Pilz showcased its advanced safety solutions during the Supreme Cobot & Automation Day, held at the Technological Institute of Aragon in Zaragoza. At the event, co-organized alongside ABB Robotics, Stemmer Imaging, Schmalz, and Zimmer Group, the company demonstrated how intelligent safety technologies enable the creation of highly flexible robotic cells. Before more than 70 industry professionals, Pilz emphasized the importance of aligning digitalization and functional safety with the new European regulatory framework, optimizing the productivity of automated processes without compromising operator integrity.

Dynamic Protection with IO-Link Safety
Pilz's main demonstration consisted of a Pick & Place application integrating PSENopt II Advanced light curtains equipped with IO-Link Safety technology and the safety functions of the ABB SafeMove system. This combination allows protective devices to dynamically adapt their behavior to the exact position and operating status of the robotic arm. According to Daniel Martín, Competence Centre Robotics Manager at Pilz Spain, this technological transformation responds to the demands of recent regulations such as the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 and the new editions of standards ISO 10218-1:2025 and ISO 10218-2:2025, which demand enhanced capabilities in connectivity and functional safety.

Access Management and Industrial Cybersecurity
In addition to the physical protection of the robotic cell, Pilz addressed the critical need to protect interconnected industrial environments against digital threats and human error. The company presented its Identification and Access Management (I.A.M.) system, designed to prevent unauthorized interventions in machines. These control tools link with MYZEL, a platform for data and service digitalization that facilitates the intelligent exploitation of plant-generated information. This convergence ensures that the transition to data-driven production models maintains a robust posture in both functional safety (Safety) and cybersecurity (Security).

Additional Context: Dynamic Safety Zones in Industrial Robotics
This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original event report.

In traditional robotic cells, optical safety light curtains operate in a binary manner: if the light beam is interrupted, a contactor cuts power and the robot executes an immediate emergency stop. This rigid configuration requires large safety perimeters (fencing) and constant manual resets that heavily penalize cycle time (OEE). By integrating a bidirectional secure communication protocol like IO-Link Safety with a safe kinematics controller (such as ABB SafeMove), the cell achieves "dynamic zoning." The SafeMove system redundantly monitors the cartesian position, joint angles, and Tool Center Point (TCP) velocity of the robot in real time. If an operator crosses the optical barrier, rather than a total shutdown, the system can instantly slow the robot down to a safe collaborative speed or confine its movements to a workspace zone away from the worker. This eliminates unnecessary downtime, reduces the cell's plant footprint, and enables true human-robot collaboration with heavy industrial equipment.

Edited by industrial journalist Lekshman Ramdas, with AI assistance.

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