Safety Components on Guard - White Paper from AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect announces the release of a new White Paper, “Safety Components on Guard”, which discusses safety components that are available for protecting operators of machine and robot installations. This white paper offers an introduction to safety standards for guarding and protecting personnel; understanding safety fundamentals is critical to applying safety components properly.

As discussed, once the appropriate safety guarding levels are defined using a risk assessment risk/reduction procedure for an application, necessary safety components are selected to permit operators to perform their work while remaining protected by interlocked guard access and reliable safety control.

Safety components examined in the paper include safety switches, interlock safety switches, non-contact switches, safety limit switches, and safety light curtains, mats and edges. These safety components are integrated through safety relays or controllers to put the machine into a safe state usually by removing energy or stopping motion.

It is crucial to properly implement safety provisions to protect operators of machines and robots. Numerous standards are in place to help guide safety design efforts. Many safety components are available, and automated equipment often requires a variety of them.

The “Safety Components on Guard” White Paper can be downloaded at:  https://library.automationdirect.com/safety-components-on-guard-white-paper

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