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Custom Machine Guarding Solution for a Robot at Missouri S&T
Posted by Audrey Hood on Jun 25th 2026
Challenge
At the Missouri University of Science and Technology, the mechanical engineering department faced a unique challenge: safeguarding a robot that would be used in a lab environment. As the robot was in an area shared by students, staff, and researchers, it was important that space be enclosed to restrict unauthorized access and provide protection from accidental damage.
To address these requirements, ISS was brought in to develop a custom safeguarding solution tailored to the lab’s layout and operational needs. After evaluating their needs, our team began developing a plan for a safe and reliable system. We partnered with WireCrafters to design a machine guarding system to integrate into this environment seamlessly.
Solution
Whenever a customer requires a safe and custom solution, ISS turns to trusted partners like WireCrafters to deliver proven results. In this case, the project called for a guarding system that would be used to enclose the robotic system. To accomplish this, we worked with WireCrafters to use their 840 product to design a machine guarding solution specifically tailored to their space and specific needs.
Machine guarding provides an efficient and reliable way to protect both the equipment and the surrounding environment from potential hazards. These solutions can include access doors and are made from welded and woven wire mesh to keep it resilient against dings. Bolts keep the posts in place, ensuring their sturdiness.
What started as just a sketch, turned into a full-blown project. This customer was able to be very involved in this project by sharing exact specs of the robot and how much area they wanted to guard off to ensure their students and staff stayed safe. From there, WireCrafters was able to create custom machine guarding to close off their robot.
With two work zones, this customer wanted caging on two sides and light curtains on the other two. WireCrafters was able to design a machine guard in the exact size that we gave them and in a yellow color that the customer requested. The final solution included two work cells and lights curtains that fit like a glove with their application.
Results
With installation complete, this robotics department now has a safe solution to protect their robot. The custom machine guarding system not only secures this robot from unauthorized access and potential damage, but also allows students and staff to work in a more controlled space. By combining durability and ease of access, the machine guarding supports the protection and efforts of the machinal engineering department.
“As a mechanical engineer, it was great to be able to work with a local university to keep their engineering department space safe and functional. It was a lot of fun working with them!” says Tom from ISS.
If you have a piece of equipment or machinery that you need to keep safe, consider machine guarding. We can design custom solutions, made to fit your space. Reach out to an ISS team member at 1-800-875-6201 or send us a message here.