Revised safety standard for injection molding machinery published

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS; Washington, DC) announced today that its Machinery Safety Standards Committee has published the new voluntary standard establishing requirements for the manufacture and use of plastics injection molding machines.

"ANSI/PLASTICS B151.1-2017 - Safety Requirements for Injection Molding Machines" was approved after three years of comprehensive revision by the members of the PLASTICS Machinery Safety Standards Committee and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI; Washington, DC) Board of Standards Review.

Two of the most significant changes in the new standard relate to the mechanical safety device (aka “jam bar” or “drop bar”) becoming optional for horizontal machines if built to the 2017 standard, and the combination of two previously separate standards into a single, easier-to-use standard for both types of machines. Having one standard instead of two will ultimately simplify the manufacturing of these machines in the United States, said PLASTICS in a press release. As written, the new standard aligns with the European and draft ISO standards on this subject, making it easier for American manufacturers to compete with their counterparts abroad. 

 The effort to revise the standard was led by the Machinery Safety Standards Committee’s Subcommittee on Injection Molding, which is chaired by Jim Pilavdzic, Manager, Product Safety, Husky Injection Molding Systems, and Vice Chair Larry Keller, Chief Engineer, Milacron.

The new standard is available for purchase on the PLASTICS and ANSI websites.

In related news, Dale Bartholomew, Product Manager for Maruka USA’s injection molding machinery division, has been named the new chair of the Machinery Safety Standards Committee. He replaces longtime chair Stan Glover, Director of Sales at Zeiger Industries. Glover has served as committee chair for several years and will remain on as chair of the committee’s international standards-setting activity.

Previously, Bartholomew served as PLASTICS’ representative to the ANSI Z244 Lockout/Tagout Committee and also serves on the PLASTICS NPE2018 Attendee Acquisition Committee. Before joining Maruka, he was technical sales manager for Toshiba Machines and assistant service manager at Boy Machines.