Belt Conveyors
A belt conveyor is a system designed to transport or move physical items like materials, goods, even people from one point to another. Unlike other conveying means that employ chains, spirals, hydraulics, etc...
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This article will take an in-depth look at machine guards.
The article will bring more detail on topics such as:
This chapter will discuss what machine guards are, their construction, and how they function.
A machine guard is a mechanism whose role is to act as a safety barrier between a worker and machines used in manufacturing facilities, factories, plants, and warehouses. Furthermore machine guards keep vehicles out of certain areas, control traffic, and contain flying debris. Nearly all machines require safety guards.
Any kind of machine that impacts or shears, has rotating parts, reciprocating arms, meshing gears, moving belts, cutting teeth, or has the ability to be a safety hazard must have some form of barrier.
Manufacturers usually make machine guards by combining CNC machining, extrusion, and post extrusion processes (rivet joining, bolts, nuts, screws, etc.) These methods are explained below.
Extrusion is the process of shaping material, such as aluminum, by forcing it through a shaped opening in a die. Extruded material has the same shape as the die opening and emerges as an elongated piece. The aluminum is pushed through the die by a powerful ram and resurfaces from the die's opening. When this happens, it emerges in the same form as the die and is pulled along a runout table. Aluminum extrusion is a relatively simple process to comprehend on a fundamental level.
Extrusion creates three main kinds of shapes which are; solid without closed openings or enclosed voids (angle, rod, or beam), hollow with a void or more (rectangular tube or square) and semi hollow with a semi enclosed void (narrow gap on a “C” channel). Included in these kinds of shapes are those required for machine guard production. The ten step process is outlined below.
The malleable billet is now packed into the extrusion press, where it is subjected to up to 15,000 tons of pressure from the hydraulic ram.
The billet material is pushed into the extrusion press container as the ram applies pressure. The billet material increases in volume to fill the container's walls.
The process of continuously forming a flat, hot, extruded sheet into a shape is known as post extrusion. This process is typically carried out during the extrusion procedure, and it is carried out with rigid PVC. It combines the cost-cutting advantages of extrusion with the forming advantages of injection molding.
CNC machining is a manufacturing process that employs specialized computer programs to automate the designing and production of highly precise parts for various industries, including machine work, in this instance – machine guards. CNC stands for computer numerical control.
This term refers to a wide range of CNC manufacturing processes that are used throughout the production process to quickly and efficiently produce small or big volumes of equivalent precision parts.
In order to choose the best CNC machine shop, it is critical to consider the exact processes required to design and make the machine guard. Dimensional capacities or diameter, material capabilities, production volume allowances, software, and the specific machines available are considered factors. CNC providers' material and dimensional capabilities greatly vary. The diameter capacity is given as a range with upper and lower limits. Volume requirements can also be expressed in this way. The material capabilities, on the other hand, should be specific. Metal is usually the top choice for machine guards, but plastic is common as well.
After selecting the appropriate facility, materials, and software, control machining starts with the association between the client and the manufacturer. The use of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and other progressive programming methods like photo imaging, enables the product to be fully conceptualized in-house. These programs then convert the item's schematics and measurements into code that directs the equipment. The raw metal is then loaded into the machine.
These pieces of metal or plastic, usually in the form of a billet or other stock shape, are already extruded in advance and can be supplied by either the machining shop or the consumer. This is the only required manual operation for products that need only one piece of equipment. Workers may transfer materials between procedures in shops that offer a multitude of services on different machinery, or this step could be automated. The software is activated once materials are in place. This code, regardless of the specific computer language used, is what controls the behavior of the machinery.
The computer is used to execute a series of commands in the correct order as needed. CNC programming directs the positioning, application of pressure, depth, and all other motions of the automated devices. These movements quickly produce highly precise duplicate parts in rapid succession, a procedure that would take very long to complete manually.
