Purchasers of food, beverage and pharmaceutical products imagine that these products are made in pristine manufacturing conditions, but this is often far from the reality, even though regulations may stipulate a completely hygienic and germ-free environment.
Traditionally the design of drive components has made it difficult to clean production areas as thoroughly as required. Standard motor components often come equipped with cooling fins and fans in which dirt can accumulate and germs and bacteria may be distributed via air currents. It may prove impossible to completely remove the dirt due to poor accessibility of the drive components. Problems can also occur if drive electronics cannot withstand the aggressive cleansing agents used in hygienic areas. These cleaners can damage painted surfaces and become a source of contamination.
To address these problems SEW-Eurodrive has introduced the HygienicPlus option – a special version of its decentralised MOVIFIT drive control that combines smooth contours with non-stick properties. The surface design and shape of the MOVIFIT took cognisance of hygienic design guidelines right from the design phase. The smooth surface design and the new finish prevent dirt from adhering to the surface. Using these drives in the targeted production areas reduces cleaning workload and users benefit from reduced cleaning and standstill times and hence reduced operating costs.
The HygienicPlus version of SEW-Eurodrive’s MOVIFIT distributed drive system is targeted at food, pharmaceutical and beverage applications where cleanliness is paramount
The non-stick properties of the HygienicPlus option are similar to those encountered in pots and pans. The surface is permanent preventing particles, which could be harmful to product or the environment, from wearing off. The coating’s impact resistance protects it from mechanical damage. The HygienicPlus option protects the drive control electronics with an IP69K enclosure. For reduced mean time to repair the electronics section of the drive control can be replaced within minutes without removing the connection wires.
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