As a duty of care to its customers, sliding-headstock lathe company now fits automatic fire suppression systems as standard equipment on all new machines delivered to customers in the UK and Eire.

As a duty of care to its customers, sliding-headstock lathe company, Star Micronics GB, now fits automatic fire suppression systems from Nobel Fire Systems as standard equipment on all new machines delivered to customers in the UK and Eire. The safety equipment can also be retrofitted to lathes already in use. In response to fierce overseas competition, manufacturers and subcontractors are increasingly running machine tools 24/7 and for a large part of that time unattended.

There is always a risk of fire due to the ignition of cutting fluids and certain combustible metals such as titanium and magnesium alloys.

Nobels range of systems has demonstrated 100 per cent success in automatic dousing of fires in machine tools.

The result is minimum downtime before return to full production, as well as possibly saving the machine tool and indeed the whole factory from going up in flames.

Actuation of the fire suppression system is accompanied by automatic machine shutdown, as it is linked into the machines CNC.

Each system will automatically detect a fire and actuate suppression, but should an operator be present, the system can be triggered manually, giving complete control and flexibility.

The fire suppression systems conform to strict standards and depending on the suppression medium chosen, are manufactured to, and meet the requirements of BS5839: EN54; BS5306; NFPA11a; NFPA 750; UL2127.

All are manufactured under ISO 9001/2 and are CE marked.

As a result of the systems conforming to internationally recognised standards, some insurance companies may offer enhanced terms when providing cover for adequately protected machines.