Guard Features & Options
Customers can choose from various plastic materials and colors, including metal-detectable options ideal for food and pharmaceutical applications. Customization options include company logos, lettering, and safety-captured fasteners that meet OSHA’s strictest standards. We can add mounting holes, adjust the flange width, add hinges, fasteners, or use our CNC router to custom trim a standard part. We can also supply gaskets and extruded aluminum framework to best suit your application’s installation needs.
Materials & Colors
Choose from several types of plastic for your machine guard or cover. Other material gauges or material types may be available upon request.
Black ABS 3/16″
Black ABS 3/16″ is our most common material and most cost-effective material. This material is preferred for outdoor applications due to superior UV resistance. Also available in a 1/8″ lightweight plastic. The lightweight material is intended for less abusive environments.
Yellow ABS 3/16″
Yellow ABS 3/16″ is a great impact-resistant material with a safety yellow color. This material is also an FDA food grade approved material. Also available in a 1/8″ lightweight plastic. The lightweight material is intended for less abusive environments.
Clear PETG 3/16″
Clear PETG 3/16″ boasts great impact strength and chemical resistance. This material is also an FDA food contact approved material.
KYDEX Yellow 1/4”
KYDEX Yellow 1/4” is fire resistant according to UL Std. 94 V-0, 5V. KYDEX also has superior chemical resistance.
Metal Detectable Blue ABS
Metal detectable blue ABS plastic is an option for the lightweight 2-Bolt, 3-Bolt, 4-Bolt and Round Bearing Cover families.
Logos & Lettering
Proudly display your company’s name and advertise your machine-making capabilities by putting your name or logo right on your machine guard or cover. Our elegant block lettering is inexpensive, and custom designs are available.
Safety Captured Fasteners
Our Safety Captured Fastener program has been designed for the maximum convenience of maintenance personnel while at the same time conforming to the most rigid “hand tool needed for removal” interpretation of OSHA regulations (ASME B15.1b-2000 Section E 3.2.1 Guards, Section c).
At this time the Safety Captured Fastener program is only available on our flanged machine guards.
This system includes holes drilled for the fasteners, clip-on receptacles on the backplate, and ¼-20 fasteners attached to the guard. The ¼-20 fasteners are matched to the thickness of the guard and backplate for a snug fit, and must be turned with a Phillips screwdriver. They are permanently installed with push retainers so they cannot detach easily.
Machine Guard & Cover also develops custom fastener systems for specific needs. Please contact Machine Guard & Cover if you need a solution for fastening a machine guard.
Slots
Slots can be added using our CNC router. We usually recommend ordering at least five to ten pieces in order to make the CNC setup cost affordable. For smaller quantities, we may be able to add slots by hand layout.
Riv-Nuts
Because we cannot weld nuts into plastic, we have designed other ways to add fasteners to our parts. This custom ring has riv-nuts in four places, plus a custom slot and trim. Several of our custom parts use riv-nuts. Other ways we add fasteners is with our safety captured fastener program, and with our unflanged guards and backplates. Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding fasteners.
Venting & Backplates
When airflow is needed in an application, we can add expanded metal mesh for venting purposes. A manufacturer of furnaces uses this guard, and airflow to the fan is very important. We’ve also glued on a backplate that was cut out by the CNC. Our fabrication uses a high-strength two-part adhesive.
Stand-Offs
Small guards can have stand-offs added for additional strength as well as mounting purposes. This particular part is mounted directly through the center of the part, using the stand-off.
30+ Years of Guarding What Matters Most.
— Machine Guard & Cover Co.
About Our Plastic
Our standard plastic machine guards and bearing covers are thermoformed or fabricated from strong 3/16″ ABS with a scratch resistant hair-cell finish on the outside. We also offer transparent FDA food contact approved PETG plastic. For customers looking to make our plastic machine guards part of their product we offer free samples for testing.
Heat & Chemical Resistant
Kydex and PETG are resistant to many chemical compounds. ABS can withstand temperatures to 200°F. PETG can withstand up to 180°F. Kydex has a fire resistance rating of UL Std. 94 V-0, 5V.
Food Contact Approved Material
Our PETG and blue metal detectable ABS plastics are FDA approved for certain pharmaceutical and food applications. Contact us for specific details.
Durable
Plastic guards flex to absorb impact and never rust!
Flexible
Plastic is lightweight and durable. ABS and PETG plastic guards are flexible to absorb both impact and sound. Company logos can be easily formed into the guard.
Sterilizable
Plastic guards are especially useful in the pharmaceutical and food processing industries, and can be sterilized with steam and most detergent solutions.
Replace Stainless Steel
Save money by switching from stainless steel or aluminum to guards molded from our thick plastics. Our parts are lighter, and absorb both sound and impact. It is not uncommon to save 50% off the rising costs of fabricated stainless steel or cast aluminum guards.
Plastic machine guards help to make a better work environment. Improve the quality of your equipment by choosing plastic safety guards over metal guards.
What is Metal Detectable Plastic?
Machine Guard & Cover Co. is excited to announce the launch of its metal detectable 1/8″ ABS plastic. This material is intended to be used when guarding light-duty hazard locations in the food or pharmaceutical industries where an all-metal guard would traditionally be required. Following the current industry practice of using a highly-visual material, guards in this material are available in blue only.
All Machine Guard & Cover Co. light duty parts in the 2-Bolt, 3-Bolt, 4-Bolt, Pillow Block, Round Flanged Cover and Conveyor Roof families can be formed with this material. Custom fabrication is also available for unique guarding solutions.
Metal detectable plastic has previously been exclusively available for injection molded parts. This is the first time that a metal detectable thermoformable material has been available. Use of this material over traditional stainless steel provides a significant weight savings when the guard is removed for maintenance purposes. Plastic guards also deaden sound and never rust.
Impact Resistance & Testing
IZOD Impact Resistance ASTM D256 testing has been performed on the material with an average strength of 2.5 foot pounds per inch.
Metal detectability testing has resulted in a sample of 3mm x 3mm x 2mm returning positive results comparable to a 1mm mild steel sphere. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers a physical contaminate with a dimension of 7mm or larger to be a potential choking hazard, significantly larger than the detectability rate of this material.
Liquid line systems typically are set up to detect between 0.5mm and 2.5mm mild steel test spheres depending on the pipe size and product signal and packaged products typically are setup to detect between 1.5mm and 4.0mm mild steel test spheres depending on the aperture size and the product signal.
IZOD Impact Resistance Testing
Metal Detection Capabilities Testing
Our Quality Objective
Machine Guard & Cover Co. provides exemplary customer service by using high quality materials to produce parts that conform to our customer’s requirements, and ship on time. We strive to maintain a safe work environment for our employees.
Quality Policy
Machine Guard & Cover Co. is committed to quality. Therefore, we will:
- Design and produce parts that meet or exceed customer and governmental standards and expectations.
- Turn down business that requires a standard that does not conform with governmental safety regulations.
- Regularly review policies, objectives and outputs to ensure quality and maintain specifications.
- Maintain a safe, pleasant working environment for our employees.
- Create quality objectives and communicate them throughout our company.
- Seek opportunities for continuous improvement within the manufacturing process and the organization.