An all-rounder for machinery safety, the 1000 Series safety light curtain

Citation

(2001), "An all-rounder for machinery safety, the 1000 Series safety light curtain", Industrial Robot, Vol. 28 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2001.04928ead.004

An all-rounder for machinery safety, the 1000 Series safety light curtain

An all-rounder for machinery safety, the 1000 Series safety light curtain

Keywords: Smartscan, Health and safety, Light

The 1000 Series safety light curtain system from UK manufacturer Smartscan Ltd is thought to offer a truly competitive combination of the latest technology and cost-effective installation (Plate 4).

Smartscan reports that this combination has enabled it to offer those concerned with industrial machinery safety the chance to take advantage of using safety light curtains in applications which have traditionally been cost prohibitive. In many cases, says Smartscan, they are so cost effective that they can be used in place of more conventional types of protective devices, such as fixed screens and fences. Added to this is the inherent advantage that a safety light curtain offers in terms of reduction in operator fatigue in the machine/operator interface.

Plate 4 The 1000 Series safety light curtain system

The 1000 Series is a Type 2 safety device, as defined in the light curtain standard – EN 61496-1 – but, more importantly the product is said to meet the requirements for Category 3 systems as defined in EN 954-1. This combination provides the user with a low-cost safety light curtain solution that can be used across the majority of machine safety applications.

1000 Series safety light curtains comply with all relevant European and international safety standards, and with ISO 9001 certification Smartscan believes that full confidence can be placed in the quality, reliability and above all the safety of its light curtains and equipment.

In addition to the 1000 Series safety light curtain, Smartscan offers a range of multifunction safety units. The units offer a number of control options to suit the user's specific machinery safeguarding application.

The range includes a simple, cost-effective safety relay for connecting the electronic outputs from a 1000 Series light curtain (MFU 011-149), a unit for connecting up to two 1000 Series light curtains (MFU 011-150), a unit offering dual inputs for light curtain MUTE signals, (MFU 011-151), an expansion unit to provide up to eight additional relay output contacts for connecting to machinery electrical control elements such as motors, hydraulic solenoid valves etc., and units for specialist applications, such as the inductive loop controller. This unit is thought to be particularly useful where a fork-lift truck is required to enter a danger zone by passing through the light curtain for unloading palletised loads.

For further information contact: Smartscan Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1536 401313; Fax: +44 (0) 1536 268954; e-mail: Sales:smartscan.com