KUKA SafeOperation: Resolving Axis AMF Save Errors

The save failure occurs because Sunrise Workbench does not have the KUKA SafeOperation package installed, while the .sconf file contains more than three axis-range-monitoring AMF instances. Without that package, the editor exposes only three independent axis-monitoring instances and rejects references for axes 4–7 when it revalidates the complete configuration. Install the purchased SafeOperation package before editing and saving the existing file; removing valid monitoring rows merely hides the capability mismatch.

Recognize the Capability-Mismatch Symptom

Sunrise Workbench 7.43 reports: “The safety configuration cannot be saved, because the following AMFs are configured but are unavailable according to selected safety features.” The reported items are the AMF instances used for axis range monitoring, particularly the rows associated with axes 4–7.

The important diagnostic clue is that the error appears after any edit, even an unrelated one. Adding an external emergency stop, deactivating an existing row, or making another small change causes Workbench to validate the entire configuration rather than only the changed item. The external emergency-stop configuration can therefore be correct while the save still fails because pre-existing axis-monitoring instances are no longer available in the installed feature set.

Why an Existing Configuration Opens but Will Not Save

A safety configuration file and the engineering workstation’s installed feature set are separate things. An existing .sconf file can retain objects created in an environment that had additional safety functionality. Workbench can display those objects, but saving invokes the current editor’s validation rules and available object definitions.

Without SafeOperation, only three independent axis-range-monitoring AMF instances can be created in this case. When a fourth AMF is inserted, Workbench links it to an existing instance instead of offering another independently selectable axis. That automatic reuse is not an axis-selection mistake; it is the editor enforcing the number of instances available under the selected and installed safety features.

This also explains why deactivating row 4 can expose an error even though that row had previously been active and functional. The edit marks the configuration as changed, and the next save evaluates every configured AMF against the workstation’s present capabilities. The error identifies the extended axis-monitoring objects, not necessarily the row most recently changed.

Run the Diagnostic Sequence

1. Preserve the working file. Keep an unchanged copy of the original .sconf before removing, deactivating, or recreating AMFs. The original contains the axis assignments and limits needed after the engineering environment is corrected.
2. Reproduce with a harmless edit. Change the active state of a known row and attempt to save. If Workbench reports unavailable axis-monitoring AMFs, treat the problem as whole-configuration validation.
3. Identify the failing instances. Compare the reported entries with the axis-range-monitoring rows. In this installation, the failing rows were the instances associated with axes 4–7.
4. Test the three-instance boundary. In a temporary configuration, create independent axis-monitoring AMFs. If the fourth AMF reuses one of the first three instances and no control is available to select a new axis instance, the workstation lacks the extended capability.
5. Separate the new function from the old error. Temporarily deactivate the rows beyond the first three and test the external emergency-stop definition. If that reduced configuration saves and the stop input behaves correctly, the new stop is not causing the AMF availability error.
6. Check the installed packages. Verify whether SafeOperation is present in the Workbench installation rather than relying on the contents of the project file.

The same three-instance creation ceiling was also observed with Workbench 1.14, so changing files or rebuilding the configuration is not a reliable correction when the required package is absent.

Install the Required SafeOperation Package

SafeOperation is an additional KUKA package that must be purchased and installed. Obtain the package and the installation instructions through KUKA’s official sales or support channel. Match the package to the controller and Workbench environment identified in the project documentation; do not select a package version by guesswork.

1. Record the current Workbench version, project/controller identification, installed safety features, and the original .sconf file.
2. Acquire the applicable SafeOperation package through KUKA.
3. Install it using the instructions delivered with that package.
4. Restart or reopen the engineering environment as directed by the installation procedure.
5. Confirm that SafeOperation now appears among the installed or selectable safety features.
6. Open a copy of the original configuration and verify that the axis-range-monitoring AMFs for axes 4–7 are recognized as available.
7. Add the external emergency-stop configuration without deleting the established axis monitoring.
8. Save, close, reopen, and validate the completed configuration before transferring it to the machine.

If the package is installed but the fourth instance still reuses one of the first three, stop before changing axis assignments. Check that the correct feature is selected for the project and that the package installation applies to the Workbench instance actually opening the file.

Verify the Corrected Configuration

A successful save is necessary but does not prove that the safety functions are correct. Verify both the editor configuration and machine behavior.

1. Create more than three independent axis-range-monitoring AMFs and confirm that each intended axis has its own instance rather than an alias to an earlier AMF.
2. Compare every restored axis assignment and range value with the preserved original configuration.
3. Save the file with all required monitoring rows active. The unavailable-AMF message must not return.
4. Close and reopen the saved file, then confirm that the axis selections and active states persist.
5. Test the external emergency-stop input and each affected axis-monitoring function under controlled commissioning conditions.
6. Confirm that each function produces the intended safe response and that resetting one function does not bypass another active function.

Document the installed package, final safety-feature selection, test results, and accepted .sconf revision. This prevents a later workstation rebuild from recreating the same editing mismatch.

Avoid Recurring Configuration Pitfalls

Do not delete and recreate the axis-monitoring rows as the primary repair. A clean file still encounters the three-instance ceiling, and rebuilding introduces the additional risk of losing axis assignments or range values.

Do not interpret automatic linking of the fourth AMF as a duplicate-row defect. It is the visible sign that Workbench cannot create another independent instance with the currently installed features. Likewise, do not permanently deactivate axes 4–7 merely to make the file save; that changes the safety coverage instead of restoring the required engineering capability.

Finally, keep the engineering environment aligned with the configuration it must maintain. Archive the safety file together with the Workbench version and required optional packages. A controller may continue running a previously accepted configuration while a replacement engineering workstation lacks the software needed to edit it safely.

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