Warwick Manufacturing Group, which is an independent centre of excellence within the engineering department at Warwick University, has selected the unique Angel modular machine guarding system from Procter Machine Guarding for a new installation around an automated self-pierce rivet system. Because of the frequently changing nature of research laboratories, the modular guarding is ideal in that it can be reused, reconfigured or extended quickly, easily and cost-effectively.
Angel guarding selected by Warwick Manufacturing Gro |
Most of the Angel guarding at Warwick consists of rigidly mounted posts with infill panels of which the lower half is sheet steel and the upper half is steel mesh. This provides adequate protection but allows excellent visibility of the self-pierce riveter and other mechanical fastening systems that are the subject of current research projects. Access to the approximately seven-metre-square cell is provided via an interlocked door.
The modular guarding required only minimal specification/design input and then when the system was installed towards the end of 2002, the whole process took no more than a couple of hours. Not only does the finished guard fulfil its safety function, but it also looks very attractive with its attractive yellow, black and charcoal grey colour scheme. This is important for the Warwick Manufacturing Group because this is also the home of BARA (British Automation and Robotics Association), which often hosts high-profile visits.
Dr Ken Young, Principal Research Fellow at Warwick Manufacturing Group, is extremely complimentary about the Angel system, saying: “It is ideal for our situation where we regularly need to rearrange the guarding. Shortly we will be extending the self-pierce rivet cell so we will be ordering additional posts and panels. Fitting these will be very quick, and the fact that we can reuse all the existing hardware is crucial to keeping our costs down. I would definitely use Angel again should we need to install more guards in the future.”
As well as the posts and panels mentioned above, the Angel system also includes clear polycarbonate panels, all-mesh panels, all-steel panels with or without polycarbonate windows, sliding gates, cantilevered gates, and rise-and-fall gates. Other options include a variety of access controls, integral cable trunking and adjustable base plates.
View more Angle guarding system, or contact Procter Machine Guarding to request a copy of the comprehensive Design Guide.