Enabling&Stop for industrial radio remote controls: enable and stop safely

The complexity of machinery and the growing automation in modern industry have introduced new challenges in operational safety.

It’s no longer enough to focus solely on accident prevention—today. It’s essential to integrate immediate stop systems that can respond in real time to emergency situations.

This evolution in thinking “safety” led AUTEC to develop the Enabling&Stop device, a system that combines conscious enabling and emergency stop across multiple product lines.

Thanks to its three-position mechanism, the Enabling&Stop command button can respond to various risk scenarios. Let’s explore the features that make this system an essential ally for industrial safety.

Enabling&Stop: how does this safety function work?

Available as an option on the AIR series LK NEO pushbutton models, Enabling&Stop is a control device designed to ensure machine start-up and operation under maximum safety conditions.

Its operation is based on an ergonomic three-position button that offers dual protection across different operational scenarios.

Three-position command operation

The radio remote control allows the machine to start and operate only when the operator holds the button in the middle position.

If the button is either fully released or pressed, the machine cannot be started or controlled—and if already running, it will shut down.

This system ensures that:

• Machine start-up occurs only as a deliberate action by the operator
  
  
• In case of accidental button release (due to illness, fall, or unconsciousness), the machine stops immediately
  
  
• In panic or stress situations, where the operator might press the button too hard, the machine stops
  
  
• In case of electrocution, muscle stiffening that causes full button press, will also trigger system shutdown

Using Enabling&Stop in automated environments

In industrial automation, Enabling&Stop adds value when operators need to temporarily approach machinery.
This may be necessary when inspecting the performance of the automated line, make adjustments to settings, or performing maintenance on partially active equipment.

In these potentially risky situations, Enabling&Stop ensures that:

• Radio remote control commands are active only when the operator deliberately holds the button in the middle position
  
  
• Any abnormal movement or unexpected situation can be quickly managed by either fully releasing or fully pressing the button
  
  
• In panic or stress situations, the operator’s instinctive reaction—releasing or fully pressing the button—leads to machine shutdown

Main applications of the Enabling&Stop device

There are many industrial contexts where Enabling & Stop can make a difference in operational safety, such as ports and container terminals for safe handling of heavy loads, and robotic assembly lines where operators occasionally enter protected areas for adjustments or checks while machines are still partially active.

Enabling&Stop: advanced safety with regulatory compliance

Compliance with standards demonstrates the system’s high reliability, ensuring that the device:

• Has undergone rigorous functional testing
  
  
• Has an extremely low probability of dangerous failures
  
  
• Maintains effectiveness even under intensive use
  
  
• Meets internationally recognized industrial standards

Integrating Enabling&Stop into industrial processes means greater peace of mind for operators, a significant reduction in accidents and injuries, and—last but not least—lower operational costs.
Equipping radio remote controls with Enabling&Stop means taking a qualitative leap in industrial risk management, moving toward a proactive strategy that anticipates emergencies and provides operators with concrete tools to handle them.