Safety in the air

07 July 2008

Those who power their machines and automate with air are similarly affected by the new machine safety regulations, so providers such as Festo offer safety units for decelerating and holding pneumatic drives in emergency situations.

festo's soft start/quick exhaust valve
festo's soft start/quick exhaust valve

Regardless of whether power failures, intermediate stops for servicing, pressure drops or pressure failures are involved, braking units decelerate and stop the drive motion within precisely specified tolerances with the help of a clamping element which acts upon the rod by means of spring force.

Where the safety of entire processes has to be ensured, when an emergency stop occurs, Festo’s MS6-SV soft-start and exhaust valve vents the system in critical safety areas. Exhaust performance amounts to a quick 6,000 litres per minute, which is 1.5 times the pressurisation performance. The valve can be connected, for example, to a safety cover at an assembly station. If an employee opens the cover, the system is exhausted.

Photo caption: Festo’s soft start/quick exhaust valve provides reliable and efficient exhausting of systems during emergency shutdowns in safety-critical areas.


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