Roll slitters use Schmersal safety door switches

A Satech Safety Guarding System using Schmersal AZM415 safety door switches protects primary and secondary slitting machines at Atlas Converting Equipment in Bedford

Atlas Converting Equipment has specified Schmersal door guarding and perimeter safety fencing systems.

Bedford based Atlas Converting Equipment is a member of Bobst Group of Switzerland and specialises in the manufacture of slitting and rewinding equipment for film, paper, foil, labelstock and flexible packaging materials.

Primary and secondary slitting machines range in width from 1200mm up to 10 metres and are individually built to meet the specific requirements of customers in all parts of the world, especially the Americas, Asia and Europe.

Atlas slitters take very large parent rolls of substrate and slit and rewind them in to smaller widths and diameters more suitable for other converting processes such as printing, coating, laminating, metallising and bag and pouch making machines.

The entire machine is enclosed in a Satech perimeter guard fencing system, which is fitted with between five and ten doors dependent on the size of machine.

Every door is fitted with a Schmersal AZM415 safety door switch, which protects operators by preventing access to the high inertia rolls that can operate at speeds of 1200 m/min during the slitting operation and can take many seconds to stop.

Commenting on the choice of Schmersal equipment Atlas machine safety engineer Peter Radford says the AZM415 switches were specified after an Atlas engineer attended a Schmersal Door Guarding Seminar.

"They are very robust, have a wide range of handles and come complete with fitting brackets, which simplifies our engineering.

Schmersal also provides excellent technical and applications data, which makes their equipment very easy to order and fit".

The Atlas slitters use a number of different Schmersal handles to suit sliding gates, leaf gates and various applications.

The AZM415 switches are currently hard wired to an Atlas designed zero-speed and low-speed monitoring system.

The multi-core cable and plug system is wired to a distribution unit that enables Atlas to locate switches anywhere on the cable.

Peter Radford says Schmersal is also contributing to the further development of the guarding system by producing a version of the AZM415 with an integral plug.

"This will save time by allowing us to simply plug the switch into the cable", he explained.

He also added that, as Schmersal is a preferred supplier, this will enable more of its safety equipment to be fitted to the system in future.

Peter, who works closely with the Health and Safety Executive on machine safety standards, also visited Schmersal in Belgium, which has pioneered the use of its door switches on the Satech Safety Guarding System.

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