Euchner has the Key to process security

Euchner's Electronic-Key-System (EKS) equipment provides monitoring and control to meet the highest standards, providing secure user identification without the use of passwords.

Passwords have traditionally been used as the way of maintaining safety and security as well as monitoring critical processing operations, but the Electronic-Key-System (EKS) equipment available from Euchner UK Ltd provides a level of monitoring and control to meet the highest standards.

EKS provides secure user identification without the use of passwords. The system has been used successfully in harsh industrial environments including machine guarding, with widespread use also in the automotive industry, while applications for monitoring complex process operations involving multi-operator access are becoming more common.

A Euchner EKS system has been integrated into each of six process terminals for soap production at the Hirtler GmbH company. Dedicated Electronic-Keys have been issued to all system users, enabling selected access rights to each individual while maintaining authorised conditions for critical process chain parameters.

The soap manufacturing process at Hirtler is highly automated and comprises a large number of separate processes. The requirement was that not all employees in the different process areas should have complete access to all process data. Due to networking of individual servers, it was important to only give employees access rights to process control systems for their related job functions at individual locations.

The monitoring of all process data is in principle possible with the EKS, but can be reduced to the area in which a specific operator works. Error messages and process chain malfunctions related to a production segment are identified for appropriate operators, with all changes saved and fully traceable to relevant employees. Key management can be undertaken on-site or remotely via a separate PC workstation.

At Hirtler ethernet data exchange between clients and EKS Electronic-Key adapters can also be performed in production areas connected to the server, currently limited to 20 defined access rights but with possible future expansion.

EKS comprises two components: an Electronic-Key and the matching Electronic-Key adapter. The Electronic-Key, in the form of a robust tag, contains a memory chip and an antenna. This is a transponder without a battery that transmits its information inductively, and therefore without contact, to evaluation electronics in the Electronic-Key adapter.

At the start of any operation, the Electronic-Key is inserted in the Electronic-Key and above all traceably controlled using EKS. In normal operation, e. g. ‘Login‘ can be controlled straightforwardly by inserting the Electronic-Key and ‘Logoff‘ by removing the Electronic-Key.

The memory in the Electronic-Key in general contains a range of important information such as name, department and, very importantly, the varying levels of access rights.

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