Addressing safety in food manufacturing applications

When protecting guards, there are various factors to consider, depending on the application. For example, the type of safety gate, the respective installation situation and how it is used. With this in mind, Pilz is adding two new sensors to its portfolio of safety locking devices PSENmlock mini for space-critical applications and PSENslock 2 with optimised hygienic design, as well as new versions with stainless steel components.

With its compact design, the new safety locking device PSENmlock mini for personnel protection is ideal for space-critical applications, such as flaps or covers for example. The actuator has a wide range of mounting options, enabling a high level of flexibility during installation.

The new generation of safety locking device PSENslock 2 offers greater productivity due to robust process guarding: thanks to its robustness and protection type IP 67 / IP 6K9K, it is suitable for use even in rugged and more hygiene-critical conditions.

The new PSENmlock mini can be attached simply and quickly using just two screws. It can be installed inside or outside the safeguard to suit the application. The fact that it can be assembled quickly ultimately saves time during installation. The actuator also offers a high level of flexibility for installation, as it can be attached from the right, left and front. So even smaller swing gates and sliding gates can easily be safeguarded. As a result, there is much greater flexibility for designing machines.

The dual-channel operation of the solenoid and the bistable guard locking principle guarantee a high level of safety in the event of a power failure: thats because the last state is maintained and the gate is closed. Users also benefit from reduced energy consumption, which helps to reduce costs. The OSSD outputs detect wiring errors and immediately switch the machine to a safe state in the event of a fault, thus guaranteeing safety.

In the PSENslock product range of safety switches with magnetic guard locking, Pilz now offers the new generation PSENslock 2, for process protection on plant and machinery. Thanks to the flexibly mounted actuator with large contact surfaces, any tolerances that occur through safety gate misalignment or vibration are reliably offset by PSENslock 2, thus guaranteeing high availability.

PSENslock 2 can be used universally to safeguard safety gates, and is designed for use up to the highest category PL e, Cat. 4 of EN ISO 13849. The high holding force F1max of either 1,000 or 2,000 N and manipulation protection for the RFID safety switch via freely selectable coding (coded, fully coded, uniquely coded) offer reliable process protection, because unwanted interruptions to production are prevented. That increases productivity.

Both safety locking devices offer particular benefits for the food and beverage sector: thanks to their IP67 (IP6K9K) protection type and special stainless steel versions, PSENmlock mini and PSENslock 2 offer the right product features for increased hygiene requirements.

Spherical roller bearing with food safety features

SKF has developed spherical roller bearings specifically designed for the food and beverage industry. These bearings with food-grade grease and seals have a longer service life than SKF open spherical roller bearings and raise relevant food safety standards in the food and beverage industry.

Together, these factors help the Food line bearings to lower the risk of food contamination, raise machine reliability and extend maintenance intervals. This new spherical roller bearing with food-grade grease and integral seal from SKF helps increase both machine performance and hygiene standards. says Benjamin Geiser, application specific offer manager at SKF.

The bearing is pre-filled with NSF category H1 grease, which is optimised for food industry use. A high-performance, nitrile butadiene rubber contact seal both FDA- and EC-approved protects against water, detergent and contaminant ingress. It minimises the risk of grease leaking from the bearing, which reduces relubrication and raises bearing performance and service life. The seal is also coloured blue, making it easier to detect fragments should they end up in the food.

The bearing, which is self-aligning, is manufactured to the Explorer performance class. It is manufactured from steel with high fatigue resistance, which helps to raise dynamic load carrying capacity and reduce both vibration and heat generation. Overall, SKF says the Food line spherical roller bearing prolong the service life in average up to three times compared to open bearings.

Furthermore, using this bearing can help to improve sustainability in several ways. Firstly, the low-friction seal reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Secondly, the bearings last longer, so needs replacing less frequently which reduces the demand on raw materials, manufacturing, and transport. Finally, grease leakage is virtually non-existent, cutting the need for repurchase, relubrication and final disposal.

Machinery safety and compliance

MachineSafe Compliance is excited to be demonstrating the MachineSafe machinery safety and compliance software platform at FoodManufacturing.Live. Visitors to the stand will be able to see how MachineSafe manages and streamlines machinery inspections such as PUWER.

MachineSafes multi-platform software is suited to machinery end-users, safety consultants and machinery manufacturers, with subscription packages available to suit companies of all sizes.

MachineSafe is available for iOS, Android and the web, with inspections securely store on the MachineSafe cloud.

MachineSafe comes with ready to use inspection modules, such as PUWER, Risk Assessment, Machine Audit, electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic inspections to name a few, however the platform allows users to add their own in-house inspections, such as food safety. Training and support packages are also available.