Versio IV: April 2013 a publicatio from
AWRF Associated Wire Rope Fabricators Recommeded Practice ad Guidelie Disclaimer for AWRF Recommeded Guidelie Swager Safety Guide Associated Wire Rope Fabricators ("AWRF") makes o warraties, express or implied, regardig the Recommeded Guidelie SWAGER SAFETY GUIDE. AWRF does ot warrat, guaratee, or make ay represetatios regardig the use or the results of this SWAGER SAFETY GUIDE i terms of its accuracy, reliability, curret status or otherwise. The etire risk as to the results of the use of the SWAGER SAFETY GUIDE is assumed by the user. I o evet shall AWRF, its directors, officers, members, employees, or agets be liable for ay actual, direct, idirect, cosequetial, puitive or icidetal damages (icludig but ot limited to damages for loss of busiess profits, busiess iterruptios ad loss of busiess iformatio) arisig out of the use or iability to use this SWAGER SAFETY GUIDE. AWRF-Associated Wire Rope Fabricators P.O. Box 748 Walled Lake, MI 48390-0748 U.S.A. Phoe: 1.800.444.2973 Phoe Iteratioal: ++1.248.994.7753 Fax: 1.800.666.2973 Fax Iteratioal: ++1.248.994.7754 e-mail: awrf@awrf.org www.awrf.org
Table of Cotets Itroductio................................ 2-3 Geeral Safety Warigs......................4-6 Operatioal Safety: Swager Work Zoe...........................6-7 Checkig dies ad die holders/adapters.........8-9 Keep a clear view of your work..................9 Settig your dies..........................10-12 Preparig the swager.........................12 Durig swagig operatio.....................13 Ispectio ad Maiteace Safety...........14-15 Coclusio..................................17 Letter from US Departmet of Labor OSHA....18-19
I ay slig shop oe of the most importat jobs you ca be asked to perform is the proper swagig of a wire rope assembly. To accomplish this, you will be usig a swager which may be oe of several types ad sizes. But o matter what type or size of swager you happe to be usig, or how large or small the swagig job, your basic goals will always be the same: To make a wire rope assembly that will be safe to use. To make a assembly that meets required specificatios. To work safely aroud the swager while it is i operatio. To make sure all safety rules ad warigs are beig followed. The machies covered by this documet are specifically desiged for the attachmet of fittigs to wire rope or strad. These slow movig swagers allow the operator full maual cotrol of the swagig actio ad do ot permit automatic closig. This slow movemet differetiates swagers from fast movig power presses, which do NOT allow cotrol of the ram movemet. s! WARNING: Operators must be traied before operatig swagers. Operator s Iitials page -2-
T o help you work safely, AWRF has prepared this brief Swager Safety Guide. As you read through the followig pages, please keep i mid that we caot possibly cover every situatio which you may come across whe usig a swager i your shop. Should you ever questio your safety at ay time while operatig or maitaiig a swager, you should always: Talk to your supervisor or a more experieced swager operator. Refer to the Swager Maufacturer s Maual. Be aware of all swagers fuctios icludig POWER OFF, ad the die OPEN ad die CLOSED cotrols. Refer to the Swager Warig Literature. The poit is: NEVER TAKE CHANCES WITH YOUR SAFETY, YOUR COWORKERS SAFETY, VISITORS, OR THE SAFETY OF THOSE WHO DEPEND ON YOUR ASSEMBLIES AFTER THEY LEAVE THE SHOP! It is ot the purpose of this guide to give step-by-step istructios for the proper maufacture of ay wire rope assembly. Before usig ay swager or helpig a swager operator, you should become completely familiar with the recommeded steps for producig the specific assembly you are makig. The remaider of this guide is broke ito three basic sectios: 1. Geeral Safety Warigs: these are safety tips which may apply to both the operatio ad the maiteace of the swager. 2. Operatioal Safety: this sectio icludes safety tips for the operatio of your swager. 3. Ispectio ad Maiteace Safety: this sectio icludes safety tips which may apply whe you are ispectig ad maitaiig your swager. s! WARNING: This guide has bee prepared after careful research by the AWRF. We have tried to preset the best available safety iformatio for our members ad their employees. However, we caot be resposible for ay misuse of this guide by uauthorized persoel. We caot cofirm that the opiios i this guide are idetical to those held by other experts, cosultats, practitioers, regulatory agecies, or safety authorities. page -3- Operator s Iitials
