Light Curtain Guarding
How Light Curtain Guarding Works
The Merlin light curtain guarding system is a
solid-state electro-optical switch intended for use as a control device on
production machines. Merlin produces and checks an invisible network of closely
spaced, pulsed, infrared light beams between separate transmitter and receiver
columns. As long as conditions are normal and all beams are received, the
output relay contacts remain closed. If any beam is not found, they open,
thereby stopping the machine and protecting the operator.
The standard Merlin system consists of a controller, a
set of columns (one transmitter and one receiver), and a set of interconnecting
cables. The Merlin system will also accept multiple sets of columns per control
box to protect more than one side. Thus, the benefit of reducing the cost for
an application like guarding straight-side presses, etc.