Muting and Light Curtains: Four Common Machine Safeguarding Flaws and How to Avoid Them

In nearly any industry that manufactures a product, there are automatic feeder systems and conveyor applications that can be optimized simply by using muting. When used with a safety light curtain, muting enables the safety function to be temporarily disabled for a limited time to let parts or products in while protecting workers from potentially hazardous situations. Learn how to avoid potential safety flaws when safeguarding highly automated machines, which typically have one or more openings to allow large material, such as pallets, in and out. Despite service doors being nearby, these openings often present the easiest way to enter the machine area to perform minor service and routine maintenance activities. However, these machines (especially legacy equipment) do not always come equipped with state-of-the-art, built-in safeguarding mechanisms possibly creating a hazardous situation for personnel. Following are four common safety flaws and how to avoid them.

Safety Flaw 1: To rely on administrative measures alone Simple awareness measures (barriers, signs) are not sufficient in these kinds of applications. Administrative or awareness measures are the least effective way of risk reduction. Technologically advanced electro-sensitive devices are able to differentiate between a person and material and should be used. Below is one example of how this equipment works.

Multiple Light Beam Safety Devices with Muting This example illustrates the most common way to guard an entry/exit location, where product needs to go in and out of a hazardous area. The safety device works in conjunction with a muting module, which is tied to muting sensors. Muting is an automatic temporarily suspension of the safety device. When the sensors detect a pallet, the light curtain is muted. This can be programmed for one way or bi-directional movement of the pallet.

0
Safety Flaw 2: Incorrect mounting of sensors, enabling access of personnel The muting sensors need to be mounted so that a safe and reliable differentiation between a person and material is possible. If a person enters the hazardous area, the machine should automatically be sent a stop command. A simple solution is the mounting of the sensor inside of the machine, allowing only material to leave but nothing to enter.

Safety Flaw 3: Muting signals are generated only from a PLC Not all PLCs are safety-rated devices. Internal component failures (e.g., outputs always on) could lead to a permanent suspension of the safety function. Muting must be triggered by at least two independently wired signals, such as from muting sensors and must not depend entirely on software signals. Below you will find a solution that illustrates muting without the need for additional sensors or integration into the control system. Horizontal Guarding Safety Light Curtain with Integrated Pattern Algorithm As the pallet enters the guarded area, the beams on the horizontal light curtain are broken in sequence. This allows the light curtain to determine that the object is a pallet and not a person. As the pallet travels through the light curtain, the light curtain checks the size, the number and distance of objects that are seen to determine that it is a pallet and not a person. No additional sensors or installation is necessary.

Safety Flaw 4: Nuisance trips leading to unwanted stops and tampering Often, material cannot be easily differentiated from a person (same dimension as a person, includes gaps, holes, etc.). Low-end muting solutions are either unsafe or lead to nuisance trips. As a result, production is disturbed and over time creates the desire to manually bypass the safety function. Intelligent solutions can reliably detect material even in the worst environmental circumstances. Ensure equipment will detect clear or shiny material like shrink wrap and allow for gaps and holes in the geometry. The use of timers, additional control signals and direction monitoring ensures that the muting function is only activated when it needs to be. The safety of machinery depends on the correct application of regulations and standards. The standards below are not a complete guide. When designing safety systems, companies should carefully evaluate the safety of machinery and the selection and use of protective devices to determine the appropriate solution. SICK recommends consulting with a safety expert with extensive safety application knowledge. Helpful Standards The following standards refer to the safeguarding of entry/exit applications. ANSI/PMMI B155.1: Safety Requirements for Packaging Machinery EN 415-4: Safety of Packaging Machines, Palletizers and Depalletizer IEC/TS 62046: Application of protective equipment to detect the presence of persons

More information about entry/exit guarding solutions can be found on our web site at: www.sickusa.com/entryexit

Author Information Tyler Glieden is a Product Manager for Safety at SICK, Inc., based in Minnesota. Contact: 800-325-7425 tyler.glieden@sick.com