A Geeral Safety Warigs S w a g e r i o p e r a t i o produces a tremedous amout of force. As a o p e r a t o r, y o u m u s t a l w a y s maitai a respect for this force ad remid others i t h e s h o p o f t h e s a f e t y p r o c e d u r e s w h i l e y o u r swager is operatig. To put this i perspective, a 500 t o s w a g e r g e e r a t e s eough force to lift two (2) Statues of Liberty at oce! The slow operatio of swagers will eable you to work safely while you carefully observe ad cotrol the etire process. But as you positio your work i the dies, you should ever forget the large amout of force you are usig! Always remember: to remai safe you must keep your mid focused o your work! To give you complete access ad a uobstructed view of the die area, swagers have o barrier guards. Experieced operators kow that it would be early impossible to do your job properly if your access to the die area were obstructed i ay way. Eve trasparet barrier guards, which are difficult to clea, would ted to block your view of the dies. s! The warig iformatio ad other istructios posted aroud your swager are there for YOUR protectio ad safety. Make it a habit to read ad follow them. The forces you are workig with ca cause serious ijury or death! Operator s Iitials page -4-
You should always make certai that you are swagig fittigs that your swager has bee desiged to hadle. For example: Oly use swage fittigs that have bee desiged to be applied by swagig ad are withi the capacity of the swager. Do ot do a favor for a fried ad use your swager for aythig other what it is desiged for; e.g. to repair a bet rod or tool. Do ot try to straighte out a bet marlie spike i your swager Never swage parts that are ot desiged for your dies. Always swage fittigs of the proper desig, material, ad hardess. The idea of pushig out spelter coes with your swager is a recipe for disaster. Imagie if the socket is propelled out of the swager with hudreds of tos of force! Never use the swager to try to form steel plate, bar stock, or aythig other tha the fittigs desiged for the swager dies. Do ot use more force/load tha is required to swage a fittig. The force/load shall be set ad cotrolled by the hydraulic/peumatic system accordig to the Maufacturer s or System Desiger s istructio for correct die set up. page -5- Operator s Iitials
First, you should always make certai that you are usig the proper dies for the job. The be sure to keep i mid that misused dies ad die holders ca break. Stay safe, keep away from the sides of your swager while it is i operatio. You should also war others ot to eter the clearly marked work area while you are operatig the swager. Operatioal Safety No oe should operate a swagig machie without proper traiig ad authorizatio by his/her employer. Operatig a swager safely ad properly actually begis before the dies ever start to close. Some preparatio steps you should take iclude: Do NOT stad beside the swager! Operators should stad i frot or back of the swager ot beside it. NOTE: If you are ucertai about the proper use of the dies or maximum toage WLL (Workig Load Limit) your dies are desiged for i your shop, talk to your supervisor, review your die Maufacturer s swagig maual, or cotact the die Maufacturer/System Desiger. Always make certai you are familiar with the Maufacturer s istructio maual before operatig the swager. If you are i doubt about your particular job, ask your supervisor. Proper protective persoal equipmet could help you avoid a serious accidet. Always wear safety glasses, gloves, ad safety shoes whe operatig the swager. If you detect ay malfuctio IMMEDIATELY tur off the swager ad report to your supervisor. Operator s Iitials page -6-
