Advertorial Smart harmony A


bsolute functionality and an elegant design are the outstanding features of the new LS7 signal tower from PATLITE. The elegantly shaped LS7 series tower fixtures are not only pleasing to the eye. Neither water nor dust stick to the absolutely smooth plastic surface. No metal components such as screws or connectors are exposed. That makes the LS7 series ideal for use in the food industry and also in the chemical, medical and pharmaceutical sectors. An outer cover made of clear, impact- resistant polycarbonate protects the LED modules and reduces the risk of damage from oil mist or chemical vapours. Due to a special patented lens prism cut, the cover has no adverse effect on the discernibility of the different signal colours, which are visible from a long distance. The LS7 has successfully passed numerous tests for resistance against water, dust, heat, cold and various vibration frequencies and shocks and fulfils the requirements for protection class IP67. It withstands virtually every type of exposure to the elements and shines brightly in every environment. The LS7 is available in the colours ivory, black and silver.


Patlite Europe GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 811 9981 9770-0 Web: www.patlite.eu


SHOWCASE enter 801


Fortress Interlocks Joins Machine Safety Alliance to Provide Machine Safety Knowledge


afety Interlocking company Fortress Interlocks is a member of the Machine Safety Alliance with Festo, Pilz Automation Technology, Troax, UK Engineering, and Werma. The Machine Safety Alliance aims to share its collective knowledge and expertise to help machine builders and users make sense of safety and safeguard their productivity. The withdrawal of safety standard EN 954-1 means that EN ISO 13849 will become the most widely used standard for the design, verification and validations of the safety related parts of control systems. The Machine Safety Alliance brings together experts of the collective technologies under one roof to provide comprehensive safety knowledge that is more readily accessible. Fortress Interlocks is a leader in access and control safety systems, designing and manufacturing safety interlocking systems, trapped key, key exchange, solenoid and non-solenoid guard switches and modular control devices that ensure safety by action in a pre-determined sequence. Tony Baggott, Sales & Marketing Manager at Fortress Interlocks commented: “The Machine Safety Alliance is a non-profit organisation. Our hope is to help companies understand and comply with safety regulations while balancing productivity. Fortress Interlocks, as a market leader in safety access and control systems, is well placed to provide expertise in this field in collaboration with our specialist partners in the alliance.” The Machine Safety Alliance has organised a series of seminars at various venues across the UK which will focus on real-world applications of various technologies and the application of EN ISO 13849-1 and other safety-relevant standards. For more information about the Machinery Safety Alliance, please visit the website at


S enter 800 Fortress Interlocks Tel: 01902 349000


he Springfields Fuels processing plant near Preston, Lancashire was the first in the world to make nuclear fuel for commercial power stations. The site has produced several million fuel elements and supplied products and services to over 140 reactors in 15 countries. A resurgence of demand for nuclear fuel has prompted Springfields to re-commission a previously moth-balled light water reactor (LWR) plant at the site, which is still the UK’s main nuclear fuel manufacturing operation. As part of the re-commissioning exercise, MacDonald Humfrey Automation was awarded the contract to design, build and install a new LWR Fuel Rod Loader and ‘Strongback’ system for the Springfields plant. Typically, 264 fuel rods are used to produce each LWR fuel assembly; and the processing, handling and verification of the rods and fuel assemblies is extremely sensitive. Individual fuel rods are created by loading uranium pellets into thin zirconium alloy tubes, which are then pressurised, sealed and fitted into a pre-assembled framework to form a fuel assembly. Fuel rods are assembled in a magazine and wheeled to the Rod Loading Machine, which pulls them into a skeleton for inspection prior to being sent to the reactor. The new Rod Loading Machine, which is designed to integrate with 12ft and 14ft long fuel assemblies, is used in the oxide fuels complex. It consists of a rod loading carriage (a honeycomb matrix) fitted to a support frame, which is mounted on linear slides to enable it to be indexed away from and towards the Strongback under operator control. The Rod Loading Machine pulls certified fuel rods from the magazine into a skeleton in a pre-determined sequence to create either 12ft or 14ft fuel assemblies. When in position the frame is secured by locking pins. As well as the Rod Loading Machine, MacDonald Humfrey also manufactured an Envelope Alignment


Macdonald Humfrey Fuel Rod Loader and ‘strongback’ helps Springfields re-commission LWR nuclear plant T


Machine. This enables 12ft or 14ft fuel assemblies to be removed from the Strongback and manoeuvred into a vertical position to allow them to be loaded by overhead crane into the Envelope Alignment Machine. Once fixed in the machine, tolerances are checked to ensure that its alignment is correct. The existing control system for the Fuel Rod Loader and the ‘Strongback, was replaced with a sophisticated MacDonald Humfrey PLC and human machine interface (HMI) based control system. The new system was created to Springfields’ specification using a stand-alone Rockwell PLC, which operates kinetic motion controllers to direct axis movement in the LWR system. A bespoke MHA-developed HMI also enables Springfields’ engineers to select different machine parameters and modes of operation; and allows them to control the machines manually if required. MacDonald Humfrey has provided similar equipment for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) fuel line on the Springfields site but the design of both new machines for the LWR plant was based on drawings from Springfields’ US parent company Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, the world's leading integrated supplier of nuclear fuel products and services. This involved a significant element of re-engineering to ensure that the whole system worked effectively to improve the speed and safe handling of the fuel rod assembly process.


Exmac S10 Tel: 01905 721500 Web: www.exmac.co.uk enter 802 JUNE 2012 Machine Safety Supplement Web: www.machinery-safety-alliance.co.uk


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