5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs perforated machine guarding？

Perforated Metal has a variety of applications including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), filtration, aesthetics, and more. Learn how McNICHOLS® Perforated Metal can fill the hole in your next project!

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Designer Perforated Metal Cabinet Inserts

With such a wide variety of materials, styles, patterns and sizes available for Perforated Metal, the uses for this product are endless. Perforated Metal is a special type of sheet metal which has punched holes in a variety of patterns &#; or as we like to call it, design, character, and functionality! Perforated Metal has a variety of applications in heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), filtration, aesthetics, and more. Many industries can benefit from using Perforated Metal in their projects such as architecture, engineering and construction to name a few.

Today, we will be covering some of the top ways and reasons that Perforated Metal may be used in your next project.

1. Perforated Metal Allows Ventilation & Airflow

You may use Perforated Metal for your HVAC system to improve its overall appearance and ensure occupants benefit from heating or cooling without the bothersome noise of a loud system.

In HVAC units, Perforated Metal can be used in diffusion systems and air ducts because it distributes air consistently and evenly. It acts as a silencer, allowing a system to run quietly. It's also aesthetically pleasing, giving someone the benefit of a high-functioning system that looks just as good as it functions. Often times, Perforated Metal is chosen to help lightly conceal or distract from unsightly electrical equipment or internal components.

A diffuser is one component of an HVAC system that may use Perforated Metal. The diffuser allows air to disperse evenly throughout creating a comfortable environment. It also ensures that the home or building doesn't have temperature changes that go from one extreme to another, and makes sure inhabitants are breathing, fresh clean air!

Another piece of an HVAC system that uses Perforated Metal is a silencer. Without this part, the noise from the fan and other components of the HVAC would move throughout the building, creating a bothersome environment for residents.

2. Perforated Metal Filters Particles

Because you can customize the hole size for your preference and purpose, you may use this metal to filter an assortment of materials. In fact, various industries use Perforated Metal filtration, including the food service, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries, to name a few.

When Perforated Metal is used for filtration, it keeps dust and other particles from entering a system or the goods being made. You may use these to ensure safety and quality and prevent contamination.

Aggregated sorting is another purpose of Perforated Metal. For instance, you may opt for Perforated Metal solutions if you need to sort items, like peanuts, small fruits, pills, or rocks to name a few. It's also useful in mining, manufacturing, and agriculture to hold or sort materials. Contraptions like custom size sifters, baskets, or screens can all be made using Perforated Metal similarly to products like Wire Mesh. We can customize the Perforated Metal to your desired hole size.

3. Perforated Metal can Provide Light Filtration & Privacy

Feeling exposed and contending with bright lights can be a bit of a pain at times, but you may use Perforated Metal to create a more suitable environment for work or relaxation.

A Perforated Metal sheet can serve the purpose of filtering light and help with privacy. Keeping peeping eyes from getting a solid view! In a public setting, you may use it at an indoor or outdoor dining venue as a wall between patrons or other buildings or within sections of your building, guaranteeing your diners have a more private experience. When used for this purpose, the metal lets air pass through, so you still have ventilation whenever you place it. Plus, you may choose the design, spacing, and sizing of the holes. Decorative Perforated Metal may be a great option for these type of specific interior, recreational establishments.

Perforated Metal could also be used as a partition in a building or even outside. Rather than having to install an entirely new wall in a building, you may use this metal to section off areas of a large indoor or outdoor space. Outside, you may use it like a fence and it works great as Railing Infill Panels for this reason!

4. Perforated Metal Filters & Absorbs Sound

A noisy area may lead to headaches and increased anxiety, and loud concert venues without the proper acoustics may fail to carry the sound to the entire audience. However, Perforated Metal is a method to alter both.

Some materials absorb sound waves and bounce them around. It's not until the waves diffuse on their own that they stop. This can create a very noisy environment in some locations. Perforated surfaces can disperse the soundwaves quickly, making the space less noisy.

It's possible to use Perforated Metal indoors or outdoors for this application. Use Perforated Metal near a building in proximity to a busy road to drown out the noise of the highway. It changes the loud noise to ambient white noise inside the building. In facilities where equipment is being run, the overall atmosphere can become quite blusterous. The metal can reduce this noise and create a better environment for workers.

