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UMQ Safety Mat System from Omron STI Named 2009 "Best Product" by

Design News Magazine

Patented quick disconnect feature allows cable to be attached at end of installation process, virtually eliminating the potential for damaged cables

UMQ Series Safety Mats from Omron Scientific Technologies, Inc. have been named a 2009 Design News Golden Mousetrap Award Winner in the Motion Control/Automation category. These safety mats feature a patented IP67 quick-disconnect cable connector that promises significant cost savings to the user by reducing inventory requirements, while simplifying installation and replacement of damaged cables.

"Design News congratulates the winners and finalists of the 2009 Golden Mousetrap Awards for the great work they've done to develop new and innovative products for design engineers. These products showcase the highly imaginative ways that today's engineers are "building a better mousetrap, and we thank them for their contributions," says Karen Field, Editor-in-Chief, Design News.

For more than two decades, the Design News Awards Program has recognized engineering innovation and creativity in product design. This year, Golden Mousetrap awards were given in four major categories: Electronics, Motion Control/Automation, Hardware/Software, Materials/Fastening/Joining/Assembly, and 20 subcategories. Editor Jennifer Roy gathered a record number of entries, distributing them to Design News beat editors for judging. Based on their expertise in each technology area, 71 finalists and 23 winners were selected.

The UMQ quick-disconnect feature allows for last minute cable length changes in the field, and since the cable is not attached until the end of the installation process, the potential for cable damage during installation is significantly reduced. And even if a cable is damaged during installation or mat operation, it can simply be replaced in the field without having to replace an entire mat. The quick-disconnect is designed for backward compatibility with the mat cable location of current Omron STI safety mats.

A safety mat system offers freedom, flexibility, and reduced operator fatigue when compared with traditional guarding methods such as interlocked fences, pullback restraints or perimeter barriers. Full visibility of and access to the work area is maintained.

The safety mat is a simple, normally open switch. When a specified minimum weight is applied to the safety mat the "switch" closes. This sends a signal to the safety mat controller, which in turn, sends a stop signal to the guarded machine. Each safety mat presents four wires to the safety mat controller. This provides the redundancy required to monitor the wires for open circuits due to incorrect wiring or physical damage to the safety mat wires.

Additionally, safety mats can also simplify routine tasks such as machine set-up, maintenance and repair. Typical applications for safety mats include welding robots, assembly machinery, material handling, packaging machinery, punches, presses and robotic work cells.