ABS material as robust material
In order for the emergency stop switches to work at the crucial moment, they should be made of the best materials. In addition, the material used has to meet certain requirements. Emergency stop switches should therefore be resistant to mechanical stress and, more importantly, resistant to electronic charging. Especially the last requirement is very important, so that they do not get an electric shock when the switch is triggered. The antistatic material is ABS plastic. ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) is an engineering plastic, which makes it particularly suitable for emergency stop switches. In addition to resistance to electrical charge, the material for emergency stop equipment should also be resistant to grease and oil. Good temperature resistance and resistance to household acids are also recommended, making the high-quality emergency stop switches particularly durable.
What happens during an emergency stop?
To ensure that you always recognize an emergency stop switch well and quickly, these switches are unique in their shape and appearance. The emergency stop switch on the machine has a red actuator, which is also called a mushroom switch because of its appearance. If you perceive a danger and trigger the emergency stop switch by pressing it, the machine or system is disconnected from the power supply with immediate effect or the power circuit is interrupted immediately. This corresponds to stop category 0. If the danger has been eliminated and you wish to reconnect your machine to the power circuit, you must first return the emergency stop switch to its original state. In most cases, this can be done by means of a special rotary movement, but it can also be done using only a separate key. According to the Machinery Directive, which applies throughout Europe, emergency switches must be used wherever machines have to be shut down quickly in an emergency for safety reasons. In principle, every machine and system must have an emergency stop mechanism.
Difference between emergency stop and emergency stop
Even if you are not aware of it, there is a big difference between an emergency stop and an emergency stop. In general, an emergency stop means that the equipment and machines are disconnected from the power supply with immediate effect and the power circuit is interrupted. This serves to protect you from electric shock or other hazards. In contrast, in an emergency stop, the plant is put into a sill state in which a certain movement is no longer carried out. In this case, the system or machine is still supplied with power. The purpose of deliberately stopping the movement is to prevent accidents at work or to be able to intervene as quickly as possible in dangerous situations.