|

Safety Scanner or Safety Mat? How to Choose the Right Safeguarding Device

August 24, 2020

You’ve done your risk assessment, and now it’s time to implement a risk reduction strategy using engineering control measures. Since physical barriers can be costly and impractical, many manufacturers opt for what are known as presence sensing devices, a category that includes technologies like safety light curtains, safety laser scanners and safety mats.

Because they don’t physically prevent an operator from reaching the hazard zone, presence sensing devices only work for machines that can be stopped anywhere in their cycle. Each device must be positioned far enough away from the machine that it’s extremely unlikely for anyone to be able to reach the danger area after triggering the safety response.

In this blog post, we’ll compare two presence sensing devices – safety scanners and safety mats – to help you choose the best safeguarding solution for your machine.

Safety mats: A cost-effective solution that functions well in harsh environments

Safety floor mats are basically pressure-sensitive electric switches that can detect either foot or vehicular traffic. They’re ideal for risk reduction strategies that require startup prevention or machine shutdown. Because they’re low maintenance, they can be a great way to enable safe access to hazardous areas for repetitive operations like loading and unloading.

Safety mats also provide a clear visual reminder to personnel to help them identify the safeguarded area. In general, they’re the ideal option for challenging application environments with the following characteristics:

  • Abundant dirt, smoke or dust
  • Extreme heat or bright light
  • Frequent shock or vibration
  • Spray from water or chemicals
  • Difficulties with implementing hard guarding

One major challenge with safety mats is that they can’t be easily relocated or modified to adapt to a new machine or application. They can also be expensive for larger or irregular areas, and they take up a fair amount of valuable floor space.

Safety scanners: A flexible solution for protecting large and/or irregularly shaped areas

Safety laser scanners like the Omron OS32C are photoelectric barriers with rotating lasers that can be programmed to guard irregularly shaped areas. A stop signal is initiated when an object is detected in the hazard zone, and warning zones are available to alert personnel when they’re coming close.

The benefits of using safety scanners is that they permit easy and safe access to hazardous areas for repetitive operations while enabling the manufacturer to set up multiple warning zones and safety zones using a single device. Furthermore, they’re easy to replace or repair with minimal machine downtime.

One of the greatest plusses of using safety scanners is their flexibility. If you relocate an application or modify a machine, it’s simple to adjust the scanner’s safeguard area to fit the new layout. Safety scanners also expedite troubleshooting, facilitate data collection and reduce overall machine downtime with status safety indicators that easily identify blocked areas.

If you’re looking to safeguard larger areas or those with complex shapes, it’s likely that a safety scanner will fit your application better.

Important Links Bar.jpg

https://automation.omron.com/en/us/blog/safety-scanner-versus-safety-mats-blog

 

Related Articles

Network Infrastructure Featured Product Spotlight

PBUS 14 Panduit logo 400

This webinar presented by Beth Lessard and Keith Cordero will be highlighting three Panduit solutions that will optimize network equipment and cabling to ensure that your spaces are efficiently and properly managed to support ever-evolving business needs of today and beyond. Products that will be featured include PanZone TrueEdge Wall Mount Enclsoure, Cable Managers, and Adjustable Depth 4-Post Rack.

REGISTER HERE


Editor’s Pick: Featured Product News

Siemens: SIMOVAC Non-Arc-Resistant and SIMOVAC-AR Arc-Resistant Motor Controllers

The Siemens SIMOVAC medium-voltage non-arc-resistant and SIMOVAC-AR arc-resistant controllers have a modular design incorporating up to two 12SVC400 (400 A) controllers, housed in a freestanding sheet steel enclosure. Each controller is UL 347 class E2, equipped with three current-limiting fuses, a non-load-break isolating switch, and a fixed-mounted vacuum contactor (plug-in type optional for 12SVC400). The enclosure is designed for front access, allowing the equipment to be located with the rear of the equipment close to a non-combustible wall.

Read More


Sponsored Content
Electrify Your Enterprise

Power is vital to production, and well-designed control cabinets are key. Allied Electronics & Automation offers a comprehensive collection of control cabinet solutions including PLCs, HMIs, contactors, miniature circuit breakers, terminal block connectors, DIN-rail power supplies, pushbutton switches, motor starters, overloads, power relays, industrial Ethernet switches and AC drives engineered to keep your operations running safely, reliably and efficiently.

Learn more HERE.


Products for Panel Builders

  • Celduc: New SMQR Quad Series Solid State Relay

    Celduc: New SMQR Quad Series Solid State Relay

    Celduc’s Solid State Relays are designed for industrial applications where fast and long electrical life in switching is required. Celduc has recently launched a new range of Quad AC Output Solid State Relay. With this new SMQR Series you will get four independently controlled AC output Solid State Relays in an industry standard package. With the models… Read More…

  • Brady: M211 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer

    Brady: M211 Portable Bluetooth Label Printer

    Design. Preview. Print. All from your phone. The M211 portable Bluetooth label printer is a tough, compact labeler that belongs on any jobsite. Seamlessly design, preview and print labels right from Brady’s Express Labels Mobile app for iOS and Android. Create custom labels from your phone’s familiar keyboard via ultra strong BLE Bluetooth technology. Maximize… Read More…