The Swager Work Zoe: There must be a clearly marked work zoe aroud your swager. This marked zoe is to keep uauthorized ad utraied people clear of a operatig swager. These boudaries must be maitaied so they ca be easily see. As the operator it is your resposibility to: Kow the exact boudaries of the work zoe. This zoe s limits must be clearly marked ad maitaied. The work zoe i your shop is described at this booklet s ed. Remember, boudaries ca be marked by a wall, a fece, a rail, or a paited area o the floor which has bee posted i writig. You must kow the work zoe for each swager i your shop. The swager work zoe is larger for larger swagers. Before you begi swagig, make certai oly traied swager operators or helpers are iside the zoe. If a uauthorized employee eters the zoe while you are operatig the swager, stop swagig ad war them to stay away. But do ot allow them to take your attetio away from the job you are doig! If the floor i your shop is slippery, the swager zoe may be treated with a oskid material. This treated area ca idetify the work zoe boudaries. page -7- Operator s Iitials
Checkig the dies ad die holder/die adapters. The parts subject to the greatest forces durig a swagig operatio are usually the dies ad the die holders. For this reaso, oly traied ad qualified persoel should be allowed to check these prior to operatig the swager. Some thigs to check here iclude: Never use dies above Workig Load Limit (WLL). Dies used above WLL ca be dagerous. Do ot use more force/load tha is required to swage a fittig. Oly use the proper size die. You, the operator, are resposible for makig sure the dies, the rope, ad the fittigs match. Check Maufacturer s iformatio ad die recommedatio before swagig. s! WARNING: Mismatched dies ad fittigs ca be dagerous, causig serious ijury or death! s! WARNING: Whe usig dies with lower WLL tha the swager capacity, you must adjust the swager s settigs so that the force geerated is o greater tha the WLL of the dies beig used. Failure to do this ca cause serious ijury or death. Cotact Maufacturer for istructios for toage adjustmet! This die is too small for the fittig size. Damaged dies ca be dagerous! Ispect your dies ad ever use ay dies that are cracked, wor, or abraded (galled). s! WARNING: Damaged dies ca cause serious ijury or death! Matched die ad fittig size s! WARNING: Ejected material ca cause serious ijury or death! Operator s Iitials page -8-
Always use a matched set of dies. Never mix die halves. s! WARNING: Mismatched dies ca apply extreme forces causig a safety hazard, icludig serious ijury or death! Always make certai that the dies are clear of ay foreig matter before you begi swagig. This will keep foreig matter from beig ejected durig the swagig operatio. Never shim betwee the matig surfaces of dies to achieve the required after-swage dimesio. Always make sure die holders are i good coditio with all bolts ad retaiers properly tighteed ad side plate ad guard rails i place ad ot bet or loose. Check to esure all holder surfaces are udamaged ad dies move freely i ad out of holder. Damaged die holder surfaces that are ot flat ad parallel ca cause excessive loads o dies. Check die holder surfaces with straight edge to esure they are straight ad parallel, ad perpedicular to each other. Keepig a clear view of your work. As has already bee poited out, a uobstructed view of the swager dies is crucial to the productio of a wire rope assembly which will perform to its specificatios i the field. Some areas to watch here iclude: Allow othig to obstruct or block your view, or your co-workers view, of the die closig area. You may be movig the assembly several times durig the operatio. Allow sufficiet hadlig room aroud the die ad swage area. s! WARNING: Never put your hads ito the die area durig the swage operatio! If your swager uses foot cotrols, make certai they are uobstructed ad guarded. Whe maipulatig wire rope assemblies i ad out of the swagig area, be careful ot to damage hydraulic hoses, gauges, guide bushigs, tie rods, or electroics. s! WARNING: Damaged or wor die holders ca cause serious ijury or death! Maitai adequate lightig i the swager workig area. Avoid distractios. page -9- Operator s Iitials
