Custom Eye Shields

[Mk3Mike]

Hi all. I've got a situation I need to address and I need your help. I need to make a custom set of eye shields for a piece of equipment we just got. They aren't so much eye shields as they are covers to protect you from accidentally pressing the controls, but they will look and perform just like a grinder eye shield does.

I stumbled across ereplacementparts.com while looking for ideas and noticed that they carry many grinder replacement parts. I'm not opposed to building off of a kit, although I am limited on how I can secure the guards to the machine since I don't want to drill any holes. There are 4 hex screws holding the control plate on and I plan on using the top 2 as fastening points.

As of right now, the idea in my head is to span the 2 mounting screws with a piece of flat aluminum. Weld a tab off the center with a hole drilled in it. And then on the shield side, it would also be a piece of flat aluminum with mounting holes and a tab off the back as well. The 2 parts would be adjusted with thumb screws.

Please post up any pictures or ideas you may have. I don't have a lathe yet or access to a mill, but I do have a couple metal bandsaws, a drill press and a couple welders to get me through. Looking forward to your ideas.

Thanks!
Mike

 

[rsanter]

how about a picture of the machine

bob

 

[Mk3Mike]

Well, it's not quite what you'd expect so here you go.

It's an automatic screen printing press. It's only a few days old and one of the guys already managed to accidentally lean on the up-down button when the arm was locked causing it to bend.

Were just worried about someone getting a finger, or worse, stuck in one of the 6 print arms.

If since thought about not welding at all and making them using aluminum angle iron "tabs" to make my hinges. The left hinge would have a pin in it and the right one would have a thumb screw to keep it all tight. I'm open for suggestions though.

Thanks!

 

[Fcvapor05]

Well, it's not quite what you'd expect so here you go.

It's an automatic screen printing press. It's only a few days old and one of the guys already managed to accidentally lean on the up-down button when the arm was locked causing it to bend.

Were just worried about someone getting a finger, or worse, stuck in one of the 6 print arms.

If since thought about not welding at all and making them using aluminum angle iron "tabs" to make my hinges. The left hinge would have a pin in it and the right one would have a thumb screw to keep it all tight. I'm open for suggestions though.

Thanks!

I'd suggest replacing those top 2 screws with studs and nuts to hold the control plate on- You can then put your safety shield over the nuts with another nut to hold it on. This will prevent you from needing to removing the control plate any time the safety shield needs maintenance or whatever.

Am I correct in assuming that your safety shield will be fixed, and located so that you have enough room to operate the controls with a hand still in place?

If that's the case, it might be good to anchor the safety shield at all 4 corners so that it's very sturdy. I'm picturing a piece of 1/4" plexi or whatever just bending if someone leans on it and it's only anchored at the top.

You could stud all 4 corners, then bend up a u-channel with whatever height you want. Bolt 1 leg of the 'U' to the studs on the machine, then bolt the plexi to the other leg of the 'U'. If you do this top and bottom you'll have a very sturdy shield that wont' move if someone leans on it. And if you get the height of the U channel right, it should be no problem to reach under it from either side to operate the controls.

Edit: You could also use the U-channel method at the top, then screw a couple of standoffs to the plexi in each bottom corner, so that if someone leans on it the standoffs will push against the panel and prevent the plexi from bending too much.

 

[ttpete]

I wouldn't use plexiglass, it cracks and breaks easily. Lexan polycarbonate is a better choice.

You can probably get a piece that's sold as a glass replacement for storm doors from Lowe's or someplace similar. Also get four nylon spacers and four longer screws for the panel. Cut the plastic out and heat and bend it to fit.

I'd be inclined to just cut holes over each button to make it easy to poke a finger through when wanted. Same for the two knobs. Leaning against it then wouldn't contact any control.

 

[Zeke]

You can make a wire guard for that.

 

[rsanter]

If it was me I would replace all 4 of those front bolts with studs and spacers.
Cut a piece of lexan that will cover the whole front about 4" away from the control panel. You can easily get your fingers in there to operate the controls

Bob

 

[JZHeyde]

If you dont want to have someone slide their hand in there you could replace the top screws with studs, add a spacer, and bolt a hing to those spacers. The hinge would then be affixed to a piece of whatever you choose, (ie, aluminum plate). The bottom screws would then need to be lengthened and additional spacers added. The spacers on the top and bottom would need to be sized so that they are just above the highest part of the controls. This would mean to actions to operate the controls. Flip the guard and then operate the machine. Incorporate fancy rubber bumpers as needed.

 

[Mk3Mike]

Thank you all for your ideas!

Unfortunately, after speaking with the manufacturer, they don't feel that a guard or shield is a good idea. It seems that you need to access the controls sometimes multiple times during setup, printing and especially during an emergency. The offending button that was pushed actually controls the up-down function of the arms and if your hand gets stuck behind a guard after pushing the button, well...I don't want to know what would happen. The machine operates at about 90psi and I'm not sure that there are any safety features other than the bars that keep you from walking between the print arms.

The manufacturer of the machine is taking this issue seriously. So seriously that they are developing a new face plate with a safety feature built into it. They will be sending us out 6 of them when they are finished, but who knows how long that will take. The design that they plan to go with is sort of like a hood. The idea is that if you do lean on the corner, your hand is not on the controls. The part that makes it a little complicated is that they feel that the top needs to sweep upward so that if you don't get your hand out in time it will be less likely to catch and pull you down with the print arm.

Soooooooooo...what I was thinking of doing is getting some 1/8" aluminum and bending up some sort of hood that screws to tabs that are mounted to the screws. I'll make a cardboard template first and work off of that. We'll see how that goes with that bend upwards. Feel free to give me other ideas or direction.

Thanks again!

 

[Vvmvbb]

Glue some magnets to a box