Muting or blanking ?

When it comes time to choose safety curtains, some of the most requested features are the muting and blanking options. These functions are often confused and yet so different. It is important to draw a distinction between them to choose the right product and ensure a safe installation.

Do I need a muting or blanking function on my safety curtains?

Muting: It allows the complete neutralization or deactivation of the detection field (temporarily) of the light curtain during the non-dangerous part (generally the upward movement) of the cycle of the machine. It is important to note this last information, no dangerous part should be accessible during this stop of the safety functions. This function is useful for example when entering/leaving pallets on a palletizing machine.

Blanking: A means of neutralizing one or more sections of the light curtain detection field. Therefore, instead of inhibiting the entire device, only a portion of the detection field is deactivated. The advantage of masking is to allow objects (tools, parts, etc.) to pass through the detection field without stopping the machine. The rest of the field remains active. Be careful not to create a dangerous space during the configuration.
Also possible: floating masking where it is allowed to disable several sections of the field at any point of the detection field.

By better differentiating these features, you will be able to more effectively configure your curtains and ensure a safer installation every time.

Source : Understand the differences between muting and blanking, Sick USA Blog, 30/01/2017