The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) announced today that its Machinery Safety Standards Committee has released a new American National Standards Institute-accredited safety standard: Safety Requirements for Robot / Injection Molding Machine Systems (ANSI B151.27-2021).
Available for sale at a reduced price for PLASTICS members, ANSI/SPI B151.27-2021 Safety Requirements for Robot / Injection Molding Machine Systems sets the latest industry standards for the design, implementation, set-up, operation, maintenance and modification regarding the use of robots with injection molding machine (IMM) systems.
“Our relationship with the American National Standards Institute enables us to provide our industry with vital information,” said Tony Radoszewski, CEO of PLASTICS. “Protecting equipment operators and preserving the integrity of the machinery they depend on for their livelihoods is an essential part of the PLASTICS mission.”
These safety requirements are the result of a two-year collaboration among 46 voting members of the PLASTICS Machinery Safety Standards Committee, representing expertise from all corners of the plastics industry.
“ANSI B151.27-2021 serves to guide the user through the complexity of merging plastics and robot technologies, and the corresponding safety standards for those machine systems,” said Jennifer Jones, Director of Industry Standards for PLASTICS. “The committee was careful to integrate references to existing industry standards while addressing gaps related to integration of the systems. Consensus standards like these help the industry invent and manufacture plastics products safely, while ensuring fairness in the marketplace.”
Duane Royce, VP of Robots and Automation for Wittman Battenfeld and chairman of the workgroup that produced ANSI B151.27-2021, echoed Jones’ comments, adding, “I would just like to thank everyone that participated on the committee and those that reviewed and commented on this standard. Without the involvement of these volunteers, the important work of standards creation and refinement cannot happen.”