Machinery safety: updating our knowledge of the new European rules with SMC

«We prepare today to solve your challenges of tomorrow.»

The TACORE team took part on 9 June, in Vigo, in a technical day organised by SMC Spain on machinery safety and pneumatic systems. We thank SMC for the session and for everything they shared with us.

What do we mean by machinery safety?

It means designing and building each machine so that it does not put at risk the people who operate, clean or maintain it. It starts with a risk assessment and translates into guards and safety functions: an emergency stop that really works, or a guard that stops dangerous movements when it is opened. In machinery for the canning industry, with pressure equipment, heavy trolleys and robotic cells, it is not an add-on: it is part of the design from the very first drawing.

Rules that are being renewed

The European framework is changing. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces the current Machinery Directive and will apply from January 2027. At the same time, the technical standards used to demonstrate compliance are being updated, such as EN ISO 13849-1, which covers the safety-related parts of control systems, and the safety standards for robots. For those who build machines, and also for those who buy them, it means reviewing how safety functions are designed, calculated and validated.

Safety and productivity go hand in hand

A machine that is well designed for safety from the start is not slower: it is more reliable. It reduces unplanned stops, makes maintenance easier and avoids costly redesigns at the end of a project. Pneumatics plays an important role here, because many safety functions (stops, movement lock-out, guards) are solved with pneumatic technology built into the concept of the machine itself.

Keeping up to date with the rules is part of how we design and manufacture: with safety as a project requirement, not a formality.

Continuous training · TACORE team