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ARTICLE
Lighting the way
23 January 2013
Safety Inspections and Light Curtains are helping keep workers safe at BMW's diecasting plant Cylinder heads for diesel and petrol engines are highly-stressed, precision components, which must meet demanding mechanic
Safety Inspections and Light Curtains are helping keep
workers safe at BMW's diecasting plant
Cylinder heads for diesel and petrol engines are highly-stressed, precision components, which must meet demanding mechanical and thermal requirements. For a premium brand like BMW, great attention is therefore focused on the process control for producing these essential components.
Leuze electronic gives the same level of attention to the machine safety inspections it provides BMW at the plant, and which it has recently started offering in the UK.
BMW's 300,000 mÇ plant in Landshut near Munich, is key in the development and production of cylinder heads and other light-metal cast components, such as crank cases, plastic components and rebuilt engines for practically all BMW Group vehicles. The 3,000 strong workforce have worked on everything from BMW motorcycles and cars through to their Formula 1 racing cars.
In recent years, in response to an extensive risk assessment, the chill casting production area has been equipped with safety light curtains from Leuze electronic.
Two particular danger points during this process are the horizontal movement of the ejection cylinders when releasing the mould, which can crush the operator and when the deflection arm swivels as it takes the cast component from the machine to the unload position, which could cause seriously injure the operator.
Therefore the operator starts the casting process by pressing a start button outside the die-casting area, which is guarded by Leuze electronic's COMPACT light curtains.
During the 5 minute cycle time, nobody is allowed into the casting system area.
Identifying such risks and inspecting to ensure physical or opto-electronic protection is in place to prevent such injuries is the purpose of Leuze electronic's machine safety inspections.
To ensure that no one can enter these danger areas during the cycle time because there is movement, especially during the automatic removal of the cast component, BMW relies upon Leuze electronic's COMPACT safety light curtain. These light curtains along with the machine safety inspections provide an integrated safety solution which meets all the relevant requirements and gives reliable protection.
The entire die casting area is now guarded with COMPACT safety light curtains, most of which have a resolution of 30mm and an 18m range. Horizontal danger zone guarding, on welding and assembly lines or robot cells is widely used, plus 14 mm resolutions curtains providing hand and finger protection on presses and punches, for example.
The COMPACT safety light curtains comply with type 4 in accordance with IEC/EN 61496. In addition to reliable detection of protective field interruptions, they are also highly immune to interference ensuring high machine availability.
Additionally, their integrated auto-analysis system enables easy and efficient on-site diagnostics.
System with guarding Safety-related considerations and manufacturing conditions such as transportation corridors or stillage loading positions resulted in the guarding floor plan for the chill mould being trapezoidal in shape. Therefore the solution was to use a COMPACT transmitter, a COMPACT receiver and two UMC Deflecting Mirror Columns, with one having a reflection angle of over 90 degrees and the other having a reflection angle of less than 90 degrees. The mirrors guard the area between the chill mould and the transport lane across a distance of 3 metres. Both the transmitter and the receiver are positioned 4 metres across from the mirrors on the other side of the casting system, close to the control cabinet, providing access guarding for the trapezoidal area.
On its way via the mirror to the receiver, the light beam must travel 12 metres and therefore to speed alignment over this distance when even a tiny deviation in the angle would cause the light beam to miss the receiver, Leuze electronic's Laser Alignment Aids were used. The Laser Alignment Aid is mounted directly on the transmitter and clearly marks the target point of the sensor beams with a red laser light, enabling just one person to commission the perimeter guard easily and efficiently.
Reliability with shock absorbers and enclosure Transmitters, receivers and deflecting mirrors are positioned in free-standing and sturdy UDC device columns, which are firmly anchored in the floor. The UDC columns enable precise vertical and axial alignment and anti-vibration mounts in the base of the column provide isolation from the vibrations caused by forklifts driving past carrying 600kg ladles of metal The UDC device columns are enclosed again at the BMW plant by a solid steel column in order to guarantee reliable protection against melt splashes, even with a direct impact. This enclosure is also anchored in the floor with shock absorbers.
