Machine guarding

T S Converting provides solutions for slitting, coating and lamination of a wide range of substrates, tailored to suit customers’ requirements. To ensure people do not get too close to the machinery when in operation, and to comply with safety regulations, machines are supplied to customers with a protective guard frame. Until recently, this frame was produced in-house, which was very time-consuming, costly and did not allow for key accessories, such as screw-in feet or castors, be used.

With T S Converting’s latest project – a substantial order of mixed machines – the company turned to Matara, which has over two decades of experience in this field.

Working from T S Converting’s CAD drawings, Matara cut the aluminium to the correct size and assembled the guarding panels to T S Converting’s exact specifications. Aluminium profile was selected for this order due to its adaptability and the speed in which it can be produced, and for its cost-effectiveness when compared to steel.

This latest order has required over 200m of 40 x 40mm aluminium profile, which has been powder coated safety yellow (RAL1003). All sections of this guarding have been supplied with UK stocked 25x25 black powder coated wire mesh or clear polycarbonate panels. A wide range of accessories has been included into the guard frames, including feet for mounting the sections to the floor for stability, connecting plates complete with fixings, door handles and hinges.

With T-slots pre-formed into the aluminium profile, further accessories simply slide into these slots without the need for welding or drilling holes. This has enabled T S Converting to make further on-site adaptations, including adding switch panels to certain areas of the profile as well as safety switches on the doors of the guard frame.

Commenting on the company's decision to out-source the machine guard frame production to Matara, James Self, director at TS Converting Equipment said: "One of the main reasons we chose Matara is the time it has saved us in production. We now have the guarding cut, powder coated and fully assembled, saving our engineers valuable time in our busy production schedule. The guarding has been a huge success not just for saving money but also how smart it looks."

www.matara.com