Machines with safety systems are disclosed. The machine may take the form of woodworking machines including table saws, band saws, miter saws, hand-held circular saws, pneumatic chop saws, radial-arm saws, jointers, planars, routers and shapers. The machines may include an operative structure configured to perform a task, where the operative structure includes a cutting tool adapted to move in at least one motion, and a safety system adapted to detect the occurrence of an unsafe condition between a person and the cutting tool and for mitigating the unsafe condition. The safety system may include a detection subsystem and a reaction subsystem. The machine may also include a bypass or override mode where in an injury mitigation system is disabled for certain cuts.

Machines with safety systems are disclosed. The machine may take the form of woodworking machines including table saws, band saws, miter saws, hand-held circular saws, pneumatic chop saws, radial-arm saws, jointers, planars, routers and shapers. The machines may include an operative structure configured to perform a task, where the operative structure includes a cutting tool adapted to move in at least one motion, and a safety system adapted to detect the occurrence of an unsafe condition between a person and the cutting tool and for mitigating the unsafe condition. The safety system may include a detection subsystem and a reaction subsystem. The machine may also include a bypass or override mode where in an injury mitigation system is disabled for certain cuts.

The invention relates to a brake and to a method for controlling the brake. The brake comprises a base part, a braking piece movably supported on the base part, which braking piece is configured to be moved between a braking position and a releasing position, a spring, with the spring force of which the braking piece can be dropped into a braking position, a support member for limiting the initial position of the drop-out movement of the braking piece and also a controllable actuator, which is mechanically connected to the aforementioned support member and configured to displace the initial position of the drop-out movement of the braking piece with respect to the braking position.

A centrifugally triggered brake mechanism is used to halt a rotating assembly. The brake mechanism includes a braking surface, a brake shoe, and a rotating centrifugal trigger. Upon attaining a selected rotational speed the trigger releases the brake pad to engage the drum. The mechanism may be useful for instance in providing backup overspeed protection for wind turbines.

The brake assembly includes a housing, a rotor disc. The rotor disc includes at least one internal cavity. The at least one internal cavity includes a pawl and a thermal fuse. In use, the thermal fuse is configured to maintain the position of the pawl in the at least one internal cavity when a temperature is below a predetermined threshold, and wherein the thermal fuse is configured to melt when a predetermined threshold of temperature is reached during braking to release the pawl out of the at least one internal cavity towards the housing. The housing includes at least one recess configured to receive the pawl.