Our Capabilities: 
Tailored Solutions for Workplace Safety 

Procter Machine Safety is a leading specialist in the design and manufacture of machine guards, serving markets in the UK, Europe, Middle East, USA and elsewhere. Customers trust our capability and expertise for the supply of standard, modular and bespoke machine guards for compliance with health and safety standards, legislation and regulations. Depending on the customer’s requirements, we produce guards in mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium, welded wire mesh and polycarbonate.

FABRICATION CAPABILITIES

Manufacturing high-quality machine guards requires excellent design skills and state-of-the-art production facilities. Many customers have therefore come to us for the design and manufacture of additional metalwork, not just guarding. Today we offer a range of services to anyone seeking sub-contract design and manufacture, not just customers purchasing machine guards.

DESIGN AND CONCEPT

There are two sides to our design capability: we have highly experienced engineering designers who can undertake on-site measured surveys of existing machines and create drawings from which our manufacturing department can work. We also have in-house CAD for creating complex geometry and assemblies. Our designers are very familiar with the materials and production techniques that we use, so their designs are very economical to manufacture.

Having a state-of-the-art CNC punching machine is a huge benefit to us and our customers, but it needs a skilled programmer to maximise productivity and quality. We have these programming skills, which helps us to turn jobs around as quickly as possible without compromising on quality. Parts therefore fit exactly as they should either when the customer assembles them or when they are transferred to our fabrication teams.

LASER CUTTING

We use the latest Fibre laser cutting technology to achieve outstanding cutting speeds and automated material handling to provide increased capacity, shorter lead times and competitive pricing.

Our laser can produce consistently accurate components up to 8mm thick in mild steel with 3000MM X 1500MM sheet metal capacity.
Radan’s nesting software increases the speed, efficiency, and control working of our sheet metal fabrication. All parts are automatically nested onto a raw material sheet to ensure the best possible use of material and best value for our customers.
Our lasers operate on a shift pattern to provide a fast order turn-around service and we use the latest software which enables existing drawings and models to imported and processed easily. We can accept several data formats i.e. DXF / DWG / STEP FILES.

PUNCHING

We recently invested in an LVD Pullmatic 720 CNC punch press to increase production flexibility, reduce lead times and enhance quality. This CNC machine is very versatile, being capable of handling sheets up to 3m x 1.5m and thicknesses from 1mm to 5mm. It is a single-head machine with 20 tools stored in a revolving carousel. This gives a number of key advantages: any tool can be rotated a full 360 degrees; each carousel position can hold any size tool (up to 90mm); and tool-to-tool times are very fast.

Changing tools in and out of the machine is also very quick with a simple cassette-style changeover for punch and die assemblies. The single-head design of the Pullmatic also gives the machine the ability to form parts with flanges up to 75mm high – so the machine can manufacture small components complete from a sheet.

FOLDING

To complement the CNC punch we have an LVD Easy-Form press brake. This 3m, 135-tonne press brake is equipped with LVD’s patented Easy-Form adaptive forming system that uses automatic in-process measurement and correction to ensure that the bend angle is always right first time.

One advantage of this is that when programming the punch, parts can be nested on the sheet in any orientation, as the press brake automatically compensates for any variation in springback resulting from the blank’s orientation relative to the sheet rolling direction.

Another recent investment was the purchase of a Trumpf TruBend 5130 press brake. Innovative features such as the lower tool displacement and the multi-axis backgauge provide us with complete production freedom and high precision. This sophisticated press further increases our production capacity and efficiency. Software enables complex 3D CAD models to be broken down into individual parts, so the press brake folds the part correctly the first time, every time, ready for quick and easy assembly.

WELDING AND FABRICATION

We have the equipment and skills to weld mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium. In addition to manual metal arc, Mig and Tig welding, we have spot welding equipment for joining sheets, wires (for creating mesh) and for welding wires to sheet steel or rolled steel angle.

Where welding is not the best option for creating a joint, we also have facilities for riveting.
Our staff are highly experienced and equipped with up-to-date welding sets. Whatever your requirements, we produce fabrications with high-integrity welds. The welders can either use their experience to produce each welded joint, or work to specifications shown on your drawings.

