Light Curtain

Particular aspects of machine work and automation can cause injury or death if proper safety measures are not in place. Light curtains are one kind of protective equipment that safeguards employees from otherwise dangerous machines to mitigate these risks.

What Is a Light Curtain?

A light curtain is made up of photoelectric sensors. The transmitter projects invisible infrared light beams to the receiver, making vertically arranged beams with equal spacing to form a curtain. This light is energized and pulsed at a particular frequency, and the phototransistors will detect the beam only at this specific pulse. The light curtain will monitor for and detect a presence between these two components.

When the beam gets broken, it triggers a safety function, as it means a person or object is in the way and could be harmed. This output signal goes to a safety relay or control device that shuts down the machine. After this, the machine needs to be reset to run again.

Installing a light curtain on your machinery leads to greater safety, productivity and ergonomics than other safety solutions. They also make machine setup and maintenance simpler, since there’s no need to remove a solid guard.

Light Curtain Applications

Point of operation guarding means protecting a machine operator from any hazards that arise from how the material is positioned or the location where the process occurs. The point of operation, specifically, is the zone of hazardous operation, which is also called the pinch point.

Light curtains are used for machinery that has these pinch points, including:

• – Automated assembly
• – Hydraulic and mechanical power presses
• – Riveting machines
• – Molding presses
• – Forming machines
• – Stamping machines
• – Eyelet machines

Light curtains can only be used on machinery that can safely stop at any point throughout its operation process.

Common Problems and Questions About Light Curtains

When selecting a light curtain for your machinery, you’ll need to be aware of a few areas, such as:

• – Protection area
• – Height of protection field
• – Distance between corners
• – Resolution (spacing between the beams)
• – Mounting hardware
• – Cables
• – Safety levels

Once you have determined these measurements, you can use them to find the best light curtain.

Why Order Your Light Curtain From Global Electronic Services?

Global Electronic Services has many light curtains for sale with a variety of configurations to fit your conditions. Our stock contains light curtains that are new, refurbished, surplus and obsolete, giving your company a wide range of choices.

If your light curtain needs repairs, we can help with that too. Our team of factory-trained technicians has thousands of parts on hand to fix your components within one to five days for minimal downtime.

Buy a Light Curtain Online Today

Global Electronic Services has light curtain equipment to keep your employees safe. Browse through the options on our website and place your order today. If you would like more information, our customer service team is happy to help — just call 877-249-1701.