Safety and efficiency in production: How to take the right preventive measures

With machine protection doors, it is possible to meet the highest safety requirements and at the same time reduce production interruptions and space requirements to a minimum, which makes the innovative safety solution the means of choice.

Maximum safety through appropriate prevention measures for risky production steps

Work processes with powerful machines such as robotic arc and laser welding machines are regarded as high-risk production steps, which requires special safety measures for this area of application. To reliably prevent serious accidents in this area of your production line from the outset, it is therefore necessary to take the appropriate preventive measures. With high-quality protective equipment such as a machine protection door, it is possible to reduce the risk potential of robot welding equipment and similar machines to a minimum and thus avoid injuries, downtimes and other unplanned incidents. 

Various safety measures: safety light curtains vs. machine protection doors

There are several options available to safeguard your robot welding operators. They range from safety zones, perimeter guards, laser scanners, pressure sensitive safety mats and light curtains. But the drawback of most of these solutions is that they are reactive – if a worker breaches a light curtain or steps on a safety mat, the welding robot will automatically stop, bringing production to a grinding halt. This unintentional action may occur several times a day, leading to production downtime and lead to enormous losses in terms of effectiveness.

In addition, in the warm months, when the entrance doors are usually open, there is also the risk that birds, insects or other uninvited visitors will break through the light grid and thus also trigger production interruptions.

The most effective safety barrier on the market: the machine protection door

The machine protection door offers a solution to this problem, its innovative safety elements ensure maximum safety for the employees operating the welding equipment and smooth production processes.

In contrast to a light curtain, machine protection doors completely shield the welding cell from the environment. This physical barrier prevents workers or objects from accidentally entering the process area, bringing the production process to a standstill. In addition, they take up significantly less space in production, as no light buffer is required. Another advantage of the machine protection door is that by eliminating the buffer zone, they can be placed closer to the application, which means that they take up less space in production.

An overview of the advantages of a machine protection door in the production process

At a glance, machine protection doors offer you numerous advantages as the ultimate protection for robot and laser welding applications and protect employees from:

• The intense ultraviolet light from welding lasers or welder arc glare
• Heat
• Spark burns
• The noise generated by the robot itself

Furthermore, the tight seal around the perimeter of the door means that machine protection doors prevent dust, particles, or contaminants from entering specific areas.

By effectively isolating the hazardous processes involved in robotic arc and laser welding, you can keep your workers safe, production running, and downtime to a minimum.

Find out more about the use of machine protection door in manufacturing facilities here