A ROBOT USUALLY WORKS WITH OTHER MACHINES IN A MANUFACTURING CELL. WHEN CONSIDERING SAFETY, ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN NOT ONLY TO THE INDIVIDUAL MACHINES AND ROBOTS, BUT ALSO TO THEIR INTERACTIONS DUE TO PROCESSING NEEDS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE SIX SEVERITY LEVEL DESIGN (SSLD) CONCEPT FOR SAFELY DESIGNING A MANUFACTURING CELL. THIS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY INTEGRATES GUARDING TECHNIQUES WITH CONTROL ACTIONS, CONSIDERS BOTH PRODUCTION NEEDS AND SAFETY CONCERNS, AND INTERFACES MACHINE FUNCTIONS WITH PROCESS REQUIREMENTS. THIS PHILOSOPHY HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN AN UNMANNED MANUFACTURING CELL THAT MAKES A FAMILY OF PARTS. THE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, AS WELL AS THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND CONTROL ACTIONS ARE DESCRIBED. THE DESIGNED SYSTEM HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF PROVIDING MAXIMUM PROTECTION TO THE OPERATORS WHILE CAUSING MINIMUM INTERRUPTION IN PRODUCTION.