Keyence Corp., Itasca, IL, has introduced a new, more rugged line of safety light curtains to increase worker safety around harsh environments and dangerous machinery.
The GL-R series is built from 3 mm-thick extruded aluminum body with narrow (9 mm wide) recessed lens surface. Its design completely guards the light curtain from impact damage, reducing replacement costs and downtime. The housing is sealed to meet IP65 and IP67 ratings for use in harsh environments. A new one-line wiring system allows the transmitter to be connected in series directly to the receiver for power and synchronization, simplifying wiring to a single cable and reducing installation time and risk of mis-wiring. Pre-assembled heavy-duty quick-fit brackets lock into the back channel of the GL-R's housing by tightening two screws; it can easily be attached to standard equipment without special protective hardware.
Other new "smart" features in the GL-R series, aimed to reduce installation space and cost for additional components and troubleshooting, include: edge to-edge detection, series connection, built-in muting and blanking, highly visible indicators, quick disconnect cable options, and monitoring software.