The Linde Safety Guard assistance system is now also available for explosion-protected industrial trucks used in ATEX zones 2/22. It automatically reduces the speed of vehicles as soon as they reach a specified minimum distance or enter a predefined area. Photo: Linde Material Handling GmbH

Linde Safety Guard for ATEX zones 2/22

Forklifts that warn each other of potential collisions, automatically reduce their speed and know whether or not they are allowed to enter a specific warehouse area: The intelligent Linde Safety Guard assistance system is now also available for explosion-protected industrial trucks used in ATEX zones 2/22. Its various functions help fleet operators in the chemical, pharmaceutical or food industries to avoid accidents that can have particularly serious consequences in sensitive environments.

In explosion-protected zones, the prevention of accidents involving industrial trucks plays an even greater role than in normal warehouse or production areas, because there is a risk of hazardous substances being released and, in the worst case, an explosion caused which could have far-reaching consequences for people and infrastructure. “Explosion-proof forklifts from Linde Material Handlingare very similar to series production models. This enables us to offer many solutions from the standard portfolio in a modified form for ATEX zones,” says Elke Karnarski, Product Manager Ex-Proof Trucks & Retrofit Solutions at Linde Material Handling.

This is now also the case with the Linde Safety Guard, which can be selected as a customer-specific solution for all explosion-proof electric forklifts offered by the material handling specialist. The assistance system is designed to help with particularly frequent situations having risk potential – such as collisions of vehicles at blind intersections or in front of rack aisles where visibility is poor. Equipped with a “Truck Unit” certified for zones 2/22, the explosion-protected industrial trucks recognize each other and automatically slow down as soon as they reach a specified minimum distance. In addition, speed limits in complete halls or on certain sections are a frequent requirement for accident prevention in ATEX areas. Zone markers on walls and ceilings automatically slow down all equipment to a predefined speed.

Equally important is compliance with access restrictions to ATEX zones. In this case, the Linde Safety Guard acts as a “gatekeeper” that allows only explosion-protected vehicles to enter these areas. If a driver of a standard truck attempts to cross the imaginary threshold, the truck brakes to creep speed. The gatekeeper can be coupled with a projector that displays a large ATEX warning symbol on the floor, indicating entry into a sensitive zone.

The innovative Linde Safety Guard assistance system is based on ultra-wideband technology and operates in the high-frequency range. Its great advantage is that the signal passes through walls and does not affect other networks such as WLAN, Bluetooth or RFID.

Linde (China) Forklift Truck Corp., Ltd, the Asian base of Linde Forklift Truck was established in Dec. 1993 with a total investment of RMB 1.7 billion, which is the biggest forklift truck manufacturer in China with advanced technology.

Since entering China, Linde has developed a comprehensive network of sales and service providing advanced materials handling equipment and professional service. Linde provides the best solutions to improve material handling efficiency and reduce costs.