| Angel design award |
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Procter Brothers' Angel modular machine guarding system has been recognised as being one of the best British-designed products of 2002. Developed jointly by Procter Machine Guarding and Sanders Design Associates, a consultancy in Cardiff, the Angel system is one of six finalists - out of a total entry of 1600 - in the Industrial Product Design category of the prestigious 12th annual Design Week Awards. Compared with traditional bespoke guarding that tends to be functional, unattractive, costly and time-consuming to design and install, the modular Angel system is a breath of fresh air. In essence, the system consists of a series of posts and a choice of panels that are held in place by patented universal brackets. A machine guard can therefore be quickly designed to fit around the hazardous machinery and then delivered to site pre-configured so that it is simply a matter of fixing the posts to the floor and fitting the panels to the pre-installed brackets. As Matt Blofeld of Sanders Design Associates says: "We brought elements of architectural design and interior design to the system and created a brand identity from scratch. An Angel system is instantly recognisable and gives an immediate impression of a substantial, rugged, secure protective system - which is, of course, what it is. But the aesthetics also enhance the working environment, and that is something that machine guarding has never done before; Angel is in a league of its own." The key to the simplicity and versatility of the system is the patented universal bracket. This allows the panels to be fixed to the round-section posts in any orientation, and as many as four panels may be fitted to each post. Cover fascias are used to conceal the mounting brackets. Customers can choose from sheet steel, welded wire mesh or clear polycarbonate panels and there is an extensive range of sliding and hinged access gates, mounts for light curtains, and other accessories. All components within the Angel range are designed to comply with the latest UK and European safety regulations. In addition to its recognition in the Design Week Awards, Angel has also received a strong endorsement from Honda, in the form of an installation of almost 2000m of guarding, plus over 80 access gates of various types, at its new Swindon factory for building the three-door Civic model. Andrew Golesworthy, Engineering Manager at Honda, comments: "The physical appearance of the Angel guard lends itself well to the modern factory, with its sleek minimalist lines giving an overall professional look to our robotic manufacturing lines." Golesworthy also found that the modularity came into its own during the installation: "Because the guarding is so flexible, it allowed us to make last-minute modifications with no disruption to other works, or to timing of the installation." Jeremy Procter, Managing Director of Procter Brothers, adds: "We have first-hand experience of how easy it is to design a system using Angel, and how fast we can configure, deliver and install it. Customers have also given us very enthusiastic feedback, and now having the design endorsed by a panel of independent judges is the icing on the cake. We believe that the concept of a flexible, modular system is the future for perimeter guarding, which is why we are pleased to be the first to the market with Angel." To find out more about Angel, visit the Angel page or contact Procter Machine Safety. |
