Customised shutter door system for guarding CNC grinding machine

High speeds, fast processing times, coolant and chips: machine tools are a dangerous environment for people. The systems are therefore fully enclosed but also have to be easily accessible for maintenance. The same applies to the thread grinding machines from SMS Maschinenbau GmbH, which successfully use a customised shutter door system from Kabelschlepp.

The GBA202 CNC thread grinding machine is one of the in-house developments of SMS Maschinenbau GmbH in Albstdt. It is a fully automatic system designed for mass production of standard screw taps with straight or spiral grooves and thread formers. For safety reasons, the machine is fully enclosed with a large door for loading and unloading, to be opened and closed manually. Kabelschlepp developed an easy-to-operate shutter door system based on a link apron version 2N. These light and sturdy hollow profile link aprons are very resilient, even when spanning large widths.

This customised system includes a special winding device and is adapted to the design of the machine. A special guide was designed for the shutter door, taking into account space restrictions. SMS also wanted to ensure that the shutter door could stop in any position and be retained by friction to prevent injuries to the operator. It also had to securely seal access to the loading cabin while the robot is in use. That was no problem for this system: the slats of the door are made of aluminium and are very sturdy.

Edgar Pfaff, Technical Director at SMS Maschinenbau GmbH, is very happy with the link apron system, commenting: "We have been installing these doors since 2013 and have had only positive feedback so far. The shutter mechanism is an especially great feature offering a large opening while requiring only little space."

Link aprons from Kabelschlepp are available in three versions. The space-saving alternatives to telescopic covers rest directly on guideways and can be bolted, wound or left to hang from the end of the track without any particular guiding. The lightweight and flexible systems seal against splash and surge water, offer good protection against chips and lubricants, and are heat resistant up to 100degC ambient temperature. All link aprons are available with a winding device; lateral guiding is not required.

Follow the link for more information about customised shutter door systems from Kabelschlepp.