Defining Further Opportunities

OVERVIEW

The market for the INDSAFE SAFETY TECHNOLOGY is in MACHINE GUARDING, SAFETY MONITORING AND MATERIAL PROCESSING

MACHINE GUARDING seeks to militate against violation risks.

Current machine guarding options are:

• PHYSICAL BARRIERS
• LASER/LIGHT CURTAINS

Where barriers or curtains cannot be used …

• MANUAL RESPONSES to safety violations are employed … that depend in the first instance on extremely quick and accurate operator action or reaction.
  • CONTROL BARS.
  • STOP BUTTONS.

Machine guarding applications can be found in processes that involve:

• End of line packaging
• Balers
• Presses
• Robotic weld cells
• Manual load/unload
• Liquids
• Conveyors
• Palletizing
• Injection moulding
• Rollers
• Cutting equipment.

RADIO-FREQUENCY BASED SAFETY COMPARED:

• Radio-frequency based technology is a non-operator dependent safety device
• It is not a substitute for physical barriers, where physical barriers can be used
• It is a conditional competitive substitute to laser/light barrier technologies
• It has direct new applications where physical barriers and laser/light barrier technologies are not effective

SUBSTITUTE FOR LASER BARRIERS

• Must be a competitive substitute to laser/light barriers
• Must compete on price (laser curtains range in price A$3,000-$15,000 per installation)
• “It depends on the cost, at the end of the day” - industry respondent
• Detection range - laser/light barriers have detection ranges between 15mm to 30m
• Ease of installation - laser curtains are commoditised, pre-packaged and come in ‘standard’ sizes
• Minimal training is required with laser/light barriers

 

The INDSAFE system’s ability to differentiate objects is a strength. Laser curtains cannot differentiate types of objects

• Positive in situations where non-human objects must be allowed to violate the danger zone:
  • Lead oxide paste hoppers in battery manufacturing.
  • Steel rollers in light/medium industry.
  • Can palletisers in tinned food production.

The fact that the INDSAFE system is only activated by the presence of a tag can be seen to be a weakness. Laser curtains are considered ‘foolproof’ because they are not dependent upon people wearing the tags.

The INDSAFE SYSTEM

• Must meet industry standards (OSHA, ANSI, CSA and RIA standards)
• Must be durable
• Must be immune to interference
• Radio-waves are not susceptible to dust interference (laser/light barriers are)
• LASER BARRIERS are susceptible to strobe type and weld flash generated light sources for laser barriers … as well as issues related to EMI and RFI noise sources
• Warranties - standard 2-3 year warranties expected
• SELF CHECKING FUNCTIONALITY - laser barriers typically have built-in self-checking circuitry (AS DOES THE INDSAFE TECHNOLOGY).

NEW APPLICATIONS

• Where laser/light barriers are ineffective
• Where differentiation of objects is critical to ensuring safety without disrupting the production process