While food processing takes center stage when it comes to the need for sanitation and hygiene, the materials you choose for food packaging machinery also play an integral part in ensuring food safety, whether the components contact food or not.
Many non-contact packaging equipment components have been made of surface-treated aluminum or cast iron, which work well in most wash down situations where washing and sterilization is infrequent.
There is a trend, however, toward OEMs utilizing glass bead polishing as an alternative to No. 4 polish, as glass beading stainless steel is a sanitary and more cost-effective method for many non-contact components. Glass beading allows the surfaces to resist corrosion and chloride attacks from cleaning agents and ‘aggressive’ food ingredients such as high levels of salts and acids found in tomato paste or ketchup.
As a part of our Value Engineering, our staff of engineers will review your drawings and make recommendations to the fabrication plan - always doing so with a commitment to the manufacturability of your components at a competitive cost.
Our expertise in fabricating stainless steel components for food packaging equipment including:
EXAMPLE OF STAINLESS STEEL FINISHES
| 2B | Commercial #4 | 3A Dairy* | Bead Blast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APPLICATIONS | Material handling and processing, direct food contact | Cosmetic #4, for guarding food processing and shrouding | Used in Hygienic clean rooms, 3A Dairy Process and for compliance with 3A Dairy standards | Provides a uniform finish for structural, material handling and food handling applications |
| SANITATION | Suitable for use in caustic, sanitary wash down procedures | Suitable for use in caustic, sanitary wash down procedures | Suitable for use in caustic, sanitary wash down procedures | Bead blasting on some stainless steel alloys is suitable for use in caustic, sanitary wash down procedures |
| NOTES | A 2B finish may be preferable - and more economical - for your application depending upon the specific alloys and compliance requirements of your application | Commerical #4 60 RA or better No. 4 finish is NOT compliant with 3A Dairy Sanitation standards |
Including flat surface finish, all welds must be ground and polished to 3A standard, to meet the requirements of the Dairy and Cheese manufacturing industries | Bead blasting does not always produce a 'smooth' finish. The RA, or measure of smoothness, depends entirely upon the stainless base metal used, the blasting media and process. Alloys such as 304 and 316 stainless accommodate this finishing process |
*3A Dairy Sanitation Requirements include stringent attention to fabrication processes that eliminate pits and holes which can harbor bacteria.