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13.
August
2019.
New ATEX trucks provide protection for paints and coatings manufacturer
SHOREHAM, UK | August 2019
New “ATEX” trucks provide protection for paints and coatings manufacturer
A leading UK paints and coatings manufacturer has selected Pyroban® to provide explosion protection on its latest lift trucks operating in Zone 2 hazardous areas.
The manufacturer makes paints and specialist coatings at its Distribution Centre which operates round the clock, moving more than 1000 pallets and servicing more than 40 HGVs in 24 hours, making quick operation and reliability of equipment crucial.
As some of the products handled are solvent based, the Distribution Centre has been classified as a Zone 2 hazardous area which therefore requires specially adapted, ATEX* 2014/34/EU compliant lift trucks. Standard lift trucks operating in these areas could otherwise be a source of ignition in the event of a solvent vapour release.
“Heat from a truck’s engine, motors, brakes and other components, a spark from unprotected electrical equipment or a spark from static build up can all create enough energy to cause an explosion”, says Rob Vesty, UK Sales Manager for Pyroban.
To meet the customer’s handling needs, eight new electrically powered Aisle Master AM20WHE articulated forklifts, were supplied through Forkway Group and converted by explosion protection safety company Pyroban for Zone 2 (3G) operation. The new trucks were each supplied with a fleet management system, hard wired colour camera system, amber operating beacon, white noise reverse alarm, LED work lights, speed limited, high visibility interlock seat belt, blue spot lights, red halo lights and battery water and charging systems.
The trucks feature Pyroban’s system6000™, an active detection system which incorporates gas detection to continuously monitor for the presence of a potentially explosive environment around each truck. In the event of a solvent vapour release, it will visually and audibly alert the driver and automatically shut the truck down where necessary, eliminating the risk of an explosion. It helps ensure that the truck, and all its add-ons, are safe for use in the potentially explosive warehouse atmosphere.
The Pyroban conversions, with anti-static components to comply with EN1755:2015**, also featured restricted breathing enclosures, stainless steel cladding of forks and surface temperature cooling to ensure the engine, motors, brakes, electrics and other components remain below the auto-ignition temperatures of flammable materials.
The manufacturer also introduced three Yale ERP16VF four-wheel electric lift trucks, one Yale M0103 order picker, a supporting low-level order picker the Yale M020 and a Hako Scrubmaster B310R ride-on scrubber drier to its fleet, all of which have been converted by Pyroban to the same high explosion-protection standards.
“We believe that safety should not be a compromise on quality so we ensure that every piece of equipment we convert can retain as much of its original specification and ergonomics as possible,” says Rob. “This means that even challenging industry operations, such as those where paints and coatings are manufactured and stored, can use the truck brands they want and the products which fit their needs.”
Visit www.pyroban.com.
ENDS – 478 WORDS
*ATEX - ATEX encompasses two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres. Pyroban systems comply with directive 2014/34/EU, previously known as 94/9/EC (or 'the ATEX Equipment Directive'), which concerns equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
**EN1755:2015 – Titled “Safety of industrial trucks. Operation in potentially explosive atmospheres. Use in flammable gas, vapour, mist and dust”. EN1755:2015 supersedes the EN1755:2000 standard and is the EU standard to which explosion protected forklifts are designed.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Pyroban Ltd provides explosion protection safety solutions for industry world-wide. The Pyroban project begin in 1969 and the company was founded in 1972 with manufacturing facilities in the UK and regional sales and service centres.
Pyroban offers explosion protection conversions for materials handling equipment, as well as explosion protected diesel engine packages and kits for well service applications. The company also offers a range of explosion protected components, Ex-solutions and support services for all its products.