Settig up your dies. WARNING: Oly traied ad s! authorized persoel should set up ad operate your swagig machies. Whe swagig roud steel fittigs with such floatig die systems, do ot shim dies. Some swager types have a floatig die system. Floatig die systems allow the dies to self alig ad ceter over fittigs that are roud prior to swagig. Whe settig up your dies, regardless of Floatig or Fixed systems, the dies must be istalled i a die holder so the dies alig legthwise ad are retaied usig maufacturers recommedatios. Dies for roud steel fittigs must be free to float sideways to alig o top of each other. These dies are NOT istalled properly. The legth of the dies must fit each other. These dies ARE properly istalled. NO free movemet is allowed i the directio of the arrows. I the above picture the dies ow have aliged ad cetered themselves over the roud fittig to be swaged. Operator s Iitials page -10-
If you operate swagers with a fixed die system cosult the Maufacturer or System Desiger. If a fixed die system is used to swage roud ad oval sleeves, the dies must be properly aliged, cetered ad retaied usig the maufacturers recommedatios. The pictures above ad below show a typical fixed die system. These dies are NOT properly aliged, cetered, or fixed ito place. Fixed die systems are aliged ad cetered prior to swagig ad do NOT allow the dies to self alig or ceter durig swagig. These dies are properly aliged ad cetered to swage a oval fittig. BOTH dies are firmly fixed i place to prevet ay sideways ad legthwise movemet. page -11- Operator s Iitials
Whe swagig oval alumium or oval steel fittigs, use the Maufacturer s or System Desiger s recommeded dies ad follow their procedures. Floatig die systems ca be used to swage oval fittigs if the swager is suitable for it, ad ONLY if the dies are firmly fixed ito place to prevet ay movemet durig the swage. Your dies may eed shimmig if they do ot alig o top of each other. Preparig the swager s! WARNING: NEVER shim betwee dies. This ca cause serious ijury or death! Whe usig a swager that has a floatig die system, the dies may eed to be shimmed to swage oval fittigs. If you operate swagers with a fixed die system such dies must NOT be shimmed. For either the Floatig or Fixed system, make sure that the maufacturer s die retetio lockig pi, bolt or other device is egaged ad has secured the die before swagig. Additioally, make sure that the dies are straight, parallel, ad perpedicular to each other before AND durig the swagig procedure. Make sure the swager is i good operatig coditio ad that all gauges, idicators ad cotrols are workig properly. Use the proper capacity swager for the fittig. Adjust the swager hydraulic pressure so that it does ot exceed the WLL for the dies selected, ad does ot use more pressure tha is required to swage the fittig. Make certai you are usig the correct die for the size ad type of wire rope fittig. Maitai clea ad lubricated die faces ad cavities. Lubricate with light oil or high pressure grease as specified by the maufacturer or system desiger. Operator s Iitials page -12-
Durig the swagig operatio. s! WARNING: Oly traied ad authorized persoel should operate the swager. Always keep i mid that movig swager ad die parts ca form traps or pich poits durig operatio Keep your hads clear of the die durig the swage operatio Observe the die closure from above ad slightly to the side. Do ot look directly ito the die area durig swagig. The best positio is to stad 45 degrees to either side of the die frot. (See right.) Progressively swage fittigs oly i ope chael dies. Progressive swagig is doe due to die Workig Load Limit or swager toage limitatios. If i doubt, ask your supervisor or die maufacturer. Do ot use more pressure tha is required to swage the fittig. Verify that the fittig is swaged to the recommeded after-swage dimesios. Never put your hads ito the die area whe the swager is operatig. To maipulate the rope fittig durig the swagig process grip the rope or fittig a safe distace away from the dies. Never put aythig betwee the dies except the rope ad fittigs desiged for use with the swager ad dies. Reduce shop distractios, such as loud music, whe operatig the swager. Never operate a swager while uder the ifluece of drugs, alcohol or ay other limitig physical coditios. s! WARNING: Improper use of a swager ca result i serious ijury or death! Take these warigs seriously! page -13- Operator s Iitials
