Light curtains are presence-sensing devices that can be used as point of operation safeguarding devices. Wintriss Shadow® light curtain systems work on any part revolution clutch power press, hydraulic, or pneumatic machine that can be stopped anywhere in its stroke or cycle. The devices protect primary operators, helpers, and passersby while providing full visibility and accessibility to the point of operation.
The Shadow® 9 is the latest safety light curtain from the Wintriss. Wintriss has been building the Shadow® light curtains for the toughest applications for more than 45 years with 50,000 installed. Shadow 9 is designed to handle the rigors of the pressroom, including severe shock, mechanical abuse, and stamping lubricants.
Safety light curtains are typically installed in a vertical orientation (floor to ceiling) at the primary access to the point of operation. Often an additional set of optics is used to guard the rear side of the machine. Light curtains must be mounted at a “safe distance” determined by OSHA and ANSI standards that consider the stopping performance of the machine, hand speed constants, and other variables. When safety distances exceed expected operator waist dimensions an additional set of optics may be required to prevent a “walk through hazard”. Shadow 9 will support up to 3 pairs of optics allowing front and rear protection of a straight side press plus “walk through” protection on the primary operator side.
Previous Shadow® I systems are obsolete and have been replaced by Shadow® 9. Support/repair for some older systems may be available.
Refer to our technical resources section:
Application Guideline for Proper Use of Light Curtains
Light Curtain Application Issues – “Walk Thru Hazards”
Shadow® 9 heads connect directly to the new WPC 1000 and WPC 2000 without a control box. This reduces both the initial investment in equipment and the cost of installation.
The unique design of these safety light curtains enables you to protect multiple sides of a machine using a single control, one pair of cables, and up to 3 pairs of light curtains in series. You can protect both the front and back of your equipment as well as provide horizontal pass-through detection for the primary operator side. Even a large machine can be guarded with up to 177″ of protected zone to a single control, providing an economical solution and minimizing installation time.
Fixed blanking windows disable one or more beams to allow stationary objects such as conveyors or work tables to remain in the sensing field. You simply place the obstruction between the transmitter and receiver and turn the key-lock switches on the control. Shadow® 9 senses the presence of the object and “blanks” the obstructed beams. When the object is removed, the system will not allow the machine to run until the control has been reprogrammed to “unblank” the beams. Fixed blanking windows may span any number of beams, but there must be at least two consecutive beams unblanked on each pair of light curtain heads.
Shadow® 9 safety light curtains also enable you to set a floating blanking window, one beam wide, to allow objects smaller than 1″, such as air-ejected parts, to pass through the light curtain in a random pattern without interrupting operation. This can also be useful when air or hydraulic lines need to pass through the field. You can use both floating and fixed blanking simultaneously.
Instead of saying “designed to meet”, Wintriss felt it was important to subject their systems to the toughest third-party certifications. Shadow® 9 has undergone independent testing and certifications by Underwriters Laboratories (NRTL/C) to CAN/CSA 22.2 No. 14 and CAN/CSA 22.2 No. 0.8 and by TÜV to Category 4 CE/IEC 61496-1 and CE/IEC 61496-1 and -2. Shadow® 8 complies with OSHA 1910.217, ANSI B11.1, ANSI B11.19, CSA Z142 and CSA Z432.
It’s necessary to have a thorough understanding of the various safety regulations when applying a safety light curtain system in your application. PRI Application Engineers and Wintriss technical support personnel keep up with these changes.
At your request we will check out your application and make recommendations for the proper light curtain configuration as well as any supplemental guarding that may be required. All of our light curtain systems carry a 2-year warranty.
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