The last thing Commercial vehicle and work truck manufacturers want to hear about is how someone got hurt while using one of their vehicles. In addition to the liability concerns, it’s just not good for sales when word gets out that safety systems on your vehicle failed to protect the very workers your vehicles are designed to help.

One critical safety application common to just about every commercial vehicle in existence is the idea of safety interlock verification. In these applications a switch or sensor of some kind detects all kinds of mechanical parameters in order to insure that further operation is safe for both operators and equipment.

Some examples include:

1. A vehicle door or hatch that seems closed, is in fact, closed
2. The hood of your truck or Humvee is latched and isn’t going to fly open when you hit a bump.
3. You are not zooming down the highway with your dump body raised.
4. The outriggers on your bucket truck are fully extended and locked.
5. Your torpedo doors are actually open, before you shoot that torpedo.
6. The cable on your crane is full drawn and the motor can be shut off.
7. Your lift gate is locked into position before you roll that 200lb refrigerator onto it.
8. Neutral Safety in your transmission, absolutely critical for Work Trucks and Military Vehicles. Even automobiles use neutral safety detection.

There are literally hundreds of applications for safety interlock switches and a good number of these are better suited for the kinds of durable and waterproof interlock switches that CPI makes, as opposed to flimsy sensors which require remote monitoring and have limited operational profiles. A robust standalone switch on the other hand, with a small form factor coupled with flexible mounting brackets, is suitable for insertion in almost any mechanical interface. With electro-mechanical endurance approaching 1 million cycles, it is likely our switch will outlast your vehicle.

Advantages of Interlock Switches in Vehicle Safety Applications

Case in point is an application recently brought to CPI for analysis.

In the picture, the cheap offshore switch used in this sandblaster handle became deformed and unusable during normal use.

There were several reasons for this:

1. Inferior grade of stainless steel used.
2. Switch is not designed for harsh duty, high vibration environments
3. Switch was not truly waterproof, cracking of seal was observed.

In CPI’s redesigned solution, one of our high durability pendant switches was used inside a custom designed housing providing a superior solution both in terms of durability and longevity.

Other examples include:

1. A major lawn equipment manufacturer changed to CPI limit switches for mower down detection after a cheap offshore switch failed repeatedly in the wet, high vibration environment of a lawn mower deck.
2. Neutral Safety Switch on a paving machine changed to use our E1298 and B9111-18’s after Honeywell’s cheaper but non-sealed part failed in application.
3. Dump Body Detection – Our E1092 simulated roller mechanism is mounted easily under the truck bed using one of our waterproof pendant switches like our B9112, NO switch. When the bed is raised, a circuit is completed, raising a visible (and potentially audible) alarm in the cab. This design is used for safety sensing in bucket trucks, loaders, and other vehicles that require mechanical feedback as to boom or bed position.

At CPI, We’ve Got A Lock on Safety

Safety interlock applications in everything from Submarines, to Skid Steers have been a core part of our expertise for over 60 years. If you’re done trusting your safety to cheap offshore parts, consider CPI’s USA made and manufactured safety interlock switches for your next application.

Visit https://www.cpi-nj.com/interlock-switches/ or call us a (973) 887-9400

 

Post can be originally found here https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/waterproof-safety-interlock-switches-for-commercial-vehicles-that-last/ 

Increasingly popular among work-truck manufacturers and builders are pre-built switch panels which make overall assembly more efficient, reliable, and faster. These panels are typically made for exterior vehicle control where they are exposed to the elements, high vibration, and a certain amount human abuse.

Being the pre-eminent maker of waterproof switches in the world, it was a small evolution to take panel mount versions of our waterproof pendant switches, and wire them into custom stainless steel panels. CPI offers both stock and custom panels wired into any switch configuration needed.

 

These panels are deployed on a wide variety of work-trucks and recreational vehicles including:

• Compactor control panels for sanitation vehicles.
• Commercial Boat Applications on Tugboats and Fire Fighting Barges.
• Cab Hydraulic controls for Dump Trucks and Excavators
• Liftgate controls for vehicles of all types
• Cable controls for Cranes
• External Boom Control panels for Bucket Trucks
• Start/Stop controls for a wide variety of commercial vehicles with exposed cabs.
• Forklift and scissor lift controls

 

The Advantages of CPI Pre-Made Waterproof Switch Panels

When manufacturers need a specific size, shape, or switch wiring configuration, CPI is able to design implement and pre-qualify the assembly for the specific application. CPI also offers a few standard configurations that are readily available and cost effective. In each case however, no compromise is made in the reliability and durability of the switches used. And they are really waterproof, not “water-resistant” or “spashproof”.

Specifiable parameters include:

• Electrical Ratings: Nominally 5 amps resistive, 3 amps inductive, higher ratings available upon request.
• Endurance: 100,000 to 1 million cycles, configuration dependent.
• Temperature Range: from -50F to 221F.
• Termination: Raw wire or custom terminations are specifiable in any lead length you require.
• Environment Resistance: Resistant to acids, alkalides, salt spray, sand, dust and fungus. And completely Waterproof.
• Jacket: Thermoplastic Rubber. Other jacket options able to provide extended cold operation (no freeze ups).

Mounting in CPI Waterproof Switch Panels

Our dual panel mount configuration is a good example of a stock panel mount configuration. In this panel, the twin switches can be wired in series, parallel, or left as individual circuits as shown below.

For more information on stock or custom switch panels, please call CPI today.

Blog originally posted here https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/weatherproof-switch-panels-for-work-trucks/