Safety engineering and filtration systems

Safety technology

As the ideal complement to its premium solutions for cleaner air, LTA supplies safety concepts to satisfied customers worldwide.

From fire shutters and fire alarm control panels to complete fire extinguishers, LTA systems are already providing superb protection in over 3,000 machine tools. And we have the certification to back it up: the IBExU Institute for Safety Engineering has tested and approved the LTA systems.

Pressure relief valve

The LTA pressure relief valve protects the machine housing from deformation, explosion or fire as a result of elevated internal pressure. A predefined pressure level inside the machine causes the pressure relief valve to open. An opening is created, and excessive pressure is released. Once the pressure is released, the pressure relief valve closes on its own. This interrupts air flow, starving the fire of oxygen and stopping it the moment it begins. Unlike other systems, the valve can be used as often as required. The opening pressure can be set to a precise value, and the valve position can be easily monitored. The opening pressure is 20 mbar.

Required parameters for dimensioning the pressure relief valve:

Internal machine volume
Maximum admissible pressure and maximum proportion of explosive mixture in the machine interior
Minimum opening pressure of the pressure relief valve

Fire extinguisher

Extinguishers serve to put out fires in machine tool hoods. The extinguishing agent used and the design of the extinguisher depend on the following criteria:

Material
Cooling lubricant
Machine volume
Leak tightness of the machine hood

Fire protection concept

In the metalworking industry, and particularly chip-forming operations, the use of large quantities of cooling lubricants is common. These are predominantly non water-miscible, modern oil types which have the propensity to form explosive mixtures with air. When heated to above their flash point, they form explosive vapor/air mixtures. Choosing cooling lubricants with the highest possible flash points helps to counter this effect. However, it is not possible to avoid the formation of aerosols through spray aeration or atomization. Aerosols are potentially explosive even below the flash point. When using oil/water emulsions (water-soluble cooling lubricants), only a water content of over 80 % can reliably prevent ignition.

There are a number of safety measures required in order to use non-water-soluble cooling lubricants in machine tools. LTA Lufttechnik has developed a special fire and explosion protection system, which has been appraised by an independent institute (IBEXU).

Air shutting flap

The LTA air shutting flap serves to interrupt the connection between suction plant and machine in case of fire or explosion. This prevents the fire from being fueled by the in-take of fresh air and prevents flames from transferring to the extraction unit and pipe systems.

Tube-housed air shutting flap: The tube-housed air shutting flap is used if there is no room in the machine to install the round version or if the pipe version is preferable for other reasons.

Fire protection control panel

The fire protection control panel serves as the control unit for the safety equipment on a machine tool and controls the sensors, limit switches, other signal generators and the fire extinguisher. The fire alarm control panel processes the input signals to create the relevant output signals such as fire alarms to the emergency services, optical displays, actuation of the fire shutter. Working in association with our partners, we will be pleased to offer you an individual fire extinguishing system concept.