Machine guards are made from a variety of materials by manufacturers. Metal, on the other hand, is usually the preferred material. They can take the form of bar, pipe, wire mesh, panel, or sheet metal. When visibility is critical, a strong plastic material known as polycarbonate is used to create see-through panels that are shatter proof, withstand continuous high impact, and are tougher than glass. Wood is used only in cases where there are no extreme temperatures or corrosive chemicals.
Industrial machine guards protect the equipment in several ways. Point of operation guarding, point guarding, and fixed perimeter guarding are some of the examples.
When someone says "point guarding" in this context, they're mean guarding moving parts on machinery that could be dangerous to machine operators or other employees nearby. Point guarding guards must be attached if possible to the machine, and if not, they must be attached nearby, according to OSHA 1910.212(a)(2).
Those machinery guards who work in the "point of operation guarding" style protect the area of the machine where the employees work. The goal here is to ensure that the operator does not come into physical contact with the machinery and does not enter the danger zone while working.
Fixed perimeter guarding is a kind of guarding in which manufacturers build a machine border or enclosure around the entire workspace.
The considerations when choosing a machine guard include:
The risks within an organization are not always the same as those within another company that operates machinery. The same can be said for safety regulations. As a result, the specifics that apply to a business' environment must be identified.
To begin, the dimensions and distance between a machine and an operator must be known in order to determine hazards. With that, suitable machine guarding panels, whether wire mesh or flat guards, can be chosen. Second, for the types of machines involved, the safety standards outlined by MSHA, OSHA, and CSA must be carefully reviewed. This will result in a much better understanding of specific risks.
To gain an understanding of the design and manufacturing procedure for guarding panels, there is no need to become an expert. However, some bit of knowledge, together with lessons about MSHA, OSHA, and CSA regulations, will help distinguish between subpar and superior products.
As an example, consider a wire mesh guard. It will be known what the best materials are, the most reliable and strongest wire gauge, and the most efficient weaving process if more about the design and manufacturing procedure is learned.
Guards must be installed in order for companies that operate machines to comply with current regulations and safety laws. As a result of this mandate, guards come in a variety of sizes. However, if a machine does not fit the standard mold, manufacturers that can customize guards to fit must be sought. Because wire mesh guards are so adaptable and versatile, they are frequently an excellent solution.
When selecting machine guarding panels, the level of support and customer service offered by the manufacturer is also important. Starters should work with a reputable source who can assist during the purchasing process. Another consideration is choosing a manufacturer that provides support after purchasing a guard if there are questions or problem encounters.
There are four types of machine guards. Fixed machine guards, adjustable machine guards, interlocked machine guards, and self-adjusting machine guards are examples. Other types are subcategories of machine guards.
Chuck guards are safety components that protect workers from excess shards, shavings, material chips, and tool bits that may fly away from working machinery and injure them. They are simply curved pieces of material attached to the machines with a bracket and screws. Chuck guards are most commonly found on lathes, which spin at high RPMs (revolutions per minute) to shape metal, wood, and glass products. Chucks, which are clamping components used to grip rotating materials and tools in place, are commonly used on lathes. All chuck guards are joined to the chuck to facilitate access to the lathe and can be swung or lifted away.
Chuck guards are commonly used in factories and manufacturing facilities to protect workers in areas where glass blowing, metal spinning, shearing, and sanding operations take place. Chuck guards, in addition to protective clothing and goggles, should be purchased to prevent workers from being hit or cut by debris flying off the lathe, which is spinning at a very high RPM. While the debris is usually small, it moves at high velocities and is thus considered hazardous to workers. Chuck guards are simple and efficient answers to the hazards of lathe work. Similar to chuck guards, there are many other types of machine guards, such as milling machine guards, lathe guards, and drill press guards.
Drill press guards protect machine operators from avoidable injuries while they operate drill presses. Drill press guards protect plant operating personnel from contaminants, moving parts, flying debris, and noise caused by drill presses.
