Drives for doors on machine tools

Problems

For safety reasons, machine tools used for the machining of metal items must be fitted with robust safety doors, for example to prevent debris being ejected at high velocity in the event of tool failure. Since, in order to provide the required stability, these doors are often very heavy, opening and closing them manually requires a high level of force (see also EN 1005-3). For production of one-off items and short production runs, this can become critical when the doors must be opened and closed frequently.

Stress category

Auxiliary equipment
Exertion of force and handling of loads

Solution

Electric door drives can be retrofitted to existing machines in order to reduce the operating forces required (see also EN 953:2009, Section 5.2.5.2). The Siemens door control is a facility notable for its simple and user-friendly operation. The drive trajectory can be adjusted individually and adapted to the purpose of use. This also increases the system's acceptance among the employees.

Principle of operation

• Use of electric drives to support force exertion during operation of machinery
• High range of adjustment and straightforward control in the interests of greater acceptance amongst users

Standards

• EN 1005-3: Safety of machinery - Human physical performance - Part 3: Recommended force limits for machinery operation
• DIN EN ISO 14120: Safety of machinery - Guards - General requirements for the design and construction of fixed and movable guards