28.10.2025

New protection system for platforms

US/UK based Tapeswitch has launched a new anti-collision system for aerial work platforms , dubbed HaloProtect.

It is said to provide a ‘rapid-response collision protection’, to help avoid equipment damage from platforms working near an aircraft fuselage or other delicate structures, while also minimising operator risk.

The system, produced at the group’s plant in the UK, combines Tapeswitch’s ribbon switch technology with heavy duty replaceable urethane bumpers and a built in failsafe control system.

It has been designed and engineered to stop scissor lifts and other platforms immediately on contact, helping operators avoid damage to the most sensitive of structures. It can also help with avoiding some forms of operator entrapment.

The replaceable covers and switches are designed for rapid replacement and set up, helping ensure the system remains operational over the long term, no matter how harsh or demanding the environment. It meets all relevant safety and machinery standards including ISO 13856-3 and ISO 13849-1.

Tapeswitch business development manager Blake Shields said: “HaloProtect not only addresses impact protection but also contributes to safer working practices by supporting secondary guarding functions that help prevent overhead entrapment incidents.”

“Many safety products only tackle part of the problem. HaloProtect brings together collision prevention, operator safeguarding and compliance into a single, easy to install system. For Aviation MRO - Maintenance, Repair, and Operations - teams and rental fleets alike, it offers a smarter way to reduce damage, downtime, and risk.”

Tapeswitch was founded by an inventor in Long Island, New York in 1957. Over the next 30 years the company grew at a solid pace and in 1986 was acquired Henry Rowan, of Rowan Technologies.

Today Tapeswitch includes five companies. The original New York business, Tapeswitch UK which opened in 1991 and three other plants in Germany, Canada and Japan. It specialises in the design and manufacture of pressure sensitive safety technologies, inkling a wide range of ribbon switches, sensing edges, safety bumpers, safety mats and bespoke systems. Most of which are made at the groups UK plant for global distribution.

The Tapeswitch companies are all part of Philadelphia based Indel, - originally Inductotherm - which includes 80 engineering and technology related manufacturers.