Designed-in-safety: new two-hand control unit from IMI Precision Engineering

10 June, 2016

The XSHC04 two-hand control unit, part of the IMI Herion product range, can be fitted to any machine function where the operator is required to use both hands to start its operation, as a safety measure designed to safeguard against accidental start. As both buttons need to be depressed within 0.5 seconds of each other to achieve an output, both hands must be engaged simultaneously which ensures any start-up is intentional. The unit is designed to work with compressed air systems filtered to 40μm for lubricated or non-lubricated operation, across a range of 3-8 bar.

Standard practice

Andrew Gibson, product manager at IMI Precision Engineering, commented: “Compliance with all relevant legislation is standard practice when designing new additions to our range. The scope of the Machinery Directive covers safety as well as machinery and, as two-hand control units are classed as safety components, it was crucial for us to ensure the unit met these essential health & safety requirements.

“The EN574 Safety of Machinery standard covers minimum performance and safety characteristics including simultaneous operation, fault tolerance and prevention of accidental operation. The XSHC04 two-hand control unit satisfies all these requirements, meaning design engineers can be confident that compressed air systems will meet the safety standards of the Machinery Directive.”

IMI Precision Engineering rebranded from Norgren in 2015, and continues to engineer great solutions for fluid and motion control through its portfolio of flagship product brands including IMI Norgren, IMI Buschjost, IMI FAS, IMI Herion and IMI Maxseal.

www.imi-precision.com