What are the benefits for machine and installation builders
when they choose automation components which either have
manufacturer’s declarations or are EHEDG certified?
Hofmann:
Components of this kind, or at least those which are
EHEDG-certified, have been tested by independent bodies to
check that they comply with the requirements of hygienic
design. A certificate is issued only if the components are
genuinely easy to clean. It is particularly important that all the
surfaces which need to be cleaned are easily accessible. Joints
must be sealed and must not have any gaps in which organic dirt
could collect.
It is essential for hygienic design principles to be implemen-
ted. But doesn’t this impair the efficiency of an installation?
Hofmann:
Quite the contrary. It will make the installation system
easier and faster to clean, thus making it available for
production for a longer period. The smaller number of variants
and the reduced flexibility are the only issues that may
sometimes represent a disadvantage. Very flexible packaging
machines are often not easy to clean, since they require very
many detachable connections in order to be able to interchange
components quickly at the time of product changes.
What trends do you see in the field of hygienic design in the
near future and what must machine and system builders need to
come to terms with, in the next few years?
Hofmann:
With regard to hygienic design, there are many trends
and certainly food production will continue to be optimised
further in the future. I see the challenges for the Festo portfolio
above all in the expansion of so called open processes in the
food industry and the associated automation technology.
Consumers and also distributors are calling for more and more
convenience food. Take a look at the chilled cabinets and see
The most important workplace for the certification of components:
The large and well equipped technical centre in which microbiological cleaning tests are
carried out at the TU Munich in Weihenstephan.
“Some designers would
certainly change their
ideas if they had to clean
their machines
themselves.”
Jürgen Hofmann