Manual restart is a thing of the past

(See Pilz at Machine Building North, 13 May 2026, on stand 62)

Unilin's goal is "Zero Harm" - i.e. to create a working environment in which safety for human and machine is the top priority. However, the existing woodworking processes did carry certain risks. For example, the need to leave the forklift during material transfer could lead to injuries to the driver. Or if a driver remains unnoticed in the safety zone before the process is restarted.

The solution was the introduction of Pilz safe radar sensors - installed at each corner of the safety zone, ensuring the necessary efficiency and optimised safety.

The start position in Izegem is where forklift trucks have to load and unload roller conveyors along an existing production line. To restart the line, the drivers had to reset the light curtain manually when leaving the safety zone. If the driver forgot to do this, it led to unnecessarily long machine downtimes and product bottlenecks.

With the help of the PSEN safe radar sensors, the machines now restart automatically: with a range of up to five metres, the sensors reliably monitor the "danger point" and immediately detect if an employee is in the danger zone. As soon as the radar system stops detecting movement, it enables the restart in seconds. PSENradar can even register a human heartbeat - for "zero" risk of injury to Unilin employees and greater efficiency.

"Thanks to the new safety system, we avoid all the problems associated with the original situation," says Hendrik Vanderbeken, Team Leader at Unilin. "The advantage is threefold: more efficiency, fewer injuries and greater safety. The investment is clearly worth it."