Banner Adds Blanking and Muting Tools to S4B Safety Light Curtains

Light curtains are a safety device that allow operators to enter hazardous areas to perform work safely. A light curtain is made up of a series of invisible light beams that, when broken by an operator, will signal the safety system to halt all motion in that area. Sometimes, fixed objects are permanently in the path of the light curtain, which can render the station useless. Banner Engineering has released a remote blanking configuration tool and mute arm sensor kit to alleviate this issue.

Automated factory using Banner’s S4B series safety light curtains to protect operators. Image used courtesy of Banner Engineering

S4B Remote Fixed Blanking Configuration Tool

In a typical safety light curtain application, any beam that is broken by an object will stop the station. There are, however, occasions when brackets, tooling, or supports need to be in the path of the light curtain. In these situations, the remote blanking configuration tool can be used to teach the current configuration as well as enable or disable the configuration so that the station can still operate safely.

Banner's new S4B remote fixed blanking configuration tool works with the turn of a key switch so that trained personnel can enable or disable the blocked configuration. The tool can be left in line with the light curtain or can be used between two receivers. It can also be used in a single emitter/receiver configuration, but a cascade cable would be required. Three onboard LEDs provide quick diagnostic information, as well as the current status of the system.

The S4B remote fixed blanking configuration tool features a key switch and three LEDs that indicate status. Image used courtesy of Banner Engineering

Machine Changeover

Flexible manufacturing is equipment that is capable of running many different part types with minimal changeover required. If your equipment runs multiple part types, there may be an occasion when the physical layout of the machine might change. If you need to install support brackets at an operator load station that extend into the light curtain, the S4B blanking configuration tool might be required. When running the odd part type, maintenance staff would only have to turn the key switch to blank out a section of the light curtain, making changeover quick and painless.

The S4B series muting arms are available in L, T, and X configurations. Image used courtesy of Banner Engineering

S4B Series Mute Arm Sensor Kits

Some light curtain configurations require material to pass through, but not operators. This is called muting, and it is an automatic temporary pause of the safety light curtains, or it allows smaller objects to pass through, but not larger objects like operators. Banner has released the S4B series of plug-and-play light curtain muting arms. The mute arms come in three shapes: L, T, and X. The different shapes allow different-shaped objects to pass without stopping the equipment. The S4B muting arms allow for simple and quick configuration of new or existing safety light curtain configurations.

Modern Machine Safety

Today's safety components are smart, and they are only getting smarter. The S4B remote-fixed blanking configuration tool and S4B muting arms from Banner demonstrate the ongoing advances in machine safety. Being able to configure, enable, and disable the blanking feature of Banner’s S4B light curtain or add muting functionality allows for a secure and safe configuration of automation systems.