I am so excited watching the machine do it’s first cuts. I really want to take this in to my school to have the kids design and cut something. I understand the general router safety things for a hand held router but with this being used at a distance with no hands or faces near it, what are the risks? Are there any stories of big problems or specific saftey incidents with the Maslow 4?
I could see a broken bit flying out. I could see a person touching the moving or unmoving blade. I could see pinch hazards with the z axis and with the belts. Do the belts under tension have a snapback danger? I could see electrical cords being cut, a fire from a hot blade or a stalled motor or an electrical fault? Dust danger. Dust fire in an enclosed space. Hearing loss.
My idea would be to set it up outside with a safety perimeter and constant adult supervision. Set up and turning on only by an adult with ppe.
I would like to know about real events and if I have missed any other big hazards?
Starting fires by running it unattended. The big risk here is thinking that its so safe that you can start a cut and then go grocery shopping or something like that. Any time there is wood getting cut there is a risk of fire. If someone is there to put it out that’s probably not a big deal, but automated tools make it easier to be complacent and start it up and then walk away.
Dust from cutting toxic things. Without proper dust collection you can cut things that make unhealthy dust like fiberglass or carbon fiber. Even regular sawdust isn’t good to breathe.
Carrying around big sheets of plywood is kinda dangerous. I’ve hurt myself with a sheet of 3/4 plywood for sure so generally practicing good lifting techniques.
The router itself I think it pretty tame because like you said it’s far away from where fingers normally are.