Safety standard for injection moulding machinery
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced that its Machinery Safety Standards Committee has published the new voluntary standard establishing requirements for the manufacture and use of injection moulding machines. The new standard aligns well with the European and draft ISO standards on this subject, making it easier for American manufacturers to compete with their counterparts abroad.
After three years of comprehensive revision by the members of the PLASTICS Machinery Safety Standards Committee, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Standards Review approved the newly revised American National Standard — ANSI/PLASTICS B151.1-2017 – Safety Requirements for Injection Moulding Machines — on January 6, 2017. Two of the most significant changes in this new standard relate to the mechanical safety device (aka “jam bar” or “drop bar”) becoming optional for horizontal machines if built to the 2017 standard and the combination of two previously separate standards into a single, easier-to-use standard for both types of machines. Having one standard instead of two will simplify the manufacturing of these machines in the U.S.
The effort to revise the standard was led by the Machinery Safety Standards Committee’s Subcommittee on Injection Molding, which is chaired by Jim Pilavdzic, manager, product safety, Husky Injection Molding Systems, Ltd. and Vice Chair Larry Keller, chief engineer, Milacron.
The new standard is available for purchase on PLASTICS’ website and ANSI’s website.