If the fabrication is in mild steel, the welds will be finished so the item is ready for galvanising and/or powder coating. Stainless steel items will be finished as required, including polishing for items destined for use in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Aluminium joints are normally left with the joints as-welded if they are to be anodised.

POWDER COATING

Mild steel items can be finished with paint or a tough polyester powder coat. We have facilities in-house for applying both types of finish. Machine guards are typically finished using our standard colours of black, yellow, grey or blue, but we can equally apply paint or powder coat in any RAL colour of the customer’s choosing.

After finishing, we wrap and pack components or fabrications to ensure they will be delivered in first-class condition, ready for further assembly or installation.

INSPECTION

Because of the safety-critical work we undertake in relation to machine guarding, we are very familiar with inspection processes. Indeed, we have an ISO 9001 Quality Management System in place for the design, manufacture and installation of machine guards.
Customers can utilise our inspection capabilities directly if they wish. For example, we can inspect the following:

• Existing machine guards to check their compliance with PUWER.
• New machines as part of a customer’s pre-delivery or post-delivery inspection to ensure they are safe and the manufacturer has fulfilled their contractual obligations.
• Access platforms, walkways, stairs, stepladders and fixed ladders to check they are standards-compliant and meet the needs of the Work at Height Regulations.
• Noise surveys to check emissions from existing machinery (for compliance with the Control of Noise at Work regulations) and new machinery pre-delivery or post-delivery (for compliance with the Machinery Directive) – NB we partner with an acoustic consultant for these inspections.

DELIVERY

Whatever we manufacture, whether it is large volumes of complex pressings for a customer, or an assembly of machine guards, we ensure everything is packed so it will arrive in perfect condition. In most cases we use our own fleet of delivery vehicles so as to maintain control over the handling and delivery times, while other items are securely packaged prior to despatch via our trusted logistics partner.
INSTALLATION

Our comprehensive machine guarding service includes installation, and this is popular among customers in the UK, mainland Europe and further afield. Installations are often scheduled at weekends, overnight or during scheduled maintenance shutdowns so as to minimise disruption. Because we have a number of skilled teams available, even large projects can be completed quickly. Furthermore, should any problems arise during the installation, the teams are equipped with the right tools so they can carry out minor adjustments to the guards and still meet the agreed deadline.

MAINTENANCE & AFTERCARE

Machine guards often lead a hard life. Our comprehensive service includes aftercare and maintenance so you can be sure your machine guards will have a long, trouble-free life. If we attend your site for a planned maintenance visit or unscheduled callout, we can carry out any of the following:

All of our fitters have received health and safety training and have a Passport to Safety accreditation so they can demonstrate their competence to work on customers’ sites. We always conduct a risk assessment and prepare a method statement prior to commencing the installation; copies of these can be provided on request. Our ISO 9001 Quality Management System covers our installation service as well as the design and manufacture of machine guards.

In addition to fitting physical guarding we also install electrical and mechanical door interlocks, emergency stop switches, safety light curtains and other electrical devices. If it is necessary to modify a machine’s safety-related control system to accommodate new safety devices, we can take full responsibility for this aspect of the work as well.

• Inspect guards to check they have not been damaged or subjected to unauthorised modification; repair or replace as necessary.
• Inspect hinges and slides on moving guards; lubricate, adjust or replace as necessary.
• Check operation of gas struts or counterbalances on lifting guards; lubricate, adjust, repair or replace as necessary.
• Check operation and security of guard switches; replace any showing signs of damage or abuse.
• Check for damage to cables connecting guard switches and other safety devices; replace as necessary.
• Check for any modifications to the machinery that might mean the guards are no longer adequate; if necessary, assess risks and submit report.
• Check for damage to guards caused by, for example, fork lift trucks; repair or replace as necessary.
• Inspect fixed guards for missing or damaged fasteners that could allow dangerous parts of the machine to be reached through gaps; repair or replace as necessary
• Inspect clear polycarbonate infill panels; replace any that have become opaque due to abrasion or suffered damage from impacts.
• On acoustic enclosures, check the seals around doors and opening panels are still in good condition; replace as necessary.
• On machines with guards that are required to retain coolant or dust, check for signs of leakage; repair or replace seals as necessary.