Perimeter fencing
Mesh or solid panels positioned to prevent reach while accounting for robot and process hazards.
Robotics & automated cells
Robot safety fencing & cell perimeter guarding.
Fencing, controlled access, material interfaces, presence sensing and restart behaviour engineered around the complete robotic process.
Direct answer
Robot-cell guarding separates people from hazardous robot movement and associated process risks. The safeguarding concept may combine fixed perimeter fencing, interlocked or locked gates, protective devices, emergency stops, safe robot functions and controlled reset. It must address the robot, end effector, payload and process as one cell.
Complete cell boundary
Safeguard the application—not only the robot arm.
Tooling, payloads, fixtures, conveyors and surrounding machines can create hazards beyond the robot manufacturer’s envelope.
We define the cell boundary using the robot’s maximum and restricted spaces, foreseeable path errors, stopping performance, load behaviour and process hazards. The layout must also support teaching, recovery, tool change, inspection and maintenance without encouraging unsafe shortcuts.
- Six-axis robot cells
- SCARA and delta applications
- Collaborative robot projects
- Palletising and depalletising
- Machine-tending systems
- Welding and process cells
Fence position considers robot movement, tooling, load, services and the surrounding operator routes.
Safeguarding architecture
Layer physical separation with controlled sensing and behaviour.
Each measure has a defined role; effectiveness comes from the way they work together.
Interlocked access
Personnel and maintenance gates monitored or guard-locked with escape and whole-body entry considered.
Light curtains & scanners
Presence-sensing devices positioned from stopping performance, field geometry and approach routes.
Transfer interfaces
Pallet, conveyor and chute openings engineered to pass product without creating uncontrolled person access.
Safe robot functions
Safe stop, speed, position or workspace functions coordinated with the overall cell risk-reduction strategy.
Reset & presence management
External reset, visibility, personnel keys or sensing used to reduce the risk of restart with someone inside.
Robot cell layout
Define the spaces before positioning the fence.
The fence must remain outside the hazardous area but close enough to preserve productive floor space and effective supervision.
The volume robot moving parts can sweep as defined by the manufacturer.
The portion limited by rated soft or mechanical means where applied.
The movement actually required to perform the programmed task.
The space defined by perimeter safeguards and other protective measures.
Transfer openings
Keep materials moving without opening a route to the hazard.
A pallet or product aperture is part of the perimeter and must receive the same engineering attention as a personnel gate.
We examine reach through the opening, conveyor height, product gaps, empty pallet conditions, gaps below loads and the possibility of climbing or crawling through. Depending on the process, the solution may combine physical tunnels, restricted geometry, monitored devices, muting, sequenced shutters or zone control.
Material openings should work for every expected product and empty-line condition, not just the nominal production case.
Typical project questions
Information we establish before the cell guard is detailed.
The quality of the guarding concept depends on accurate robot, process and operational information.
- Robot model, reach and payload
- End effector and workpiece geometry
- Maximum and restricted space data
- Programmed operating paths
- Process hazards such as welding or cutting
- Teaching and recovery requirements
- Product and pallet transfer routes
- Routine entry frequency and duration
- Safety-control architecture
- Stopping-time measurements
- Visibility and reset locations
- Maintenance and isolation strategy
Also planning end-of-line automation? See our dedicated palletiser and packaging-line guarding guidance for pallet openings, conveyors and controlled access.
Frequently asked questions
Robot-cell guarding FAQs.
Does every robot cell need full perimeter fencing?
Not necessarily. The safeguarding concept depends on the robot, tooling, payload, speeds, process hazards, collaborative functions, access pattern and foreseeable misuse. Some applications combine fixed fencing with presence-sensing devices or speed-and-separation functions; others require a complete physical boundary.
How close can robot-cell fencing be to the robot?
The guard must remain outside hazardous reach and consider the robot’s maximum space, stopping behaviour, payload, tooling, possible ejection and any movement after a stop command. The final distance is determined through the cell-specific risk assessment and relevant standards.
How are pallets or products transferred through the fence?
Transfer openings can use tunnels, geometry, monitored shutters, light curtains, scanners, muting or sequenced devices. The design must allow intended product flow without providing a route for a person to reach or enter the hazard zone.
What happens after someone enters the robot cell?
The cell should remain in the defined safe state until the person has left, access is closed, any presence-management measures are satisfied and a deliberate reset is made from a suitable position. Reset must not itself initiate hazardous movement.
Can existing robot cells be upgraded?
Yes, subject to a survey of the robot, tooling, process, control architecture, current guarding, access tasks and documentation. A retrofit may include fence changes, new gates, interlocks, presence sensing, reset controls and safety-logic modifications.
Start with the hazard and access task
Plan a safeguarded area that works in production.
Send a layout, photographs or a short description. Our engineering team can advise whether a desktop review, site survey or defined quotation is the right next step.
Call the engineering team
01865 416840
Email project information
sales@oxfordmachineguards.co.uk
Review the fence line when the robot cell changes
The installed perimeter can remain physically intact while the task inside it changes. A new gripper, larger load or revised material opening should trigger a review of the assumptions behind the safeguarded space.
List changes to the moving envelope
Record robot program changes alongside end-effector dimensions, workpiece overhang and carried services. Compare these with the documented cell layout and permitted operating modes. The previous production path alone is not evidence that the changed application remains inside its assessed boundary.
Check the opening in every production state
Assess product transfer with a full load, an empty carrier and a stopped or interrupted transfer. Keep the person-access question separate from the requirement to pass materials. A conveyor opening that looks occupied during normal production may be exposed during a gap or changeover.
Revisit visibility and whole-body access
A new fixture or stack of materials may obscure an area previously visible from the reset location. Record entry tasks, escape needs and the means used to prevent hazardous restart with someone inside. These decisions require the cell-specific risk assessment, including connected equipment and stored energy.
Retain a configuration-based release record
Update the layout, affected safety functions and operating instructions, and identify the verification needed before release. Keep obsolete drawings distinguishable from the current configuration. This gives future maintenance and improvement work a clear starting point instead of relying on memories of the original installation.
Review industrial perimeter guarding
Further reading: HSE PUWER overview.