A press shipped for export usually needs guards that stop anyone reaching the die area, safety devices such as light curtains or two-hand controls, and a control system that stops the slide safely. The exact package depends on the press type, how it is loaded, and the rules in your country.
Many presses built for the Indian domestic market ship with little guarding. Do not assume a quote includes a safety package. Specify it in writing.
The main standards
These are the standards buyers and inspectors refer to most often. Check the current editions with your regulator, notified body or safety consultant before you order.
- EN ISO 16092-1 sets general safety requirements for presses and is used with the part for the press type.
- EN ISO 16092-2 covers mechanical presses and replaced the older EN 692. EN ISO 16092-3 covers hydraulic presses and EN ISO 16092-4 covers pneumatic presses.
- In the United States, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.217 sets rules for mechanical power presses. Other press types fall under general machine guarding duties and consensus standards such as the ANSI B11 series.
- EN ISO 13849-1 is widely used to design and assess safety-related parts of control systems.
- EN ISO 13855 sets out how far a light curtain or two-hand control must be from the hazard, based on stopping time.
What a safety package usually includes
- Fixed guards around the sides and back of the die area, and over the flywheel, belts and gears.
- Interlocked movable guards, or light curtains, at the operator's side, so the slide cannot move while hands are in the die.
- Two-hand controls where the work method allows it, mounted at the correct safety distance.
- A safety-rated control system, with monitoring of the clutch, brake or hydraulic valves, depending on the press type.
- A brake or stopping-time monitor, because a worn brake increases the stopping distance.
- Emergency stop buttons, lockout points for maintenance, and die-setting modes with reduced speed.
Who is legally responsible
In the European Union, the manufacturer or the party who places the press on the market carries responsibility for CE conformity. If an Indian maker will not take that role, the importer often ends up with it. Manually loaded presses have historically needed extra conformity assessment steps, so ask a notified body early. Our article on CE marking for machinery explains the roles.
In the United States, the employer who uses the press has the legal duty under OSHA to guard it. Elsewhere, rules vary widely. Confirm the requirements with your national regulator before you order, not after the press arrives.
How to check before shipment
Ask the maker for the safety component list, wiring diagrams, the stopping-time measurement and the safety distance calculation. At the trial, test every guard, interlock, light curtain and emergency stop. Our article on witnessing a machine trial shows how to plan it.
Next step
We write the safety package into the order, check it at inspection and record the tests. To discuss your press, book a free sourcing review.