Machine Guard & Cover sells a number of parts that are fabricated boxes. One day, a distributor called to order a very large custom fabricated plastic box, larger than we normally make — therefore, quite a bit more costly. Curious as to why the distributor needed such a large, expensive machine guard, we asked.
The box was to cover some moving parts on the top of a phosphate elevator. The distributor salesperson and their customer hand carried the guard up the elevator, almost 300 feet. The metal alternative may have been less expensive, but they would have had to rent a crane to get it to the top of the elevator. The total cost of a hand-carried plastic guard was far less than the cost of a metal guard plus crane rental.
Plastic machine guards are lightweight, do not rust, and are ideal in wet or corrosive environments.