ANSI B11.21: Draft American national standards institute (ANSI) standard for safety requirements of machine tools using lasers for processing materials

During the time the European Economic Community (EC), through the Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) was developing standards for Laser Processing Machines (by a mandate of the 89/392/EEC, “Machine Directive”), it became apparent to the Laser Products Group of the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) that a similar standard would be useful for products made and used in the United States. AMT, among other activities, acts as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Secretariat for developing Machine Tool Standards, known as the ANSI B11 series. The B11.21 standard, like others in the B11 series, covers both manufacturers’ and users’ requirements for safety, as it spans the topics of Design, Construction, Care and Use. Since radiation and associated hazard information is covered primarily by existing laws and standards, such as 21 CFR and ANSI Z 136.1, the ANSI B11.21 acts as an information resource and as a comprehensive collection of these criteria. While it would be incorrect to term this standard a “spin-off” or copy of the EC efforts (e.g. ISO 11553 (EN 11553)), it has been an important element of B11.21’s creation that it contain recognition of the European work and harmonization with it. Two key elements of the standard make it especially useful for US manufacturers who wish to produce laser processing machines for both US delivery and the EC. The format of the B11.21, like other B11 standards contains a “normative” or requirement statement on the left side of each page, while the right hand column contains “informative” or explanatory information. In this standard, comparison to the EC requirements are listed to the right hand side for selected segments of the US standard. Additionally, throughout the B11.21 document, the concept of “Risk Assessment” and risk reduction, as a design element, is promoted, in accord with European standards which must comply with the Machine Directive.