Personnel protection in manufacturing plants just got better with safer heat guns. Concept Group now retrofits Steinel and Milwaukee brand heat guns with Insulon safety guards to reduce burn risk. Insulon safety guards are vacuum insulated for maximum thermal protection, representing innovative developments in heat gun accessories. Shop now →
Industrial hot air tools are used for various manufacturing applications to deliver heat wherever it’s needed. Typical applications include welding plastics, shrink tubing, shrink wrapping, shaping thermoplastics, stripping varnish, and removing paint. These applications span many fabrication processes, from automotive to boating, airplane building, service and repair shops, etc.
While some existing safeguards protect “hot work” operators from potential safety hazards, the risk of workplace injury from heating elements persists. This danger is mainly due to the extreme temperature and the lack of visible flame, which gives users a false sense of security. It is also because heat gun nozzles typically are not insulated to mitigate the high-temperature exposure.
Improving Heat Gun Safety
When developing Insulon safety guards as a novel heat gun accessory, Concept Group’s engineering team had these goals in mind:
- Reduce the risk of accidental burn injury
- Better protect heat gun operators on the job
- Prevent the hot metal nozzle from being touched
- In the event of a burn, to reduce the severity
This chart details the thermal protection of an Insulon safety guard when used on a Steinel HG 2320 E heat gun. The settings for this test were 450°C flow temperature and high cubic feet per minute (CFM).
Features and Benefits
Insulon safety guards offer significant advantages over other nozzle guards currently on the market. They are the only products available that include advanced vacuum insulation. The following features and benefits help keep heat gun operators safe from injury:
- Thermally protected with advanced vacuum insulation
- Durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction
- Prevents contact with the high-temperature nozzle
- Does not impede airflow
Heat Gun Safety Tips
In addition to using insulated nozzle guards, heat gun operators should always take additional steps to prevent fire and injury.
- Keep the air inlet grill free of debris.
- Hold the hot air tool steady.
- Do not hold onto the safety guard.
Add Safety Guards to your Accessory Kit
Manufacturers that depend on hot air tools take proactive steps to promote occupational health and safety by preventing workplace injuries and burns. The addition of Insulon safety guards is another step that companies can take to enhance personnel protection. While insulation does not wholly eliminate burn risk, it can significantly reduce the number of OSHA recordable incidents. In the rare event of a burn occurring when this accessory is attached, the thermal protection would likely reduce the severity.