Every consumer of food and beverages is grateful to know that adequately high standards are set for hygiene in sensitive production areas. In the food and beverage industry, this is the only way to ensure that no contaminated food products reach the market.
The drive solutions used in the past made it very difficult to clean the production systems as thoroughly as required. Standard drives often come equipped with cooling fins in which dirt can accumulate, and germs and bacteria can be distributed via air swirls. It may also be impossible to remove the dirt completely due to poor accessibility of the drive components within the system. Another problem occurs if the decentralised drive electronics cannot withstand the aggressive cleaning agents which can damage the surfaces of paint for example, making it difficult to comply with hygienic guidelines. SEW-Eurodrive has solved this problem by developing drive solutions for sensitive production areas.
Electronics for hygienic areas
It is an advantage if the surfaces of components are designed in such a way that dirt cannot adhere in the first place. This is the concept behind SEW’s decentralised MOVIFIT drive control units for installation close to the motor, incorporating the HygienicPlus option. The surface and geometry of the decentralised drive control was designed in accordance with hygienic guidelines and the HygienicPlus option introduced to minimise cleaning requirements. This reduces the time required for cleaning and shutdown, which in turn leads to reduced operating costs. The smooth surface as well as the new surface properties prevent the build-up of dirt and make the units virtually self-cleaning.
The HygienicPlus option provides the drive controllers with anti-adhesive properties similar to those used in non-stick cookware. This special surface treatment is not only durable but also resistant to mechanical impact. This allows the drive’s control electronics to be protected to IP69K, it is also unaffected by common alkaline, acidic or disinfectant cleaning agents, which ensures the highest possible degree of reliability. Should it become necessary to replace the electronics this can be done in a few minutes to maximise system availability.
These features make it easy to implement installation in sensitive production areas without additional restrictions for cleaning the electronic drive components.
Drive technology for hygienic areas
Drive engineering solutions from SEW-Eurodrive not only meet the operating requirements in standard hygienic production areas but can also be used when resistance to aggressive cleansing agents and disinfectants is required.
The solution is to use motors of the DAS series with smooth surface and without fans. A solution for hygienic production areas is the ASEPTICplus drive package for extensive resistance against chemicals, cleaning agents and disinfectants as well as cleaning with water.
DAS series motors are not equipped with fans, which avoids distribution of germs through air swirls. They are available in three motor sizes DAS80, DAS90 and DAS100 that can be mounted directly on helical, parallel shaft helical, helical-bevel, helical-worm or SPIROPLAN gear units. Due to their smooth surface these motors are easy to clean, with virtually no build-up of dirt to allow bacteria to form.
This means all systems can be designed and equipped individually for hygienic applications, regardless of whether they are used for production, filling or packaging.
For more information contact Rene Rose, SEW-Eurodrive, +27 (0)11 248 7000, [email protected], www.sew.co.za
| Tel: | +27 11 248 7000 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.sew-eurodrive.co.za |
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