Insulated hand tools for a safer work environment
Work-related accidents occur across all industries, from minor strains or slips to less common and much more serious injuries. Health and safety is now a priority for all businesses, where businesses in recent years have implemented strict health and safety guidelines and legislations to ensure their workplace and staff remain as safe as possible. Regular health and safety sessions, workshops and even assessments are seen in many workplaces across the UK.
The frequency and severity of work-related accidents highly depends on the industry. There are industries that have lower accident rates than others, often those that are less physical and more office-based. Industries with physically-demanding roles and workplaces that consist of machinery and industrial equipment have a greater number of accidents. Agriculture, forestry and fishing have the most non-fatal, work-related injuries, with injuries in construction and manufacturing also occurring more often when compared to other industries.
Non-fatal accidents and injuries occur daily in the construction and manufacturing industries. The nature of these industries is being hands-on with potentially dangerous equipment when used incorrectly or serviced poorly. Accidents in engineering and manufacturing workshops often originate with tooling, where the constant use of insulated hand tools on a daily basis can lead to malfunctions or lapses in concentration. The prior of these, malfunctions, occurs after significant periods of wear-and-tear. At Elmelin, we create mica-based insulation solutions that help to extend their useful life and improve their safety.
Elmelin, mica and insulated hand tools
Hand tools and equipment should be monitored, controlled and assessed by employers to ensure they are safe to use. Risk assessments can be carried out and preventative measures put in place to mitigate the risk of injury. However, responsibility also falls upon the equipment manufacturers to ensure their products function properly. Insulation is key for specialist tooling safety, and we provide innovative solutions including mica-insulated heat guns, machined parts and non-mica electrical insulation.
There are numerous reasons we use mica as the core material in our insulation solutions. Mica’s physical and chemical properties are beneficial for industrial applications, where its adaptability and versatility allow for various shapes and sizes. Our machine-cut mica is used in products that are made to order, meeting individual specifications and needs. For tooling, mica is excellent for high-quality, reliable insulation, both in handheld power tools and tooling machinery.
Mica-insulated heat guns and customised parts
Various industries use heat guns regularly and they are essential tools that need to be safe for us. They operate at high temperatures, so there is an initial risk of burning workers but also a longer-term risk of damage to the internal components, leading to unexpected malfunctions further down the line. Mica has excellent thermal resistance, withstanding temperatures up to 1200°C, and it is therefore perfectly suited for heating elements found within heat guns. Ceramic-based mica is used as enclosing insulation around the heating element, where concentrated heat can then be emitted safely in a confined space. Mica tube is then used to ensure a uniform distribution of heat.
There are various other solutions we provide for tooling, including machined parts such as fixtures for lathes, grinding and milling. These complex machined parts are vital for industrial processing components, consisting of gaskets, washers, flanges, discs and tubes. As well as this, our mica machined specialist tooling also includes customised fixtures and jigs for semiconductor manufacturing. Mica is excellent for semiconductor insulation as it dissipates heat from their chassis and keeps components cool.
As previously mentioned, our solutions can be tailored to individual needs. Our machine-cut and punched mica parts meet unique specifications of our clients. Insulated hand tools and machine components often vary depending on the purpose and manufacturer, so having versatility and flexibility in our solutions allows them to be accessible for a range of clients and sectors. Health and safety is one of our core values and we therefore aim to help as many clients as possible by ensuring their equipment is efficiently insulated and remains safe to use.
Conclusion
Health and safety in the workplace is absolutely essential to all industries and businesses. Employees should never feel at risk or in danger and it’s up to employers to ensure that suitable health and safety legislation and guidelines are implemented and being followed. In the construction, manufacturing and engineering industries, potentially dangerous equipment is regularly used and therefore the risk of injury increases.
At Elmelin, we help to improve the safety of specialist tooling equipment by offering our mica-based insulation solutions. Mica is excellent for insulation due to its thermal resistance and other physical properties that result in mica being durable, adaptable, and versatile. We offer solutions for heat-guns and machined parts that have a variety of uses. Properly insulated hand tools can improve safety, efficiency and reduce overall costs. If you would like to find out more about our products and solutions, or have a specific project to discuss, then please do get in touch.