How to Reduce Cleaning Downtime
and Ensure Precision Weighing
Day after day, food manufacturers
operating in harsh production
environments face an essential but
laborious task - to clean all production
machinery.
Production line equipment, including
checkweighers, must regularly complete
mandatory, rigorous cleaning regimes
to avoid bacterial contamination. But
cleaning time equals downtime resulting
in a reduction of production output and
profits.
On top of this, the operator must ensure
that the machinery is fully operational
when the production line restarts.
Rigorous cleaning procedures are
essential; however, the effectiveness of
42 FDPP - www.fdpp.co.uk
the cleaning process can be improved
and the time it takes can be reduced by
following these 3 tips.
#1: UNDERSTAND THE HYGIENIC
DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF PRODUCTION
EQUIPMENT
Having a hygienically designed inspection
machine helps to avoid bacterial
contamination. Hygienic design features,
such as easily accessible machines, an
open frame design with only four feet on
the floor, sloped surfaces and an IP69
rating help in withstanding thorough
cleaning routines.
Download the free eGuide: “7 Points
to Understand Hygienic Principles”
#2: SELECT INSPECTION EQUIPMENT
WITH EASILY DISMANTLED AND
REASSEMBLED CONVEYORS
Food manufacturers can benefit
from considerable time savings if
conveyor belts can be easily dismantled
and reassembled for cleaning and
maintenance. Conveyor belts and parts
that can be removed intuitively and
without requiring tools, dramatically
reduce downtime and having parts
designed following the poka-yoke
principle assures error free and fast
reassembly. This further reduces
production downtime as the equipment
is put back together correctly – and
quickly – for the line to resume.