Safety Light Curtains in 2026 — What Actually Changed in Standards, Technology and Buying

Start with the decision the machine builder has to make: is this an unchanged installation, a newly placed product or a modification affecting safety? Check the exact device documentation and the machine-safety standards index before treating an old selection as current. A familiar housing does not show which hardware, firmware, standard edition or certificate scope applies.

Here is the short list of things that genuinely changed, ranked by how much they should affect a purchase order this year.

What is the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230, and why does it matter now?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 mainly applies from 20 January 2027, replacing Directive 2006/42/EC. It is directly applicable in EU Member States. Do not extend that automatically to every EFTA market: EEA incorporation and national arrangements must be checked separately. Plan conformity around when the particular product is first placed on the market or put into service, not just the order or design date.

Review the transition requirement by requirement, not by an unsupported percentage of unchanged content. Digital instructions, protection against corruption, substantial modifications and specified self-evolving machine-learning safety functions need attention. Annex I Part A requires third-party routes for its listed categories; Part B permits internal production control only under Article 25 conditions, including standards or common specifications covering all relevant requirements. The categories are not limited to AI.

An independently marketed light curtain has its own obligations as a safety component in addition to machine integration. Article 52 preserves further circulation of Directive-compliant products already placed on the market before 20 January 2027 and qualifying EC type-examination certificates and approval decisions until expiry. It is not an exemption for every future unit or every certificate. Read the Machinery Regulation transition guide for product-date and documentation checks.

How did ISO 10218-2:2025 change robot-cell light curtains?

ISO 10218-2:2025 addresses industrial robot applications and cells and integrates relevant collaborative material from ISO/TS 15066. This does not make a robot, tool or cell inherently safe for collaboration. Assess tasks, workpieces, contact hazards and the complete integrated application; robot Part 1 evidence does not validate the cell.

For protective devices this is reassuring continuity. The standard keeps light curtains, area scanners, safety mats and physical barriers as the accepted toolkit and insists the choice — and the mounting distance — come from the risk assessment and the ISO 13855 calculation. A curtain on a cell access opening to IEC 61496, applied per IEC 62046, remains a mainstream answer. The trap, unchanged from last year, is assuming a robot certified to Part 1 makes the cell compliant. It does not. Compliance is earned at the integration. We cover the device choice in detail in our Type 2 vs Type 4 guide.

What is the real state of IO-Link and IIoT-connected curtains?

Ordinary IO-Link is specified by IEC 61131-9:2022 for bidirectional process, parameter and diagnostic data. IO-Link Safety is a distinct extension in IEC 61139-2:2022, including a safety protocol and an OSSDe interface. An ordinary IO-Link diagnostic connection is not a safe stop path. Device, master, configuration and receiving safety system must support the particular architecture.

Evaluate connectivity against a named maintenance task: identifying a contaminated beam, confirming a device identity or retrieving supported diagnostics. Not every model provides per-beam attenuation, automatic parameter restoration or IO-Link Safety. Replacement and restored safety parameters need the manufacturer's verification procedure before restart. A compatible hard-wired dual-OSSD arrangement remains an option; see the connectivity briefing for diagnostic and safety communication boundaries.

When does muting or blanking change the ISO 13855 distance?

Muting temporarily suspends a protective function under specified conditions. Validate material-flow geometry, sensor sequence, timing, fault response and end-of-muting behaviour to prevent a person exploiting the opening. A pair of sensors is not a universal recipe. Review the whole access and stopping-distance arrangement when introducing muting; gaps, following a load and restart can create hazards outside a simple distance calculation.

Blanking must be evaluated for its actual mode. Floating blanking or reduced resolution can increase effective detection capability; fixed monitored blanking also needs obstruction and access checks. Use the selected mode's declared effective resolution and response time, then reassess reach-through, reach-over and bypass paths under ISO 13855:2024. Our legacy reach-through arithmetic calculator only covers its historical vertical-field case with detection capability at most 40 mm; it is not a complete 2024 calculation or approval of blanking.

What changed for washdown and IP69K food-line curtains?

For washdown, specify the actual exposure: water temperature, pressure, nozzle distance, duration, chemicals, connectors and orientation. IEC 60529 rates ingress protection, not hygienic design or detergent compatibility. IP67 alone does not prove jet resistance. An IP69 or IP69K claim must identify its test standard and conditions; the suffixes are not interchangeable evidence.

Inspect cable entries, seals, end caps and optical windows against the cleaning procedure and maintenance instructions. A high-pressure-water test is not a lifetime guarantee against every chemical or cleaning method. Obtain the model-specific test report and material compatibility statement, and include cleaning-related contamination or seal damage in inspection. This is a specification check, not a documented customer failure.

Has anything changed about Type 4 / PL e selection in 2026?

Select PLr or SIL for each safety function from the risk assessment and applicable machine-specific standard. Type 4 describes the ESPE; it does not independently establish PL e or SIL 3 for the complete sensor, logic and stopping chain. Naming a press or robot cell does not prove every function requires the highest level. Validate architecture, reliability, diagnostics, common-cause measures, response time and final switching elements for the actual function.

Compare exact DQT4, DQC and DQA variants against detection capability, protected height, range and documented safety characteristics. Do not infer one Type, PL or SIL for a whole family or assume a hand-detection variant protects fingers. Obtain the applicable declaration, certificate scope and manual before selection.

So what should a buyer actually do in 2026?

Record a standards baseline and change-impact decision. IEC 62046:2026, published 28 July, replaces the 2018 application edition. ISO 13855:2024 covers positioning and dimensions; robot cells need relevant 2025 ISO 10218 requirements. Where IEC 62061 is used, check its 2021 edition with 2024 and 2026 amendments. Publication alone is not EU harmonisation or UK designation: verify market citations, machine-specific requirements and exact product evidence.