Different types of machine stops

Article#: 00117

Date: 2026-03-01

Author: Radim

Both the development team and the customer want the same thing: a machine that runs and produces. 😉

However, in the project concept, stopping the machine must also be considered and implemented as a reaction to different situations and reasons.
These reasons arise from the intended use of the machine in production, as well as from maintenance and service scenarios.
In addition, they are derived from the risk assessment, where potential situations, their consequences, and measures to prevent hazardous outcomes are analyzed.
Finally, machine stops are also required as a reaction to unwanted and often unforeseen events, such as faults or errors.

An important question is whether it makes sense to stop the entire machine in every situation - or whether, in some cases, it is reasonable to stop only a specific part or subsystem while the rest of the machine remains productive. From a productivity point of view, partial stops can be attractive. If a fault or intervention affects only a limited area of the machine, keeping the unaffected sections running may reduce production losses. This approach, however, must never compromise safety. Any concept that allows continued operation must reliably eliminate risks to human health, prevent damage to the machine, and avoid negative impacts on the environment. At the same time, it must be said that the simplest and most transparent concept - both for the user and for system behavior - is often a complete machine stop. A full stop is easy to understand, leaves little room for misinterpretation, and reduces the risk of unexpected interactions between subsystems.

Depending on use cases and risk assessment, different machine stop concepts are required. These range from controlled production stops to fault-related and safety-related stops, including emergency stop.
While different stop types may appear similar from the outside, their intent, triggering logic, and system reaction are fundamentally different. Based on these considerations, the following stop types can be distinguished:

Production stop:
An automatic, program-controlled stop that is part of the normal machine sequence, for example at the end of a production cycle or at a defined process state.

Operator stop:
A stop command initiated directly by the operator to interrupt the process, without indicating a fault or hazardous condition.

Fault-related stop:
A stop initiated automatically by the control system in response to a detected fault or abnormal operating condition.

Safety-related stop:
A stop triggered by the safety system to reduce risk, in accordance with the defined safety functions and the results of the risk assessment.

Emergency stop:
An immediate stop intended to prevent or reduce danger to people, the machine, or the environment.

Each of these stop types follows different rules. Understanding these differences is the basis for a safe, production-efficient, consistent, and transparent stopping concept, and they will be discussed in more detail in separate articles.

© Radim-Automation, 2020–2026. All rights reserved.
Sharing of this article is permitted with proper attribution (link to the original page).

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