Resilient safety interlocks

Boiler manufacturer Ideal Heating has upgraded safety procedures at its Hull site with the introduction of interlocking systems from Castell. The heating specialist has installed safety switches and access interlocks on 10 machines in its foundry blowing area.

The blowing area turns out sandbased moulds for casting heat exchangers used in the company's boilers.Waste sand from the production process tended to clog up the previous safety system, but Castell's heavy-duty KSE20 multi-key electrical switches and AI access interlocks have been unaffected by the demanding environment.

When maintenance of a mouldmaking machine is required, the operative removes the primary key from the electrical switch. This action changes the status of the electrical supply to the machine to a safe condition and enables the release of the two secondary keys. These keys are then used to unlock the interlocks on the machine's access doors. The guards can only be opened when the electrical supply has been switched to a safe condition.