Any water ingress has the potential to seriously damage the machinery , leading to significant maintenance and repair costs , as well as production downtime .
But there are other key design features that have their part to play .
The HD enclosure ’ s forward-sloping roof stops anyone placing an object on top of it . The slope also means that the top can be easily inspected and allows fluids to quickly drain off .
The enclosure ’ s hinges are inside the sealing zone to create an easy-clean external surface while , inside , its durable , all-round , external silicone seal effectively stops any gaps appearing . These sealing frames are easily replaced and are dyed blue to clearly distinguish them from foodstuffs .
Unlike AE enclosures , the HD enclosure features no external cavity between enclosure and door , preventing food deposits becoming lodged here .
Finally , the HD enclosure ’ s lock and lock insert are made of stainless steel . Both the material and their shape allow easy and reliable cleaning .
Even minute amounts of contaminants in a Zone 1 space can build up over time , leading to bacterial growth that will compromises the hygienic standards
of the whole facility . Rittal ’ s tests of the seals , edges and hinges on both enclosures showed no contamination lingered for HD enclosures , while the AE enclosures showed signs of deposits , even after cleaning .
Zone 2 is the spray zone : it is where food is either packaged or undergoing further sterilisation , meaning that products such as milk are enclosed in pipe systems .
The risk of contamination in this zone is therefore considerably lower than in the high hygiene zone but floors are cleaned with cleaning agents so any enclosures in this area have to be resistant to both corrosion and airborne chemical particles from the cleaning products .
Zone 3 is the non-food , low-hygiene zone : here , the risk of contamination of food and beverage products is minimal but there is still a need for specialist enclosures . It typically references spaces such as the IT area or the offices within a factory . While enclosures placed here do not have to comply with specific hygiene rules , they still have an important role protecting critical ( and expensive ) IT infrastructure . This is becoming increasingly important , with the rising demand for fast data processing to maintain production lines processes and capture performance data . This means factories are now installing edge data centres on the premises as physically close to the source as possible , to reduce latency and deliver close to ‘ real-time ’ information for management teams .
Rittal ’ s stainless-steel AE enclosure is ideally suited to both Zone ’ s 2 and 3 . Extensive testing has demonstrated its ability to withstand water vapour , humidity and weak acids , which means it won ’ t be damaged by repeated exposure to Zone 2 floor cleaners . Added to which , it has a high IP rating which means dust particles from a shop floor won ’ t foul up the electrical components of a Zone 3 edge data centre .
SUMMARY
Enclosures developed for the food and beverage are perhaps one of the best examples of Rittal ’ s determination to meet the needs of its customers through tailored , innovative solutions .
Both enclosures have proved their value in testing , and each has been developed through close collaboration with food and beverage processing plants over the last 10 years , inline with guidance issued by the British Standards BS EN 1672-2:2005 + A1:2009 .
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The Rittal hygiene standards for maximum productivity
• Significant savings on detergents and disinfectants
• More productivity , thanks to reduced cleaning times
• Comprehensive system solution , comprised of an enclosure plus climate control , up to a protection category of IP 54 and IP 69K
• Greater reliability , thanks to DGUV testing
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