Stainless steel geared motors are often selected as they meet all application requirements without the need for further coatings.
A stainless steel solution will be easier
to maintain than a geared motor that
relies on a specialised coating for its
hygiene compliance. When stainless steel
is scratched, it does not compromise the
corrosion or contamination resistance
of the geared motor, preserving its FDA
conformity. With coatings however, if the
top layer is scratched or flakes, it provides
an opportunity for contaminates to gain a
foothold whilst losing many of its corrosion
protection properties. In areas of mechanical
risk, where the geared motors are likely
to subject to impact damage or excessive
maintenance checks, this fragility is less than
ideal.
For maintenance engineers working on-site
it’s important to consider that any loss of
regulatory conformity in a geared motor
will result in production downtime as
the problem is remedied. In an industry
that operates with low margins per unit,
protecting uptime is vital to ensuring
profitability. So, with lower maintenance
requirements and increased durability
leading to longevity of FDA conformity,
stainless-steel geared motors remain the
industry standard.
The beauty of engineering is that every
application is varied, so that’s not to say that
stainless steel is the optimum solution for
every food and beverage production area.
In areas with no impact risk, specialised
hygiene coatings can provide an alternative
option to plant operators. Bauer Gear
Motor recognises this and offers a range of
aseptic gear motors with optimised coating
systems resistant against near all common
From conveyors to processing machines, geared motors are utilised across the food and beverage
production process.
industrial cleaners in the range pH2 to pH12
– including an IE4 super-premium efficiency
permanent magnet motor solution.
Our engineers help customers to assess their
environments and provide expert guidance
on what solution is most appropriate. We
then work in conjunction with the customer
to specify, install and maintain an optimum
geared motor solution that will preserve
uptime. In our experience it’s correct that
stainless steel has become the industry
standard solution in the food and beverage
industry – however it’s important to offer
customers the solution best suited to their
needs.
www.bauergears.com
Issue 39 PECM
91