SICK / microScan3 safety laser scanners

A safety laser scanner is PL d. A light curtain is PL e. If a risk assessment calls for PL e, a scanner does not meet it however well it suits the geometry.

microScan3 is the current SICK safety laser scanner, replacing the S3000. Used for area protection on AGVs, robot cells and machines where a light curtain cannot follow the shape.

The performance level, first

Worth putting ahead of everything else because it decides whether a scanner is the right device at all.

A scanner is a lower performance level than a curtain. That is inherent to the technology, not a limitation of a particular model.

So a scanner suits area and approach protection where PL d is adequate, and does not substitute for a curtain guarding a hazardous point at PL e.

As always, that decision belongs with whoever holds the machine's safety assessment. We supply what you specify.

The range is in the type code

Take MICS3-CBAC55EN1 and MICS3-CBAC90EN1.

Both examples above are microScan3 Pro Precision EtherCAT units, at 5.5 m and 9.0 m.

So the two digits in the middle are the range in decimetres. 55 is 5.5 m and 90 is 9.0 m.

Scanning angle is 275 degrees across the range.

Core and Pro differ in how many fields run at once

The main selection decision, and it decides whether one scanner replaces several.

Why simultaneous fields matter

SICK describes Sim-4-Safety as letting one scanner do the work of four, with four protective fields activated at the same time and each field having its own output.

So one scanner can control different parts of a machine independently. A person entering zone one stops the infeed; zone two stops the robot; zone three slows rather than stops.

Without simultaneous fields you would need a scanner per zone, or you switch between field sets and only one is live at a time.

That is the argument for a Pro over a Core on a complex cell, and the argument for either over three separate scanners.

The scanner also provides contour detection fields and detailed data output alongside the protective fields.

safeHDDM is why it works in a dirty plant

The technology point that matters practically.

SICK's patented safeHDDM, High Definition Distance Measurement, generates more than 80,000 pulses per scan.

Mutual interference is the one that catches people. Two scanners facing each other, or several in one area, normally see each other's pulses. safeHDDM filters that out.

And dirt on the screen is the usual cause of a scanner nuisance-tripping. Before replacing one, clean the optical screen. On a timber mill or a bulk handling plant that is a weekly job, not an annual one.

The communication variants

Chosen by how the scanner connects, and they are not interchangeable.

The network versions talk to a safety PLC directly

SICK describes the microScan3 as communicating directly with safety PLCs over the safe bus, and states it was the first scanner on the market with the capability.

On a network version there is no separate safety relay. The scanner is a device on the safe bus and the safety PLC does the logic.

So an I/O version and a network version are architecturally different installations. Substituting one for the other is not a parts change, it is a rewire and a reconfiguration.

Send us the network the plant runs, or tell us if the scanner wires to local outputs.

Diagnostics

The scanner carries a device display, and status diagnosis is available either centrally through the control system or remotely on the device itself.

The display is worth using before ordering anything. A scanner reporting a contamination warning or a field infringement is working correctly and telling you what is wrong.

On a network version, configuration is done through an access point in the network rather than by connecting to the device, which on a scanner mounted low on an AGV or high on a cell is a real time saver.

S3000 to microScan3

SICK publishes a migration path, so this is the answer for a failed S3000.

It is not a drop-in. Different mounting, different configuration, and the field sets have to be redrawn and validated.

Or keep the original. A surplus or tested used S3000 of the same variant goes back into the existing bracket with the existing configuration, which on a machine with a documented assessment avoids revisiting it.

That is often the better answer, and it is what we are set up for. Tell us which you want and we will quote both.

Software

The microScan3 is configured in Safety Designer.

A replacement scanner arrives without your field sets. The protective field shapes were drawn for that specific installation, from the machine geometry and the stopping time.

So keep the configuration file. Loading it into a replacement is quick; redrawing and revalidating field sets is not.

If you run scanners and nobody has the project files, that is worth resolving before you need them.

What to send us

The full type code. MICS3 plus the variant letters, range digits and interface suffix.

The 7-digit SICK order number, which is definitive.

Core or Pro, since the simultaneous field count differs.

The protective field range. 5.5 m or 9 m.

The interface. I/O, EFI-pro, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET or EtherCAT.

Whether you have the configuration file.

Before ordering a replacement

Worth checking, because scanners get replaced when they are working.

Clean the optical screen. Contamination is the most common cause of nuisance tripping and reduced range.

Read the display. The scanner reports contamination, field infringement and faults distinctly.

Check the field set is the intended one. If the machine switches between field sets, the wrong one may be selected.

Check for a new obstruction. A pallet left in the field, or a new guard rail, will show as a permanent infringement.

On an AGV, check the mounting. A scanner knocked out of alignment covers the wrong area, which is both a nuisance and a safety concern.

Important: safety replacements

A laser scanner's protective fields were configured from the machine geometry, the stopping time and the approach speed.

A like-for-like replacement loaded with the original configuration preserves the assessment. A different model, range or field set does not.

We will supply exactly what you specify. If you ask for an alternative we will say what we believe is equivalent and what differs, but the decision belongs with whoever is responsible for the machine's safety. We are a parts supplier, not your safety engineer.

What we can supply

Current production. microScan3 Core and Pro across all interfaces and ranges, nanoScan3, plus mounting kits, protective screens, cleaning accessories and cordsets. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Discontinued. S3000, S300 and S300 Mini. Surplus and tested used, which keeps an existing installation exactly as assessed.

Optical screens and mounting hardware separately. A scratched screen is not a scanner failure.

The optical screen is a wear part

Worth its own note.

The screen takes the abrasion, the sparks and the cleaning. On a scanner that is otherwise sound, a scratched or hazed screen reduces range and causes contamination warnings.

It is a replaceable part on the scanner rather than a reason to replace the scanner. Ask about the screen before the unit.

We buy SICK scanners

S3000 and S300 scanners hold real value to plants still running them, because a like-for-like replacement avoids reconfiguring and revalidating field sets. If you are decommissioning, do not scrap them. See Sell To Us.

Related

SICK overview, safety light curtains and Flexi Soft safety controllers.

For safety scanners and area protection from other brands see Pilz PSENopt, Omron and ABB Jokab.

Send us your type codes

Include the range digits and the interface. And if the scanner is nuisance-tripping rather than dead, clean the screen first. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with SICK AG. SICK, microScan3, nanoScan3 and safeHDDM are trademarks of SICK AG. EtherNet/IP and CIP Safety are trademarks of ODVA. EtherCAT is a trademark of Beckhoff Automation. All trademarks, brand names and part numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute a safety assessment.