Whats fixed blanking?
Fixed blanking causes the light curtain to become blind to stationary fixtures such as a table or conveyor. Typically, there are two methods: external blanking and internal, or programmable, blanking. If you use fixed blanking and the obstruction is partial, safety distance will be affected because the light curtain becomes less sensitive. What’s the difference between external and internal fixed blanking? With external blanking, physical blanking windows are installed on the receiver allowing stationary fixtures to protrude into the safety curtain’s light field. This leaves no question or doubt as to where an obstruction is penetrating the sensing field. Internal blanking is electronically programmed in the light curtain’s control circuitry and therefore may not be visible. Some light curtains use small LEDs to indicate which beams have been internally blanked, while other light curtains don’t provide any visible indication. Internal blanking could be hazardous if the beams being blan
