Can Programmable Light Curtains Speed Product Changeover?

July 8, 2010

Product changeover require manual modifications to the blanking patterns for safety light curtains at the product feed and takeoff stations of our presses. We think programmable light curtains will speed this up. We're unclear if we can just include them as automatic changes inside the stored part-profiles we provide, or do they require some sort of redundant check before first use? Are they as straightfoward to use as we think?

Product changeover require manual modifications to the blanking patterns for safety light curtains at the product feed and takeoff stations of our presses. We think programmable light curtains will speed this up. We're unclear if we can just include them as automatic changes inside the stored part-profiles we provide, or do they require some sort of redundant check before first use? Are they as straightfoward to use as we think?

Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this problem. We'll include it in the September '10 issue and post it on ControlDesign.com. Send visuals if you’d like—a sketch is fine. Email us at [email protected]. Please include your company, location and title in the response.

Sponsored Recommendations

2024 State of Technology Report: Motors, Drives & Motion

Motion makes manufacturing move. Motors and drives are at the core of industrial operations. Without them, production comes to a halt. This new State of Technology Report from...

Case Study: Conveyor Solution for Unique Application

Find out how the Motion Automation Intelligence Conveyor Engineering team provided a new and reliable conveyance solution that helped a manufacturer turn downtime into uptime....

2024 State of Technology Report: PLCs & PACs

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have been a popular method of machine control since the PLC was invented in the late 1960s as a replacement for relay logic. The similarly...

Power Distribution Resource Guide

When it comes to selecting the right power supply, there are many key factors and best practices to consider.