Roll nip safety hazard

Laboratory machines are used in elastomer processing companies for the testing of materials, development of new products or the production of small batches. One of the key laboratory machines is the laboratory mixing mill, which heats and mixes material between two counter-rotating rolls, and rolls out a rubber sheet. The nip between these rolls, however, represents a safety hazard.

Hazards for laboratory mixing mills

The roll nip forms a point of constant intake and it is therefore difficult to safeguard. This problem has often led to serious accidents with laboratory mixing mills. Older machines in particular are equipped with safety devices that, however, do not safeguard access in a satisfactory manner. Safe solutions on the other hand, often make working sensibly and ergonomically more complicated. For small laboratory mixing mills, the rolling intake site can be easily accessed unless safety equipment is utilized. Shift rods do not provide adequate protection, as you can easily reach around it. Safety equipment used to date typically consists of a rocker switch in close proximity to the hazardous area or a knee switch plate which is mounted in the standing area of the operator and quickly stops the roll drives when accidentally actuated. What is needed is a solution that reduces the risk to a minimum and at the same time does not significantly impair work at the mixing mill.

Solution: Safety cage

In coordination with the “Berufsgenossenschaft Rohstoffe und chemische Industrie” [Professional Association of Raw Materials and Chemical Industry] (BG RCI), the company DEGUMA has developed a custom protective device for all laboratory mixing mills that no longer meet today’s safety requirements: The safety cage. This safety cage ensures that the operator is unable to access the roll nip when the machine is in operation without automatically triggering the rolls to stop. Nevertheless, the operator is still able to perform necessary work stops (roll and insert rolls into the nip; cut and turn sheets on the rotating rolls) without significant impairment. Once the safety cage is opened, the rolls can be cleaned without any problems or risk.

For more information about how machines can be retrofitted with support from DEGUMA, please see http://www.deguma.com/en/services/safety

DEGUMA is a German machine building company that has specialized in overhauling and modernizing pre-owned machinery for the rubber processing and plastic processing industry. One of their main focuses is retrofitting of safety equipment.

V. Schütz

DEGUMA-SCHÜTZ GmbH
Industriestr. 4-8
36419 Geisa
Germany

Email: deguma@deguma.com
Telefon: 036967-761-0

This release was published on openPR.