Understanding the Differences Between Machine Guard and Perimeter Guard Light Curtains

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Safety light curtains are a relatively hassle-free, cost-effective way to protect your team from hazardous machine motion. Compared with hard guarding, such as a fence or lexan barrier, light curtains have a lower cost of installation and maintenance. They also simplify machine maintenance by making it unnecessary to remove any physical barriers that block access.

Light curtains fall into two major categories: machine guard and perimeter guard. Machine guard light curtains cover a specific portion of the machine that happens to be particularly hazardous. They’re further categorized by their “resolution” – that is, whether they can protect an arm, a hand, or even something as small as a finger.

Perimeter guard light curtains, on the other hand, cover machine area access. Since they prevent a person from even reaching the machine, resolution is very wide. It’s important to determine where the curtain must be mounted to prevent a person from reaching the danger zone before motion can stop. This requires a machine stop time measurement.

Often-overlooked advantages of perimeter guard light curtains

Some manufacturers have a tendency to select high-resolution machine guard light curtains when there might not be a need for this amount of protection. If there’s typically no reason to frequently access a machine, then a perimeter guard might be a better option. On the off chance that someone walks up to the machine, the perimeter guard will quickly shut it down.

Perimeter guard light curtains are less expensive than machine guard light curtains because they require fewer LEDs. This is because they’re designed to detect a whole person passing through, rather than a smaller body part like a hand or finger. They also ensure protection across a much wider area.

When to use a machine guard light curtain

If a particular machine needs to be accessed frequently, machine guard light curtains might be the better option for protecting operators from specific areas of the machine with hazardous motion. It would be impractical to shut the machine down each time someone needs to walk up to it when there’s a way to detect an arm or hand entering the specific danger zone.

The Omron light curtain advantage

Whichever option you require for your machine, Omron has a flexible and user-friendly light curtain solution to meet your needs. The new additions to the F3SG family include both a perimeter guard version (the F3SG-PG) and a machine guard version (the F3SG-SR) that includes finger, arm, hand and leg protection options.

Below is a table indicating when to choose the F3SG-PG versus the F3SG-SR.

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All Omron light curtains use the same cabling and brackets, so if something changes in your light curtain needs, all you need to change is the curtain itself. Everything else works the same. Both the machine guard and perimeter guard versions feature three-color beam indicators that let you know whether the light curtain has been aligned properly.

To learn more about how Omron can help you with your safety light curtain needs, click here.

Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL

DCS Put to the Ultimate Test Part 1 Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL 1 400x275

Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.

For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.

What Is Torsion?

To learn the answer, click here

30 Minute Live Webinar 2:30 PM ET January 19th, 2023

With PC-based automation, you can implement applications and solutions that far exceed the functions of a classic controller. SIMATIC PC-based products offer you a flexible, innovative platform with long-term availability that give you a home field advantage when meeting the challenges of the digital factory for your machines and plants.

Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force

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With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.

The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.

This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.

In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.

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