When you use them in concert halls and meeting venues, the metal can contain a noisy area from the quieter sections surrounding it. In this setting and in others that require people to be able to hear a speaker or musician, Perforated Metal may diffuse sound. As a result, it'll improve the overall sound quality, allowing the audience to hear the performer more clearly.

5. Perforated Metal offers Design Appeal

This type of metal is anything but boring since you may use it to add a pop of color or texture.

Because of a Perforated Metal sheet's versatility and customizability, it can be aesthetically appealing in any setting. Everything from the color to the size and position of the holes can be chosen. Perforated Metal offers a unique way to display your business&#; brand and style that is visible from afar. Incorporate elements with Perforated Metal to add texture or shape to the design.

Besides standard Perforated Metal, we also offer Perforated Designer Metal for aesthetic purposes. With these options, you have a wider variety to select from, such as Designer Perforated Metal, Designer Expanded Metal, Designer Wire Mesh, and Designer Textured Metal. All of these feature unique patterns and construction types to help make your project or space like none other.

It may be used for screens, wall panels, suspended ceilings, awnings, facades, and more.

6. Perforated Metal for Utility Purposes

Opting for this kind of metal for utility purposes is practical since you may use it for organizational reasons, and it's long-lasting.

Perforated Metal can be practical when used in a shed, cellar, or professional workspace. Rather than cork, pegboard or another similar wall panel material that will degrade over time, metal is long-lasting. Consider Perforated Plastic Sheets or Perforated Metal for full or custom-sized wall panels to help organize any work or play area.

In conclusion, Perforated Metal offers countless features and benefits. Some of the more frequent applications include adding it to an HVAC system for both ventilation and airflow as well as a sound diffuser. The custom hole size of Perforated Metal allows it to be a perfect solution for sorting and filtering out particles of all sizes. Perforated Metal also allows for privacy within rooms and buildings while still maintaining an open space and an aesthetically pleasing design. These are just some of the reasons thousands of customers choose to incorporate McNICHOLS® Perforated Metal in their projects each year!

We invite you to learn more! We are ready and Inspired to Serve® you at 855.318., or via Live Chat on mcnichols.com.

When a metal forming machine is being designed, the potential safety risks must be analyzed and minimized. Some risks cannot be eliminated through design, however, so it is necessary to use safety devices. These devices safeguard operators and other individuals from residual hazards like crushing, shearing, cutting, snatching, clamping, trapping, perforating, puncturing, and shock.

In general, when an operator has to use a machine frequently and is exposed to the risk of hazardous motion, safeguarding devices should be used to prevent exposure to the hazard.

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Safeguarding devices, when installed properly, prevent access to a hazard or detect the entry of personnel into a hazardous location. When an entry is detected, the safeguarding device, in conjunction with the control system, either prevents the initiation of hazardous motion or initiates an immediate stop of the hazardous motion, thus eliminating the existence of the hazard.

Optoelectronic sensing devices safeguard machine access and prevent injuries related to hazardous machine motion. The ultimate goals are to prevent access to the hazard, eliminate the hazard before access is attained, and prevent the unintended operation of a machine.

Optoelectronic sensors help reduce access time and eliminate the waiting associated with opening doors or hard guards. In general, they are simple to operate, and they help minimize or eliminate repetitive motions. Safety light curtains and safety scanners can provide protection for all individuals in and near the hazardous area, not just the operator.

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Safety Light Curtains

While the basic concept behind the light curtain has not changed since its introduction more than 50 years ago, the technology has kept pace with the industry's ever-changing demands. Special features and improved direction through regulations and national consensus standards help match a safety light curtain to its intended use.

A safety light curtain consists of at least two units: a sender and a receiver. The sender unit contains emitters that send infrared light beams toward the receiver unit. When the emitted beams reach and are registered by the receiver, the light curtain is operational and allows the motion of the machine or robot to occur.
Interruption of any beam in the safety light curtain generates a safety stop signal to the machine control circuit, which in turn should stop any hazardous motion or prevent the machine from initiating a start sequence. Figure 1 shows a light curtain safeguarding entry into an automotive manufacturing cell.

Safety light curtains are designed with various types of functionality to fit different applications. Some are solid-state outputs, fixed blanking, floating blanking, external device monitoring (EDM), coded beams, PC-based configuration, self-documentation, and advanced diagnostics.

