- Project report – emergency stop buttons on a parcel sorting system
Extending a sorting system at Frankfurt Airport: 32 emergency stop buttons and sensors retrofitted
How 2 fitters brought an existing parcel sorting system up to the new safety standard in 2 days – mechanically and electrically
A sorting system grows with its tasks – and with every extension, the safety systems have to grow too. At Frankfurt Airport, the existing parcel sorting system of an international express and parcel service provider was extended and brought up to date. For this, numerous sensors and 32 new emergency stop buttons had to be integrated into the existing safety circuit. Omega Mounting took over the complete retrofit: pre-assembly of the mounting brackets, mechanical installation of the emergency stop switches and electrical integration into the system – completed by 2 fitters in 2 days, during the daytime in the system's standstill periods.
Project profile
- Scope: Extension of an existing parcel sorting system – pre-assembly of mounting brackets, mechanical installation of 32 emergency stop buttons and numerous sensors, electrical integration into the existing safety circuit
- Team: 2 fitters from Omega Mounting (mechanical + electrical from a single source)
- Project duration: 2 working days, during the daytime in the system's standstill periods
- Location: Frankfurt Airport
What is a safety circuit on a sorting system?
The safety circuit (emergency stop circuit) is the series connection of all safety-relevant switching elements of a system: emergency stop buttons, guard door switches, pull cords and safety sensors. If an element anywhere in this circuit is triggered – for example an emergency stop button pressed – the entire system stops immediately and in a controlled manner. On a parcel sorting system with long conveyor lines this is decisive: at every point where people work or can intervene, a stop must be within reach in an emergency. If the system is extended or modernised, the safety circuit must therefore grow with it – new sections need new emergency stop buttons and sensors, cleanly integrated into the existing circuit.
Why does a system extension need new emergency stop buttons?
Because safety technology has to fit the system, not the other way round. When a sorting system is converted or brought up to date, walkways, working areas and danger points change. The requirements for machinery safety demand that emergency stop devices can be reached quickly from every position – the photos of this project clearly show how many emergency stop switches were installed in the existing safety circuit for this purpose: 32 of them, distributed across the extended system, plus numerous sensors for monitoring the conveyor lines. Only when all elements are installed, connected and tested may the extended system go into regular operation.
How does a retrofit like this proceed?
In three steps – and on this project entirely from a single source. First the pre-assembly: for every emergency stop button, a mounting bracket was prepared to suit the respective installation situation on frames, supports and conveyor lines of the existing system. Then the mechanical installation: set the mounting brackets, install the emergency stop switches, everything cleanly aligned and firmly bolted – robust enough for the rough everyday life of a sorting system. Finally the electrical integration: every new button and sensor was integrated into the system's existing safety circuit so that the extended system functions as one continuous safety system. The fact that our fitters master both mechanics and electrics saves a second trade here – and coordination effort.
How do you install on a system that runs every day?
In the standstill periods – and with a plan that fits the system. The sorting system runs to the rhythm of the airport, so work was carried out during the daytime in the windows in which the system is at a standstill. This means: material and tools are ready, the installation positions are prepared, the pre-assembly of the mounting brackets is done before the standstill window begins. In this way, 2 fitters completed the entire retrofit in just 2 working days without disrupting sorting operations. We know this way of working from many jobs on conveyor systems – maintenance windows are short, good preparation is everything.
Airport experience: working where the clock is ticking
Frankfurt Airport is familiar territory for Omega Mounting: we maintain conveyor systems in the cargo area, have repaired drive units on high-bay warehouses and repaired security fences in the aviation security area. Our fitters hold the necessary reliability checks and aviation security training and know the procedures at the location – from access control to working in tight time windows alongside ongoing operations. For plant operators this means: no start-up effort, no surprises, reliable execution.
Why Omega Mounting?
- Mechanics + electrics from a single source: Mounting brackets, installation and electrical integration into the safety circuit – one team, one contact, no loss at the interfaces.
- Safety technology taken seriously: Emergency stop circuits are no place for compromises – we install and wire so that the system is ready for testing and acceptance.
- Standstill window used optimally: Pre-assembly and preparation before the window, execution in the window – 32 emergency stop buttons and numerous sensors in 2 days.
- Airport routine: Reliability check, aviation security training, well-rehearsed procedures at Frankfurt Airport.
- Conveyor technology experience: From pull-off roller maintenance to overhead conveyor repair – conveyor and sorting systems are part of our everyday work.
- Rooted in the region: From Rodgau we are quickly on site at Frankfurt Airport, in Offenbach and throughout the Rhine-Main region.
Conclusion
32 emergency stop buttons, numerous sensors, 2 fitters, 2 days – and a sorting system whose safety circuit now fits the extended system. Retrofits on existing systems are detail work: every installation situation different, every mounting bracket made to fit, every connection cleanly integrated into the existing safety circuit. If your conveyor or sorting system is to be extended, modernised or retrofitted with safety technology, talk to us.
Request a callback for your project now – Omega Mounting GmbH, Rodgau. We work in the Rhine-Main region and throughout Germany.
What else we handle at the airport – with access to the security area and passes already in place – is described at Installation and maintenance at Frankfurt Airport.
Photo gallery of the job
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About the author
Tobias Schott
Managing director of Omega Mounting GmbH, Rodgau · more than 20 years of hands-on experience in installation and maintenance
A trained mechatronics technician, at home in maintenance, servicing and industrial installation since 2004 – first alongside his father, and since 2012 with Omega Mounting: from the overhead conveyor in Frankfurt to the crane system in a new-build hall. As appointed person for lifting operations, he plans and leads lifting operations in data centers and on industrial sites in the Rhine-Main region, is an instructor and examiner for cranes, aerial work platforms and telehandlers, and a safety officer. On assignments abroad he is known as the "German Troubleshooter" – the one you call when things get stuck on site. He did not learn what quality means from a manual, but from his father: Made in Germany as a standard for his own work, not as a label. That is why quality comes first at Omega Mounting – before speed and before price. The project diary shows the jobs his team has planned and carried out – without customer names, but with everything that can be learned from them.
Frequently asked questions
Because the emergency stop devices have to fit the extended system: from every working position, a stop must be quickly reachable in an emergency. New system sections therefore need additional emergency stop buttons that are integrated into the existing safety circuit.
More than just the switch: pre-assemble the mounting bracket to suit the installation situation, mechanically install and align the button, connect it electrically and integrate it into the system's safety circuit – afterwards, the function of the entire circuit is tested.
Yes, with good planning. On this project, work was carried out during the daytime in the system's standstill periods: pre-assembly and preparation outside the windows, installation and integration within the window. Sorting operations thus remained completely unaffected.
Yes. Our fitters cover mechanics and electrics – from pre-assembly of the mounting brackets to integration of the emergency stop buttons and sensors into the safety circuit. This saves a second trade and interfaces.
On this project: 32 emergency stop buttons and numerous sensors in 2 working days with 2 fitters. Preparation is decisive – anyone who only starts planning in the standstill window wastes valuable time.
Yes – from maintenance of conveyor systems in the cargo area via high-bay warehouse repairs to the repair of security fences. From our base in Rodgau we are on site in a short time and meet the access and aviation security requirements.
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