Products that do what they promise
In order to guarantee the high quality of its products at all times, RK Rose+Krieger operates a superbly equipped test laboratory. This is where RK carries out exhaustive testing of all its product ranges – from year-round test cycles to sample series monitoring. Customer enquiries are also put to the acid test before a decision is made regarding implementation. The policy at RK Rose+Krieger is: We say what we can do, and we do what we say! However, we also say what we can’t do, and we don’t do it either!
"In our product catalogues we only state values which have been comprehensively tried and tested. At our test laboratory, we also test customer-specific applications for our products, based firstly on our customers' specifications", Lukas Göking, Product Manager at RK Rose+Krieger, explains. He continues: "Visitors are always impressed that, as a medium-sized business, we have such a well equipped test laboratory".
The benefits for our customers are clear to see. They can have complete confidence in the performance specifications, and they receive products which actually deliver the promised performance over the specified service life, and often for even longer. It is thus possible, for example, that lifting columns will be able to handle an incredible 45,000 cycles in the low load range (1000 N), rather than the guaranteed 10,000 double strokes. As long as the customer's requirements are specified as exactly and completely as possible, premature failures or production downtimes due to erroneous specifications are almost non-existent.
The pendulum test for machine guard systems as per EN ISO 14120:2015 (D) determines the kinetic energy with which an object (or person) impacts the fence
Pendulum test verifies standard compliance of machine guards
In practice, machine guard systems are often constructed without much thought being given to what happens if a person trips and falls against the guard; whether the guard panel will deflect and whether the connection elements can withstand the impact etc. However, with the entry into force of Annex C of the EN ISO 14120:2015(D) standard, it is exactly this question which has come under the spotlight. It is no longer just about specifying that the guard system must be positioned at a defined distance from the machine and what the correct distance is. Now, the revised standard also requires the manufacturer to demonstrate how well the guard resists external impacts.
In order to test our machine guard system and to classify it as per the new standard, RK Rose+Krieger has installed a pendulum test bench which is compliant with the standard. We subjected selected posts, frames, panels and connectors from our modular system to a pendulum test, applying a force of 115 joules, and we used the standard-compliant elements to create the RK Click & Safe Protect 115 guard system. The same goes for elements which withstood a force of 370 joules in the pendulum test, either alone or when retrofitted. RK Rose+Krieger grouped these products together in the RK Click & Safe Protect 370 range. The elements of the standard range RK Click & Safe Basic are suitable for use in areas where there is no danger from moving parts.
Thus RK Rose+Krieger provides its customers with the option of putting together standard-compliant machine guard systems from the respective catalogues to suit their specific requirements. If they wish to use other elements from the BLOCAN® guard system range, these too can be tested for suitability on the in-house pendulum test system, if requested.
Always the right contact
Your contact at RK ROSE+KRIEGER:
Olaf Durstewitz
Head of Product Consultancy