Conclusion By equipping the die casting system with COMPACT Safety Light Curtains, BMW have been able to manage the risks identified, achieve the relevant declaration of conformity, and benefit from the high availability of the machinery.
Cylinder heads for diesel and petrol engines are highly-stressed, precision components, which must meet demanding mechanical and thermal requirements. For a premium brand like BMW, great attention is therefore focused on the process control for producing these essential components.
Leuze electronic gives the same level of attention to the machine safety inspections it provides BMW at the plant, and which it has recently started offering in the UK.
BMW's 300,000 mÇ plant in Landshut near Munich, is key in the development and production of cylinder heads and other light-metal cast components, such as crank cases, plastic components and rebuilt engines for practically all BMW Group vehicles. The 3,000 strong workforce have worked on everything from BMW motorcycles and cars through to their Formula 1 racing cars.
In recent years, in response to an extensive risk assessment, the chill casting production area has been equipped with safety light curtains from Leuze electronic.
Two particular danger points during this process are the horizontal movement of the ejection cylinders when releasing the mould, which can crush the operator and when the deflection arm swivels as it takes the cast component from the machine to the unload position, which could cause seriously injure the operator.
Therefore the operator starts the casting process by pressing a start button outside the die-casting area, which is guarded by Leuze electronic's COMPACT light curtains.
During the 5 minute cycle time, nobody is allowed into the casting system area.
Identifying such risks and inspecting to ensure physical or opto-electronic protection is in place to prevent such injuries is the purpose of Leuze electronic's machine safety inspections.
To ensure that no one can enter these danger areas during the cycle time because there is movement, especially during the automatic removal of the cast component, BMW relies upon Leuze electronic's COMPACT safety light curtain. These light curtains along with the machine safety inspections provide an integrated safety solution which meets all the relevant requirements and gives reliable protection.
The entire die casting area is now guarded with COMPACT safety light curtains, most of which have a resolution of 30mm and an 18m range. Horizontal danger zone guarding, on welding and assembly lines or robot cells is widely used, plus 14 mm resolutions curtains providing hand and finger protection on presses and punches, for example.
The COMPACT safety light curtains comply with type 4 in accordance with IEC/EN 61496. In addition to reliable detection of protective field interruptions, they are also highly immune to interference ensuring high machine availability.
Additionally, their integrated auto-analysis system enables easy and efficient on-site diagnostics.
System with guarding Safety-related considerations and manufacturing conditions such as transportation corridors or stillage loading positions resulted in the guarding floor plan for the chill mould being trapezoidal in shape. Therefore the solution was to use a COMPACT transmitter, a COMPACT receiver and two UMC Deflecting Mirror Columns, with one having a reflection angle of over 90 degrees and the other having a reflection angle of less than 90 degrees. The mirrors guard the area between the chill mould and the transport lane across a distance of 3 metres. Both the transmitter and the receiver are positioned 4 metres across from the mirrors on the other side of the casting system, close to the control cabinet, providing access guarding for the trapezoidal area.
On its way via the mirror to the receiver, the light beam must travel 12 metres and therefore to speed alignment over this distance when even a tiny deviation in the angle would cause the light beam to miss the receiver, Leuze electronic's Laser Alignment Aids were used. The Laser Alignment Aid is mounted directly on the transmitter and clearly marks the target point of the sensor beams with a red laser light, enabling just one person to commission the perimeter guard easily and efficiently.
Reliability with shock absorbers and enclosure Transmitters, receivers and deflecting mirrors are positioned in free-standing and sturdy UDC device columns, which are firmly anchored in the floor. The UDC columns enable precise vertical and axial alignment and anti-vibration mounts in the base of the column provide isolation from the vibrations caused by forklifts driving past carrying 600kg ladles of metal The UDC device columns are enclosed again at the BMW plant by a solid steel column in order to guarantee reliable protection against melt splashes, even with a direct impact. This enclosure is also anchored in the floor with shock absorbers.
Conclusion By equipping the die casting system with COMPACT Safety Light Curtains, BMW have been able to manage the risks identified, achieve the relevant declaration of conformity, and benefit from the high availability of the machinery.
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