Ispectio ad maiteace safety. Asafe swagig operatio depeds o the routie ad careful ispectio ad prevetative maiteace of your swager ad its parts. If early sigs of wear are foud, you should take immediate steps to esure that the machie cotiues to ru smoothly ad produce quality assemblies which will perform to specificatio i the field. To safely ispect or maitai your swager you should always follow ay lockout/tagout procedures your shop uses to prevet accidetal ad possibly dagerous uexpected start-up. These procedures must disable ot oly the electrical but also the hydraulic systems. WARNING: If you have doubts, ask s! your supervisor for istructios or for writte lockout/tagout procedures for your shop as required by OSHA or other resposible regulatory or safety agecies. Oce you have safely disabled the swager, some ispectio ad maiteace steps to perform ofte iclude: Make sure all uts ad bolts, clamps, hydraulic hoses ad their fittigs are i place ad tighteed to the torque as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. Make sure your die holder is ot damaged ad all bolts ad uts are i place ad tighteed to the recommeded torque. NOTE: The variety of swagers ad their supportig systems makes it impossible to provide specific lockout steps for your particular operatios. Load block or die base plate surfaces must be to Maufacturer s specificatios for thickess as well as flatess, ad should be parallel to provide complete support of the top ad bottom die durig swagig. Make certai that the hydraulic reservoir is full whe the swager is i full ope positio. Operator s Iitials page -14-
The die matig surfaces should be flat, smooth ad free from ay cracks or gallig. Make sure the die holder side rails ad guide rails are ot bet, loose, or damaged. Keep dies ad die holder surfaces clea. They should be free of metal shavigs, slag, grit, ad sad. This will reduce the chace of premature die failure. Make sure dies fit i ad out freely. Reducig frictio as the swager operates is a key to log, trouble-free life. To do this you should: Lubricate all guide bushigs o a daily basis as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. Ispect the tie rods for corrosio. Use a #000 emery cloth or steel wool to maitai a high polish o the surface. Maitaiig the hydraulic system. The great forces used i a swager are achieved usig hydraulic pressure. Ispectig ad maitaiig this vital system o a regular basis ca help assure that you will be operatig to the Maufacturer s specificatios. Some safety poits here iclude: Never icrease the hydraulic system pressure above the level preset by the Maufacturer. s! WARNING: Adjustig pressure above the Maufacturer s recommeded pressures could cause serious ijury or death! Uder ordiary coditios, you should drai ad clea the reservoir every two (2) years ad refill with ew hydraulic oil as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. Lubricate all grease fittigs as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. If so equipped, make sure the lubricatio system is fuctioig properly. Ispect the pisto guides or similar fuctios. Wor out guides/pisto guide rigs/higes may add additioal stresses to dies resultig i die crackig or die fatigue. Filters iside the reservoir should be cleaed or replaced every time the reservoir is draied ad cleaed as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. The suctio filter should be cleaed every six (6) moths uder ormal coditios as specified by the Maufacturer or System Desiger. page -15- Operator s Iitials
Notes
Coclusio The followig applies at This guide is oly iteded to give the most basic safety cosideratios which apply to a wide variety of swagers performig ormal operatios. IT SHOULD NOT BE USED IN PLACE OF ANY SAFETY GUIDES, WARNING DECALS, OR OTHER SAFETY MATERIALS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED BY THE SWAGER MANUFACTURER OR SYSTEM DESIGNER! Should you have ay further safety questios or special applicatios which might call for additioal safety measures, please cotact: (ame of Sligshop) The boudaries of the swager work zoe(s) are clearly marked i our shop by ( check oe or more): q q q q q Lies o the floor Walls Feces/Barriers No-skid material Other (specify) As a swager operator i our shop, you should be aware that: Your employer or shop supervisor. The Maufacturer or System Desiger of the swager, dies, or fittigs. I herewith declare that I will ot operate a swager without beig properly traied i the operatio of each swager at Name of Sligshop Name Date Sigature page -17- Operator s Iitials
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Prited i the USA 2013