Driving safety forward
June 1st 2006 Land Rover's T5 model platform facility came on line in 2004, contains 260 ABB robots and is 75% automated. Due to the high degree of robotic automation, the manufacturing engineering team required a guarding system that was lightweight and flexible to allow for maintenance and future modifications, while still being sufficiently robust to provide a high degree of safety for personnel
Bosch Rexroth's EcoSafe system meets the most stringent guarding legislation (EN292, 294 and 811) and for Land Rover's manufacturing engineering team's requirements it meant that their system conformed to the Machinery Directive. In advance of full production at the Solihull facility, the EcoSafe system was tested on site by having a robot crashed deliberately into it. The barrier deformed within acceptable limits.
The barrier system is made from aluminium and its anodised surfaces offer the clean finish preferred in modern manufacturing environments. Its modular, durable, bolt-together design eliminates the need for welding, painting, special tooling and skilled labour. Assembly and disassembly are quick, and the system can be reconfigured easily when a robot needs to be taken out for maintenance or for when the entire line needs to be reconfigured to accommodate increased productivity.
Hugely important to Land Rover was the ease with which the bosch system could be integrated with others of its preferred suppliers' products. Access is obviously a major issue regarding machinery guarding: if it is too complicated or unwieldy to gain access to a certain machine, then productivity can be affected and employees may look for an opportunity to bypass the safety fencing.
However, if access can be gained too easily, then there is the possibility of an employee venturing too close to a robot that has not finished its cycle. A delicate balance has to be struck.
This is achieved at Land Rover by an electronic interlocked trapped key gate system that incorporates technology from Fortress Interlocks. Prior to the installation of the system, Bosch was provided with the specification of the interlock system by the system integrators. Installation of the interlock system was then merely a matter of bolting it to the fencing panels provided.
To complement the introduction of EcoSafe, Bosch Rexroth has increased its range of accessories to allow the rapid development of custom barrier systems.
For example, clamping profiles are available for vibration-free support of different strength panes and panels ranging from 1.5 to 11mm thick.
Other products with which the fence line must integrate are light guards, light scanners and signal towers. The manufacturing engineering team at Land Rover was quick to point out that retrofitting these devices was simplicity itself due to the design of the EcoSafe product. Installing a signal tower, for example, simply requires brackets to be fitted into the grooves that already exist on the profiles, a process which with a traditional steel guarding system would have required a great deal of time and effort.
A further consideration for Land Rover was the appearance of the barrier and the EcoSafe system is said to give the bodyshop a 'corporate feel'. Wire mesh screens or protective panels are available. At Land Rover, the wire mesh has been left in its original grey colour, with inner sections galvanised to resist water that is thrown off during spot welding. The grey finish was important to the manufacturing engineering team as it replaced previous fence lines that had been painted with yellow or black paint. The fact that the fence lines required painting resulted in extra costs and led to an irregular, non-uniform finish. Such problems do not exist with the EcoSafe product.
With the specification of the EcoSafe protective barrier system, Land Rover was looking for a lightweight, flexible, affordable guarding system provided by a supplier that had the necessary infrastructure to support the project through all of its various phases.
Perhaps the clearest indication of the company's satisfaction is that the next major project at Land Rover's Halewood plant will also incorporate the EcoSafe system.
Clearly Land Rover has decided it is better to be EcoSafe than sorry.
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Bosch Rexroth AG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GMbH. Under the brand name of Rexroth, the company offers drive, control and motion technologies from mechanics, hydraulics and pneumatics through to electronics and associated services.
The company is a partner to around 500 000 customers in more than 80 countries and an extensive supplier of components and systems for industrial and factory automation and mobile applications.
For more information: Bosch Rexroth 15 Cromwell Road St Neots PE19 2ES Tel: 01480 223245 Fax: 01480 470789 E:daniela.schulz@ boschrexroth.co.uk www.boschrexroth.co.uk More articles from Bosch Rexroth Ltd: | 