In some instances, a third box may be required to house a controller unit or to provide basic or advanced functions, solid-state interfacing for multiple-curtain applications, or relay functionality.

Regardless of the features or functions, safety light curtains are applied to safeguard hazardous applications that can be stopped electrically, quickly, and in any stage of the machine cycle.

Safety Laser Scanners

A laser scanner is an optical sensor designed for 2-D scanning of detection areas using infrared laser beams.

Laser scanners operate according to the principle of time-of-flight measurement. They emit very short light pulses, while an electronic timer captures the time it takes the light pulses to travel. When the light encounters an object, the light is reflected and received by the safety laser scanner. The scanner determines distances from the object during the time elapsed from emission to reception.

The scanner can be configured to safeguard areas of any shape, as well as multiple zones. It also can be reconfigured to handle different materials, depending on production needs. A scanner can be mounted horizontally, vertically, or at an angle and out of the way of the machine, helping to minimize the risk of damage and intrusion.

Vision Systems

New systems for press brake safeguarding use vision-based optoelectronic technology. The Safety Category 4 camera sensors help ensure safety while optimizing the metal folding process by providing multiple safeguarding modes that can be changed automatically while bending a complex part. These systems also optimize machine speed so that throughput is maximized without compromising operator safety. In addition, machine stops are minimized to prolong machine life uptime.

On a press brake, the vision system is mounted on the machine and travels with the ram. It monitors the hazardous area with a camera image and constantly evaluates the safety fields. These fields can be flexibly programmed based on the specific folding operation.

Installation and maintenance of a camera-based press brake safety system are relatively simple because of its built-in self-diagnostic tools. In essence, the camera-based system is able to report any need for adjustment, minimizing troubleshooting time and maximizing machine uptime. The alignment of the device takes less than five minutes, for example, because the camera system is able to tell the installer which direction to move the camera to achieve perfect alignment of the components. Software and hardware features help simplify configuration and alignment.

Figure 2 shows an example of a vision-based system for press brake safeguarding. It offers safeguarding during the fast downward movement of the press, and it is connected to the machine controls. If the safety volume is infringed during the dangerous movement of the press, the device sends a signal to stop the machine.

Selecting the Appropriate Sensor

Several criteria need to be considered in selecting optoelectronic safeguarding equipment for a machine application. National consensus standards help companies that manufacture, integrate, or use machines define the tasks and hazards associated with their machines. The standards also help users perform risk estimation, determine a corresponding risk reduction strategy, and understand the safeguarding and safety circuit performance requirements for their application.

The fundamental question in implementing safety with optoelectronic sensors is which device to use for which machine. The following are guidelines for selecting the appropriate sensor for the machine and application at hand.

Identify and Quantify Machine Risk. To determine the suitability of a safety device for a machine and application, the machine risks must be identified and assessed. The following points need to be considered:

• The dimensions of the safety zone that require safeguarding
• The different points of access and any other hazards related to the machine and its use
• The risk of machine initiation after workers pass through the safeguarding device and are in the hazardous area undetected

Depending on the machine, standards and technical reports outline the requirements for performing a risk assessment. The process of risk assessment must be completed initially during the design stage before installation, at final installation, during configuration, and each time the system configuration changes.
A number of methodologies for risk assessment may be consulted:

• ANSI B11.TR3-.Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction &#; A Guide to Estimate, Evaluate and Reduce Risks Associated With Machine Tools is a technical report (not a standard) that outlines the process of performing risk assessment for the machine tools industry.
• ANSI/RIA R15.06-.Indus-trial Robots and Robot Systems &#; Safety Requirements outlines safeguarding requirements associated with robot and robot system applications. In addition to risk assessment, this standard also outlines other machine safeguarding implementation requirements.
• ISO (formerly EN ) Safety of Machinery &#; Principles of Risk Assessmentis an international standard that outlines general risk assessment requirements.

In general, the first two steps of the risk assessment process are:

1. Assume no safeguards are installed, and identify the tasks and associated hazards of the machine, robot, or robot system.
2. Select the safeguards based on risk reduction and safeguard selection criteria.

Once these steps have been completed, safeguard performance and circuit performance must be defined. When suitable, engineering controls such as safety light curtains can be used to safeguard personnel. Circuit performance of the safeguarding system also should comply with applicable sections of applicable standards.

