Hygienic cleanroom cranes in the food industry: 3 focus points
Are you involved in (re)designing a controlled environment for the food industry? And are you exploring what the right choices are for hygienic cranes? Then you know there are many to choose from. To help you pick the best solution, here are three focus points to pay attention to.
But first, let’s look at what hygienic means. A hygienic crane minimizes the formation of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and parasites. These organisms could contaminate or poison ingredients and end products. And they can grow because of several things, such as incorrect cleaning methods or deferred equipment maintenance. That is why it’s important to pay attention to the following points:
1. Cleanability
Our first tip: prevent hollow spaces in your cleanroom equipment and machinery. Hollow spaces are very hard to clean, allowing anything to grow there. From the cacao moth to mice. As you can imagine, both can lead to complications. To make cleaning a lot easier, install hygienic cranes in your cleanroom in a way that allows easy access to all parts of the crane.
- 2. Production lines
When a lifting and/or hoisting solution moves across and over food production lines, they require extra attention. Because you do not want metal and plastic fragments from production equipment to break off and end up in food products. Therefore, pay close attention to the material of your lifting and hoisting equipment. A correct surface treatment may do the trick.
- 3. Electricity
Typically, the food industry is a very wet industry. Meanwhile, smart digital applications and other electrical components are used to create a more transparent, sustainable, and safer food system. Think of robots that take over repetitive production tasks that used to be carried out by people. But water and electricity generally do not make for the best combination. If you want to use electrical components in your damp cleanroom environment, make sure to properly seal off the equipment to avoid a disaster.
4. More information
Want to know more about how to pick the best solution for your cleanroom crane? Or are you curious about the use of electrical components in controlled environments? Then read our whitepaper that is specifically geared towards the food industry: ‘How to ensure hygienic food processing equipment’.
