April 23,2024, Hannover Messes, Germany - With the integration of smart manufacturing and human-machine collaboration, the demand for safe autonomous system is increasing. NexCOBOT, a subsidiary of the leading industrial computing company NEXCOM International Corporation (8234), has long been committed to being your trustworthy partner in building open and modular intelligent robot control and motion control solutions. NexCOBOT has partnered with Intel since 2020 to codevelop the x86 safety control platform, with the goal of assisting industries in rapidly developing the necessary functional safety applications. NexCOBOT received the EN 61508 and EN ISO 13849-1 functional safety certificate issued TÜV Rheinland at Hannover Messe. This certificate not only symbolizes professionalism in the development based on Intel x86 platform, but also signifies recognition from an international Certification Body for functional safety development.

Implementing Intel Atom^® x6427FE Processor for multi-task applications with an emphasis on functional safety

Manufacturing has transitioned from fast large-scale production to customization and human-robot collaboration in response to diversified market demands. The safety requirements of smart manufacturing have significantly increased, particularly in scenarios where humans and machines are involved in the production process.

TÜV Rheinland, a globally renowned independent inspection and certification organization, has been at the forefront of functional safety. NexCOBOT has been undergoing functional safety product certification with TÜV Rheinland since 2020.  Throughout the entire development process, from design planning and specification formulation to development and final product testing, TÜV Rheinland's professional assessment experts reviewed the documentation of each phase to ensure compliance with the requirements for functional safety based on the world relevant standards.

NexCOBOT General Manager, Jenny Shern stated “This signifies a major milestone as we progress towards certifying our advancement on functional safety. The SCB100, certified by TÜV Rheinland, stands out as the industry's pioneering safety controller platform, utilizing Intel x86 processor with safety integrated. This marks a departure from the current trend in safety controllers, which mainly rely on MCU or ARM chips. The multi-core feature of the Intel Atom^® x6427FE processor and safety hypervisor technology enable SCB100 to handle multi-task applications, combining non-safety motion control with safety applications.＂

"Intel is committed to the advancement and digital transformation of smart manufacturing," said Christine Boles, Vice President in Intel’s Network and Edge Group, and General Manager of Intel’s Federal and Industrial Solutions. "With solutions like the NexCOBOT safety control platform, we help accelerate COBOT utilization in factories, enabling safer human-robot interactions and enhanced operational efficiency."

TÜV Rheinland, Head of Certification Body for Functional Safety and Cybersecurity, Mr. Thomas Steffens is please to announce, “Following a positive and detailed assessment and evaluation of the safety controller SCB100 by TÜV Rheinland according to the relevant Functional Safety standards, we are pleased to be able to issue this certificate to NexCOBOT. The engineering team of NexCOBOT has proven, that they understand the requirements of the standards. The product SCB100 fulfils SIL 2 according to the standard EN 61508 as well as PL d / Cat. 3 according to EN ISO 13849-1. Thus, we at TÜV Rheinland can officially confirm that it can be integrated into safety-related programmable electronic systems up to these safety levels. "

Committed to pursuing the highest safety standards, advancing open platform in smart manufacturing

NexCOBOT specializes in modular solutions for robot and motion control, including safety platforms, motion controllers, I/O modules, and design consulting. “Our team is committed to ongoing product development in functional safety, striving to develop autonomous machines with the highest safety standards. Our goal is to offer customers safer and more reliable products and services. We look forward to working with industry partners to build an open ecosystem for functional safety.＂continues Jenny Shern.