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Standards for Identifying a Safety Light Curtain
Safety light curtains are safety devices that will lock out a piece of equipment if the sensing field is interrupted. Safety light curtains safeguard workers' lives.
1. Risk assessment
A complete risk assessment should be performed when determining whether a Type 2 or Type 4 light curtain is necessary for the machine application. While risk assessment is necessary, it is also important to understand the severity of potential injury when determining which light curtain to employ.
2. Application
Safety light curtains can be used on machining equipment and robotics. Each machine should be assessed to determine whether or not a safety light curtain is the correct safety device for the application.
3. Features
Type 2 light curtains typically offer fewer features. Features can include exact channel selection, floating blank, machine primary control element monitoring and machine test signal. Type 4 light curtains meet the highest Occupational Safety and Health Administration and American National Standards Institute standards for machine control systems. Type 2 light curtains also range between 15 and 30 percent less in cost.