is three to six months if Safe-T-Products has all the correct documentation and the device is found to be valid for SIL certification. The IEC 61508 certification is valid for 3 years. At the end of the certification validity period, Safe-T-Products must renew the certification and Safe-T-Products must successfully pass a surveillance audit to maintain certification. Once Safe-T-Products has a greater understanding of the process and documentation needed to complete the certification process, we will embark on testing other devices that are in our range that need certification.
IEC 61508 TYPICAL CERTIFICATE PROCESS
