As it says so well in a whimsical a capella hit by the Wise Guys: "The Bad Segeberg sawmill is the total bringer - nobody has ten fingers in the Bad Segeberg sawmill any more!" Many a woodworking machinery company is currently working on making such clichés a thing of the past as soon as possible. The Italian-based SCM Group has now presented a current solution - and was promptly awarded the Xylexpo Innovation Award in the category "panel processing" at the presentation of its Blade-Off technology at a trade fair in Milan. This is because the new, anticipatory safety system for circular saws from SCM is designed to rule out any accidental contact between the operator's hand and the saw blade from the outset.

To ensure this, the new Blade-Off system for circular saws from SCM intervenes even before the saw blade is accidentally touched or dangerously approached by the operator, activating a barrier that protects the entire danger zone around the saw blade. The mechanism is triggered by intelligent sensors that can detect parts of the human body and distinguish them from actual materials. Unlike other systems on the market, the detection is based neither on predictions by algorithms nor on purely optical sensors, where, according to SCM, calculation errors or limited camera vision could impair the protective function.

The detection area of the blade-off technology extends over three sides of the machine, i.e. to all areas except the rear part of the saw blade. This is to prevent any possible contact, including possible incorrect or accidental movements. If the system detects the danger of possible contact, the saw blade is lowered in a flash and automatically stopped without damaging individual components of the machine. The whole thing is supposed to work even at high feed rates or fast movements without slowing down the machining process. The cutting precision and the general performance of the machine are therefore not affected, regardless of how often the system is triggered.