Drill press guards, a subcategory of machine guards, shield operators' eyes and hands from cutting blades, cutting tools, hot chips, grease, splash coolants, and oil. Drill presses, according to the OSHA list, need guarding where work is done when the material is in an ongoing process. Drill press guards come in a variety of styles.
A fixed machine guard is permanently joined to the tool or machine, has no moving parts, and can’t be moved while the machine is under operation. They are most commonly used to cover the point of operation or other hazards with which the operator does not need to interact with, such as flywheels or fan blades. Because fixed machine guards are permanent features of the machinery, they have to be taken apart and removed before any type of adjustment or maintenance can be performed.
When an interlocking guard, also known as a barrier guard, is opened or removed, the power source is automatically turned off or disengaged. These are especially useful when operators want to be able to open the guards or access the machinery’s guarded parts, like when clearing jams.
These guards permit safe access to the machine's interior without requiring total disassembly. They can, however, be easily opened by accident and need care and maintenance adjustment.
A lathe guard is a visor or shield that serves as a point-of-operation protective barrier for operators and workers when they are near a spinning lathe. They prevent injuries or accidents caused by flying chips, debris, broken tool bits, and shavings. Lathe guards also keep fingers away from the spinning lathe, which spins at a high RPM (revolutions per minute).
Lathe guards come in pre-engineered sizes or are custom made to fit the particular dimensions of the machine. They are easily attached to the chuck or cross-slide by a bracket on screws, though others are attached to other lathe devices. Lathe guards can be curved and thus shaped as a half circle, or they can be flat and have three sides. The most common design consists of an aluminum die-cast frame and a big polycarbonate vision panel, a see-through plastic material which behaves like glass but is lightweight, has high impact strength, shatter resistance, and flexibility.
Milling machine guards are three or two-sided covers that enclose dangerous milling machinery. They also shield operators and machinists from flying coolant, swarf, tool breakages, and detached material pieces. Milling machine guards also keep the workplace clean and workers safe without sacrificing productivity.
Milling machine guards are a structure of panels in an aluminum frame or steel tubing, and they are always made of transparent panels to allow workers to see the fabrication process. Milling machines are tools used to shape and shape solid materials such as wood, plastic, and various metals.
They are mostly found in manufacturing facilities, but they are also seen in workshops and school shop classes. When the milling machine is in use, all machine guards are secure and locked, regardless of their design; static, which is non-moving, or traversing, which can move without being detached. Milling machine guards are either pre-engineered in a variety of sizes or handcrafted to precise design specifications. Their size varies according to the dimensions of the milling machinery, but they are typically bigger than other machine guarding parts.
Milling machine guards are classified into two types: sliding guards and stationary guards. To protect workers, both are locked in place always while the milling machinery is in operation, but some can slide back and forth along a cross-slide, whereas others must be detached but can be swung out of place to access the machining area. All milling machine guard panels are see-through and made of polycarbonate, a resistant, shatterproof, and strong plastic material.
In industrial uses, safety barriers are physical compartments that prevent accidents and injury. They keep operating personnel and employees away from potentially hazardous machines, keep vehicles away from restricted areas, and control traffic. They house robotic and automated systems, heavy machines that could cause injury, and racks and shelving systems.
There are two kinds of safety barriers that protect from physical injuries from workers engaging with dangerous machines and costly vehicle caused accidents. Wire mesh and fencing barriers, for example, keep unauthorized persons from accessing prohibited areas and completely cover dangerous automated machines. These systems frequently have electrical doors with interlocks which shut down when they are opened. They are typically higher than six feet, simple to assemble, and installed with a sequence of posts mounted to the ground. The doors can be panel or swing, which is just one facet of the barrier that can be customized to meet the company’s requirements.
