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Concrete cases, lessons learned and deep-dives — how to solve real industrial engineering problems. Filter by topic (OT cybersecurity, automation, ATEX, functional safety…) or date.
7 articles publisheds
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IEC 61511: functional safety for the process industries — SIS, LOPA, prior use and the separation trap
IEC 61511 applies IEC 61508 to the process industries, from the operator's point of view. It governs the safety instrumented system (SIS) lifecycle: BPCS/SIS separation, SIL determination by risk graph and LOPA, prior use, proof testing, functional safety assessment (FSA). Stakes, difficulties, mistakes to avoid and good practice.
Functional SafetyFunctional safety and IEC 61508: the parent standard — why, how, and the pitfalls
Functional safety guarantees that a safety function achieves AND maintains a demonstrable level of risk reduction. An introduction to IEC 61508: SIL, the safety lifecycle, random and systematic failures, HFT/SFF architectural constraints, PFD/PFH metrics, the stakes, the real difficulties, mistakes to avoid and good practice.
AIAI in industry: stakes, challenges and real pitfalls — beyond the hype
Why the majority of industrial AI PoCs never reach production. The 6 structural challenges (data, brownfield, models, MLOps, cybersecurity, ROI), the applicable EU AI Act timeline, ISO/IEC 42001, and what public failures (GE Predix, IBM Watson Health) teach us.
OT CybersecurityExchanging data between 2 PLCs on different IP ranges — the OT-compliant approach
Real-world case with 2 S7-1500F CPUs, SCALANCE SC, PN/PN Coupler and an industrial DMZ. How to link 2 sensitive infrastructures while respecting Purdue, IEC 62443 and NIS2.
All articles
IEC 61511: functional safety for the process industries — SIS, LOPA, prior use and the separation trap
IEC 61511 applies IEC 61508 to the process industries, from the operator's point of view. It governs the safety instrumented system (SIS) lifecycle: BPCS/SIS separation, SIL determination by risk graph and LOPA, prior use, proof testing, functional safety assessment (FSA). Stakes, difficulties, mistakes to avoid and good practice.
ISO 26262: automotive functional safety — ASIL, HARA, decomposition and SOTIF for ADAS
ISO 26262 applies IEC 61508 to the electrical and electronic systems of road vehicles. ASIL levels (QM, A-D) determined by HARA (severity, exposure, controllability), the V-model, hardware metrics (SPFM, LFM, PMHF), ASIL decomposition, SEooC, and the complementary role of SOTIF (ISO 21448) for ADAS and autonomy. Stakes, mistakes, good practice.
IEC 62061 & ISO 13849: functional safety for machinery — SIL or PL, categories, and which standard to choose
For machinery safety, two standards coexist: ISO 13849 (Performance Level PL, all technologies) and IEC 62061 (SIL, derived from IEC 61508). Architecture categories, MTTFd, DCavg, CCF, PFHd, PL↔SIL correspondence, convergence of the two standards and the Machinery Regulation 2023/1230. How to choose, mistakes to avoid, good practice.
SIL & explosion protection: when an instrumented measure becomes the explosion barrier (TRGS 725, EN 50495, IEC 61511)
Explosion protection (ATEX) and functional safety (SIL) meet the moment an instrumented measure is the barrier that prevents the explosive atmosphere or the ignition source. TRGS 725 and EN 50495 define that bridge: classification by risk graph, SIL, and the IEC 61511 lifecycle. Example: over-temperature → Safe Torque Off of a motor.
Functional safety and IEC 61508: the parent standard — why, how, and the pitfalls
Functional safety guarantees that a safety function achieves AND maintains a demonstrable level of risk reduction. An introduction to IEC 61508: SIL, the safety lifecycle, random and systematic failures, HFT/SFF architectural constraints, PFD/PFH metrics, the stakes, the real difficulties, mistakes to avoid and good practice.
AI in industry: stakes, challenges and real pitfalls — beyond the hype
Why the majority of industrial AI PoCs never reach production. The 6 structural challenges (data, brownfield, models, MLOps, cybersecurity, ROI), the applicable EU AI Act timeline, ISO/IEC 42001, and what public failures (GE Predix, IBM Watson Health) teach us.
Exchanging data between 2 PLCs on different IP ranges — the OT-compliant approach
Real-world case with 2 S7-1500F CPUs, SCALANCE SC, PN/PN Coupler and an industrial DMZ. How to link 2 sensitive infrastructures while respecting Purdue, IEC 62443 and NIS2.