Manufacturing businesses must invest substantial amounts of capital into their equipment, so it should come as no surprise that business owners want to protect it. Because manufacturing equipment is highly specialized, the protective covers designed to reduce the effects of the elements must also be made to fit the machines. Read on to find out about five types of protective covers designed specifically for product manufacturing equipment.

1. Bellows Covers

Bellows covers are a form of protective guarding designed to prevent damage to valuable components like ball screws and machine ways from abrasives and liquids. The bellows can be used to create a flexible seal between joints, as with bus bellows, or as ducting in traction motor ventilation applications and engine exhaust/cooling. Bellows covers can protect workers from pinch point injuries, keep dust out of sensitive machinery, and even improve the aesthetics of production equipment.

2. Roll-Up Covers

Roll-up covers are available in multiple styles and materials, including aluminum, reinforced fabric, and reinforced metal. They come with mounting brackets and/or protective canisters and can be used for:

• Way protection
• Tank covers
• Multi-access protective shields
• Safety pit covers
• Portable welding protection
• And more

Roll-up covers are some of the most versatile types of protective covers. They’re durable, easy to use, and can be refurbished in the event that acute damage or wear and tear starts to take a toll.

3. Machine Way Covers

Machine way covers are designed to protect moving parts and guard against pinch points. They are usually manufactured specifically for machine makes and models and offer an impressive level of protection. Way covers can deflect liquids and swarf, shielding critical mechanical parts and protecting both machines and workers in proximity to moving parts.

4. Telescopic Covers

Telescopic steel way covers are perfect for protecting both machine ways and ball screws. Since they’re made of steel, these types of covers are strong enough to protect against not just liquids, abrasives, and swarf, but also dropped tools, heavy chip loads, and even chemical exposure. They can be designed to move along machine axes and can be outfitted with way extensions as needed, making telescopic covers a highly versatile option for product manufacturing facilities.

5. Gorplate Way Covers

Gorplate is ideal for protecting machine elements from weld splatter and hot chips. This type of cover has been tested to ensure that it can meet the high speed and high-cycle requirements seen in many factories. The system is made up of stainless steel plates with hinges to provide uniform expansion, and both end plates and mild steel side rails come included with each way cover.

Gorplate way covers are great for protecting equipment when space is tight since they have an extremely low-profile design that is only approximately 1″ deep. This type of way cover offers an excellent extended-to-retracted ratio, and unlike the sliding plate systems that it was designed to replace, it isn’t prone to locking.

Quality Matters

When purchasing protective covers for product manufacturing equipment, quality is key. No floor manager wants to deal with constantly failing equipment, and many types of protective cover are designed to offer protection to workers as well as machines. It’s imperative that they be kept in good working order, which is much easier when factory owners purchase high-quality, brand-name protective covers from a reputable vendor that specializes in equipment protection.

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