Circuit performance requirements include control reliability, single channel with monitoring, single channel, or simple. It is prudent to consult all applicable standards for the machine being evaluated when performing a risk assessment or implementing any type of machine safeguarding strategy.

Define the Safeguarding Method. Primary functions of safeguarding devices include causing the hazard to cease before access is attained and preventing the start of a machine when safety requirements are not met.

Point-of-operation safeguards are designed to detect a finger or hand entering or existing in the safeguarded space. These safeguards generally are used for applications in which work is performed on the material or workpiece in close proximity to personnel.

Perimeter safeguards are designed to detect a torso or body entering a safeguarded space or area. In perimeter safeguarding, the safety functions of the system must use a manual reset placed outside the protected area. This forces the operator to return to a safe area before reinitiating the robot or machine.

Area safeguards function similarly to perimeter safeguards, but with the added function of sensing the presence of personnel inside the defined hazardous area. Area safeguards use a nonvertical (angular or horizontal) approach to detect personnel entering or within the hazardous area.

The ultimate goals for each configuration are the same: to prevent access to the hazard, cause the hazard to cease to exist before access is attained, and prevent the unintended operation of a machine or robot.

Proper operation of a safeguard should not require a specific conscious action by plant personnel. Also noteworthy is that often one type of safeguarding is not suitable or sufficient for every machine or robotic application. For example, safety light curtains should not be used alone without fencing in applications that require containment of parts or tooling.

Calculate the Safety Distance. After the safeguarding method has been determined, the minimum safety distance requirement must be considered.

The theory behind minimum safety distance is to allow sufficient time for a hazard to cease before personnel are exposed to any danger. Components of the minimum distance requirement are based on the average speed a
person would travel per second, the overall response time of the system, and how far a person penetrates the area before he is detected (depth of penetration).

The minimum safety distance is described in Section 10.4.3 of ANSI/RIA R15.06-, as well as in the informative Appendix B of the standard. Derivatives of this formula also are presented in OSHA Regulations in Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part Subpart O (.212 to .217).

Based on the ANSI/RIA R15.06- definition, the minimum safety distance formula is:

Ds= [ K x ( Ts+ Tc+ Tr) ] + Dpfwhere:

Ds = Minimum safety distance

K = Speed constant: 1.6 m/s (63 in./s) minimum

Ts = Worst-case stopping time of the machine/equipment (ms)

Tc = Worst-case stopping time of the control system (ms)

Tr = Response time of the safeguarding device including its interface (ms)

Dpf = Depth penetration factor (in.)

It is important to note that the value for Dpf will change depending on the configuration of the application (vertical for perimeter or point-of-operation configurations; horizontal or angular for area configurations) and depending on the resolution of the safeguarding device. Values for Dpf will range from about 1 in. for high-resolution safety light curtains in a vertical orientation to 48 in. for horizontal configurations. Appendix B of ANSI/RIA R15.06- can provide additional information.

Safeguard devices should be mounted so that their protective field is located farther from the hazard than the calculated minimum safety distance. It also is worth noting whether a margin for error should be considered with the calculated minimum safety distance requirement to account for other factors such as reduced machine or robot braking capability over time.

Validate the System and Determine Residual Risks. After determining the minimum safety distance and the safeguarding configuration, it is necessary to validate the choices to confirm that the safeguard accomplishes what is intended. Personnel should not be able to reach over, under, or around the safeguard to bypass the safeguarding functionality.

Users also must determine what residual risks may still exist. If the risks are deemed to be "not tolerable," the safeguarding method chosen should be re-evaluated, or supplementary safeguards may be necessary. In some cases, these additional safeguards may be used in conjunction with the safety light curtain to accomplish safety goals.

Israel E. Alguindigue, Ph.D., is a market manager for SICK Inc., W. 110th St., Minneapolis, MN , 952-941-, fax 952-941-, , www.sick.com.

Sources

American National Standards Institute, L St. N.W., 6th floor, Washington, DC , 202-293-, fax 202-293-, , www.ansi.org

International Organization for Standardization, 1, rue de Varemb, Case postale 56 CH- Geneva 20, Switzerland, 41-22-749-01-11, fax 41-22-733-34-30, www.iso.org

U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC , 800-321-, www.osha.gov

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