Schmersal
Schmersal is a family business from Wuppertal, founded in 1945 by Kurt Andreas Schmersal and today run by the second and third generation. Its focus has been machine safety for decades: components that make sure a guard door, a light curtain or an emergency stop reliably brings the hazardous movement to a halt. We list more than 4,100 Schmersal items – from the single roller lever to the safety controller.
Safe switching and monitoring
The largest area of Schmersal safety technology is safe switching and monitoring with around 3,100 items. It includes more than 500 solenoid interlocks from the AZM 150, AZM 161, AZM 170, AZM 201, AZM 300 and AZM 415 series, which release a guard door only once the machine has actually stopped, and around 210 non-contact safety sensors from the BNS and CSS series for doors that cannot be actuated mechanically. Safety light barriers and light curtains of the SLC and SLG series, cable-pull emergency stop switches, emergency stop buttons, enabling and foot switches and two-hand control panels complete the range. Which component fits is decided by the required performance level from the risk assessment, not by the price.
Position switches
With around 1,270 items, the position switches form the single largest product group in our shop. The programme covers the Z/T 235, 236, 335, 336 and PS116 series and the 015, 016 and 017 product lines in metal housings, along with the complete actuator range: plungers and roller plungers, roller levers, angled levers and roller lever arms in their various versions. When replacing one, housing style, actuator type, contact configuration and switching sequence are what count – a switch that looks identical may carry a different contact combination.
Safe signal processing
Safe signal processing links the signals into a safety function: safety relay modules for individual circuits, input and output expansions, standstill monitors and safety timer relays, plus the freely programmable PROTECT PSC1 safety controllers for plants with many guards and several operating modes. Whether programmability pays off depends less on the number of doors than on how often the safety logic is likely to change later.
System solutions and hazardous areas
The system solutions combine several guards into a single low-wiring string – safety fieldboxes and serial diagnostics that show which door tripped instead of merely reporting that the circuit is open. For potentially explosive atmospheres there are dedicated Ex switchgear units – position and safety switches in explosion-protected design for zones with gas or dust atmospheres.
Automation technology
Alongside safety technology, Schmersal runs an independent programme for automation technology with around 2,200 items: inductive and photoelectric proximity switches, magnetic and micro switches, control-current spindle switches and the complete range for conveyor technology – cable-pull switches with accessories, slack-rope and belt-misalignment switches, plus connecting and extension cables. These devices are automation components and not safety components; where a safety function is required, the series from the safety programme belong in the circuit.
Your advantage when buying from us
- Authorised Schmersal dealer – advice and procurement agreed directly with the manufacturer
- We ship worldwide
- Fast delivery with UPS (parcel) or DSV (pallets) – express shipping also available
- We are happy to advise on series, actuator, contact configuration and accessories
- Dealer? Send your dealer enquiry straight to us – discounts depending on volume
- Large company or public authority? Order on account – simply ask
Selecting, designing and validating a safety function – performance level to EN ISO 13849-1 or SIL to IEC 62061, interlocking devices to EN ISO 14119, electro-sensitive protective equipment to IEC 61496 – remains a matter for the risk assessment of the specific machine. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery replaces Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. We supply the components and advise on the series; that does not replace the safety assessment of your installation.
