GEARS, DRIVES & MOTORS
STAINLESS STEEL
BAUER
THE FAVOURED OPTION FOR GEARED MOTORS
IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE APPLICATIONS
With lower maintenance requirements and increased durability leading to longevity of FDA conformity, stainless-steel geared motors remain the
industry standard.
From conveyors to processing machines,
geared motors are utilised across the food
and beverage production process. While
specialised coatings exist to ensure they
offer the cleanly compliance required in this
highly regulated industry, specifying stainless
steel geared motors has become the industry
standard.
Yasar Yüce, Product Manager at Bauer Gear
Motor, a premier brand of Altra Industrial
Motion Corp., explores why stainless steel is
often considered the best option, but also
examines if this is always the case for end
users?
The challenges facing motors in the food
and beverage industry are many. Rigorous
hygiene standards govern all equipment
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PECM Issue 39
on production lines. Washdowns with high
pressure water and chemicals happen
with regularity, so any device operating in
these conditions must offer a high ingress
protection to defend a device’s internals from
damage. A high IP rating is a must.
These washdowns are employed to limit
the spread of contaminates. To further limit
this spread, components such as geared
motors should offer a smooth design to limit
opportunities for contaminates to gain a
foothold. This smoothness must also be
achieved with durability, as geared motors
will be expected to operate to the same
hygiene standards for many years without
risking the quality of the food or beverages
processed on the line. Corrosion poses the
same risks, so a highly resistant exterior is the
minimum requirement for any geared motor.
Hygienic standards are dictated by national
and federal legislation, so any coatings or
materials utilised in a design must match
up to these pre-existing regulations.
Organisations such as the FDA and NSF
uphold these standards.
Stainless steel geared motors are often
selected as they meet all application
requirements without the need for further
coatings. As a base material, stainless
steel is inherently resistant to corrosion
and chemicals, ensuring that repeated
washdowns do not adversely affect the
reliability or FDA compliance of the geared
motor.