Ferndale Safety Engineering Projects

Paper Machine Safeguarding & Automation

A large paper manufacturer needed a fast opening guard to restrict access to rollers and pinch points. A combination of physical guarding, presence sensing, and pneumatic automation created a safer work environment for the operator without affecting production.

Chicago, IL, USA

How can we help with your safeguarding project?

A Paper Machine Gets a Safety Upgrade.

Ferndale Safety was asked to design a safety system that would keep operators safe from moving components and projections while not hindering daily production on a paper machine. Ferndale Safety’s engineers developed a multi-layer safety system, including light curtains, pneumatic opening doors, and solenoid-latching safety interlock switches.

Safety System Requirements:

  • Physical barriers to protect against accidental projections.
  • Light curtain sensors to detect presence during the setup phase.
  • The automatic door needed to be fast opening so as not to hinder production.
  • The automatic door must be reliable enough for hundreds of opening cycles, seven days a week.

Click on the video icon to see the demonstration video.

This video demonstrates the automatic door. The customer asked for a fast door-opening speed and a slower door-closing speed. In the video, the door still has a protective film, which was removed once testing was complete.

Do you have a special safeguarding project?

  • Design CAD drawings
  • Discuss guarding options with you
  • Manufacture custom guarding and enclosures



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