OMRON Light Curtains
Light curtains are an essential piece of safety kit in processing plants, factories, and along production lines. Also known as safety light barriers or safety light screens, a light curtain is formed of two parts – a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter emits a field of infrared light which the receiver then picks up. However, if this field (known as a detection zone) is broken by an object it automatically sends a signal disconnecting any hazardous machinery in the area. Processes can only restart when the detection zone is clear once again.
Light Curtain Sensor Advantages
Light guards for machinery have many advantages over traditional barriers, all of which increase the safe operation of your site. They are:
- Much harder to circumnavigate.
- Able to respond in just a fraction of a second.
- Fully automated.
Why Choose OMRON Light Barriers?
OMRON are market leaders in the business of automation and are especially adept at providing solutions for large factories and plants that deal with manufacturing, food processing, pharmaceuticals and packing. They also take safety very seriously. With this in mind, they offer a wide selection of light curtain and safety sensors, suitable for all locations. With options covering everything from finger to whole body detection, they are an excellent choice for your automatic safety equipment.
Safety Light Curtain Considerations
One of the first things to consider is the location of the light curtain in terms of where it will be situated on your site. As part of their F3S range, OMRON can supply light curtains with a maximum scanning distance of 40m. These long-range sensors are ideal where visibility might be obstructed by objects, such as in warehouses or production lines creating large items. They can also be used to create crossing stations allowing people to move safely from one location to another.
Another thing to think about is how sensitive the light curtain needs to be in terms of whether it is reacting to small or large items. This is controlled by the beam resolution, with the smaller the number the more sensitive it is. For example, a 14mm beam resolution will detect small body parts such as fingers, while a larger resolution will be suitable for "whole body" applications. There are several options for fine detection within the OMRON F3SG-R Advanced range which also includes extra features such as simple set up, reduced resolution and pre-reset functions.
OMRON Safety Scanners
The OMRON range also includes laser scanners which can be used in much the same way as light curtains but with a 3D detection zone. The OMRON OS32C range is compact, lightweight and offers low power consumption. They are particularly suited to intrusion detection for people coming onto your site; presence detection in machinery's hazardous areas; and collision avoidance for automated guided vehicles.