Safety guards are physical barriers built around potentially hazardous machines and mobile parts. Safety guards come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are intended to protect employees from any avoidable injuries associated with the operation of machines. Many safety guards are custom-made to meet the safety requirements of a specific mechanism or device. Metals, wood, and plastics are all common materials for safety guards. The material utilized is determined by the machinery from which the safety guard protects employees.
The types of safety guards are self-adjusting, adjustable, fixed, and interlocked. Self-adjusting guards can automatically adjust themselves, whereas conventional adjusting machine guards should be shifted by hand. Fixed guards are permanently affixed to a part of the machinery, whereas interlocked guards are by electronic means connected to the machinery and thus capable of shutting down the machine if the barrier is crossed.
When workers put new materials into the machines, self-adjusting machine guards adjust their positions automatically. They are also frequently used with saws. They shift away from the point of operation, opening up just enough to allow material into the cutting zone of a blade. When the blade is not in use, they enclose the other half of it.
Aside from these, a wide range of machine guards are designed to protect specific types of machines, such as chuck guards and lathe guards, drill press guards, milling machine guards, wire guards, brake monitors, and safety light curtains.
Wire guards direct traffic, demarcate security zones and prevent big flying debris from leaving the machinery workplace. They are simple and quick to install, and they are not affected by power cuts or electrical mishaps, as are safety light curtains. Wire guards are commonly used to protect robotic and automated machinery, heavy machinery, tanks, spiral HVAC fans, and motors. They are used both outdoors and indoors and are typically more than six feet tall to prevent people from climbing over the barrier.
Wire guards protect workers from accidents and injuries and prevent unapproved personnel from accessing certain work zones and reduce the risk of tampering and vandalism. Wire guards, unlike other types of machine guards, are an efficient way to warn workers about the presence of potentially dangerous machinery. They are frequently painted in bright colors such as yellow or orange, and warning signs are hung from them.
One of the most common, tiered guards fastens to the drill press's quill and encloses the rotating pieces of the press. Operators have a complete vision while drilling, ensuring that the product is not harmed due to safety precautions. Although they rarely cause problems, drill press guards can occasionally obstruct the task. A protocol for the task should be developed after assessing all potential safety hazards. After it has been applied, the guard may be removed, and the task is completed.
The types of safety guards are self-adjusting, adjustable, fixed, and interlocked. Self-adjusting guards can automatically adjust themselves, whereas conventional adjusting machine guards should be shifted by hand. Fixed guards are permanently affixed to a part of the machinery, whereas interlocked guards are by electronic means connected to the machinery and thus capable of shutting down the machine if the barrier is crossed.
This chapter will discuss the applications and benefits of machine guards.
Presses, automated assembly line machinery, milling machines, roll form machines, saws, feeders, and robotics, to name a few, contain potentially hazardous components that must be protected by a machine guard in order to operate safely. Machine safeguards are critical for these machines because they avoid crushed hands or fingers, burning, blindness, limb loss, or death. Machines are frequently being made with integral machine guards, but some ought to be analyzed before the specific user built guard may be applied at the point of operation. Machine guarding is also required for robots.
Machine guards are immensely beneficial and necessary. They ensure the safety of workers, orderliness of operations, and efficient flow of work. Furthermore, by keeping workers safe, they instill confidence and well-being.
The OSHA requirements for machine guards alludes to:
Guards must be inspected as part of the machine guard maintenance schedule.
A guard must be replaced in the event there are:
Guards must be cleaned with a plastic cleaner which is non abrasive. Guards must never be cleaned with cleaning products which are based on ammonia (like glass cleaner). Yellowing of transparent guards is not a primary concern as the guards are manufactured from PETG plastic and not polycarbonate.
A machine guard is a device whose role is to act as a safety barrier between a worker and machines used in manufacturing facilities, factories, plants, and warehouses. They are manufactured from extrusion, CNC machining, and post extrusion process. Metal is usually the preferred material for making machine guards though plastic and wood are used as well. Machine guards play a vital role in protecting operators and employees from workplace hazards.
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