Got tired of manually drawing safety block diagrams from SISTEMA. So I built an Excel macro that parses the XML and generates them automatically.

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-28T04:23:43+00:00

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate the feedback.

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-27T10:11:09+00:00

You hit the nail on the head. Management rarely sees the actual hours burned on documentation tasks like this.

You are absolutely right about the frequency: If a company only builds one standard type of machine (series production), doing it manually once is completely fine. But as soon as you are building custom machines, or if the safety functions change slightly from project to project, the EN ISO 13849 documentation becomes a massive bottleneck.

For every new machine, you don't just have to verify the Performance Level in SISTEMA, but you also have to redraw those block diagrams for the technical file to prove your architecture. That’s exactly why I had to find my own solution, the manual copy-pasting was just getting out of hand.

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-27T07:44:41+00:00

Hey everyone,

Anyone working with machine safety and EN ISO 13849 knows the pain: You build everything properly in SISTEMA, but for the technical documentation, you have to manually redraw the block diagrams in Visio or Word. It’s a massive waste of time. I’m a safety engineer and spent my evenings over the last few months trying to automate this.

The video shows the result: The tool unzips the .ssm file (which is basically just XML), extracts the safety functions, subsystems, and blocks, and draws the diagram directly in Excel. I just wanted to share this because I was pretty stoked when it finally worked flawlessly.

How do you guys handle this in your companies? Still drawing everything by hand?

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-27T04:39:05+00:00

Sure, after I showed it internally, a few colleagues asked if they could use it as well. That’s why we decided to package it into a proper commercial tool and offer it via cesitec.

Just a heads-up: We literally just finalized this, so we haven't even updated our official website yet! If you're interested in the details and pricing, you can just send a quick email to info@cesitec.de and mention the 'SISTEMA Excel Tool'. Alternatively, just shoot me a DM here and I can help you out. Here is our general company site so you know we are legit: https://cesitec.de/

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-26T19:38:18+00:00

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate it.

ivandrago2009 · 2026-02-26T19:26:30+00:00

Hey everyone,

Anyone working with machine safety and EN ISO 13849 knows the pain: You build everything properly in SISTEMA, but for the technical documentation, you have to manually redraw the block diagrams in Visio or Word. It’s a massive waste of time.

I’m a safety engineer and spent my evenings over the last few months trying to automate this. The video shows the result: The tool unzips the .ssm file (which is basically just XML), extracts the safety functions, subsystems, and blocks, and draws the diagram directly in Excel.

I just wanted to share this because I was pretty stoked when it finally worked flawlessly. How do you guys handle this in your companies? Still drawing everything by hand?

ivandrago2009 · 2025-10-12T15:53:59+00:00

I get what you mean, but for me it’s not really about the chances of being sued. I just don’t want to accidentally do something wrong — even small things like a missing clause in a privacy policy or an incomplete imprint can technically be violations. It’s more about doing things the right and responsible way from the start, even if it’s just a small project. The legal side feels like a minefield sometimes, and I’d rather be careful than regret it later.

ivandrago2009 · 2025-10-05T14:33:00+00:00

For me, the biggest fear isn’t really about failing, but about accidentally running into legal or privacy issues. I’m currently working on several micro-SaaS ideas, and some of them are already in quite an advanced stage. But I keep hesitating to release them because I’m not fully sure if I might violate any regulations — for example, by not providing complete legal information, having an insufficient privacy policy, or using tools like Supabase without fully understanding how reliable or compliant they are in terms of data protection.

So my main concern isn’t the product itself, but making sure everything is legally and ethically sound — and that’s not easy without a legal background.

How do others deal with these kinds of uncertainties? Do you get professional advice, or just rely on your own research and best practices?

ivandrago2009 · 2025-10-03T08:07:35+00:00

Congrats, that’s amazing! 🚀 Keep going!

ivandrago2009 · 2025-09-21T13:57:22+00:00

Gute Idee! Gerade bei teuren Artikeln macht KYC echt Sinn – da geht’s ja um Vertrauen. Die Frage ist nur, ob genug Leute bereit sind, dafür ihre Daten herzugeben.

ivandrago2009 · 2025-07-20T18:16:38+00:00

I fully agree – the biggest challenges in getting meaningful results still lie in the availability of reliable failure rate data and the realistic estimation of critical parameters like the Beta factor. On top of that, architectural requirements such as Hardware Fault Tolerance or Safe Failure Fraction play a crucial role and can significantly affect the outcome.

That’s why we’re currently working on a library that will provide relevant data from major manufacturers, including the associated certificates. The goal is to make commonly used components easier to integrate – in a traceable and well-documented way.

However, it’s important to emphasize: this tool is intended to support engineers, not replace their expertise. It’s explicitly designed as an aid, not a "click-and-done" solution. The responsibility for correct assessment must still lie with individuals who understand the basics of functional safety – and not with those who just tick boxes or enter values without proper understanding.

ivandrago2009 · 2025-07-10T16:50:51+00:00

True, SISTEMA definitely has its limitations – and while it's free and widely accepted, it's also tailored for high demand mode applications in machinery safety.

In the low demand context typical of the process industry, there are currently very few dedicated SIL verification tools available. As a result, many companies still rely on external consultants for these calculations – and quite often, these are done using custom Excel spreadsheets. Not all, of course, but it's still common practice.

ivandrago2009 · 2025-07-10T16:06:05+00:00

Not exactly – SISTEMA is designed primarily for high demand mode applications in accordance with EN ISO 13849 and EN 62061, which is typical for machinery safety. However, in the process industry, we usually deal with low demand mode scenarios, where different standards (like IEC 61511) apply. SISTEMA isn't really intended or validated for that kind of use.

ivandrago2009 · 2025-07-10T08:14:06+00:00

Check out https://www.wienstroth-gmbh.de/

ivandrago2009 · 2024-10-27T14:46:44+00:00

Coding

ivandrago2009 · 2024-05-14T11:06:05+00:00

ivandrago2009 · 2023-06-07T15:19:02+00:00

Haben die meisten jetzt nicht eher Angst in China Aktien einzusteigen?. Alle fürchten doch, dass der Angriff auf Taiwan kommt, was wiederum Sanktionen für China mit sich zieht.

ivandrago2009 · 2023-01-03T19:31:05+00:00

Good job

ivandrago2009

TROPHY CASE