Watch our experienced engineer discuss the importance of hand and slow speed safety on a pressbrake. For the purposes of this demonstration we have opened the side gate on the pressbrake. At this point if you try to put your foot on the pedal, the machine wouldn’t work. But if you look down at the control panel, you’ll see that the reset switch is flashing. If we press this reset switch and place our foot on the foot pedal, you will get slow speed, enabling you to use the machine when the side fence is open. And as you can see, with either gate open, the machine will run in slow speed.
The press brake has two speeds, one is fast approach which basically is being guarded by the laser guards. Number two is slow approach which is basically switching off the laser guards, getting a small gap of the base of the metal is in the machine and then it can fold.
Fast Approach
What I want to show you now is the beam coming down in fast approach and me blocking the laser guards so it stops the machine to show you how safe this can be. I’m not going to put my hand in there as one should never take these things for granted but as demonstrated, the beam stopped because the laser saw my hand but on most old-fashioned press brakes with light guards, you would have to bring the beam back up, reset the light guards. On the latest laser guards, basically, you just put your foot on the pedal again. Down comes the beam, moves into slow speed, enters the fold. So, remember, fast approach can be stopped, can be moved on again.
Slow Speed
Now we’re in slow speed.  With slow speed, there is no guard. At this point, never put any point of your body between those tools.  It will be crushed with the tonnage programmed into the machine, I assure you will be very painful.
To recap fast approach is guarded by the laser guard, slow speed, isn’t. So, remember, don’t put your hands in there.
Programmed Speed
The next speed which I’m going to talk about now, you can program a distance away, you can program a speed down to 0.1 into the fold and a speed out of the fold, making it safe to pick up the material and put back the material back down without doing your backing. Let the machine do the work. Watch the video to see us demonstrate fast approach, slow speed and really slow speed.