box. These include FDA compliant seals
for food use with standard cleaning
regimes, seals for unlubricated and
intensive cleaning. FKM seals are
available for elevated temperatures up to
120°C and acidic environments, while
there are hard scrapers for low
temperatures down to -40°C and for a
variety of harsh applications including
sugar crystals, honeycomb or icy fish
scales!
End of line packaging
Festo provides a wide variety of handling
solutions with a choice of drives to meet
individual customer applications in
packaging, labelling, testing and
monitoring in the non-food zone at the
end of the value creation chain. Our
handling experts can select from more
than 30,000 standard products and use
servo pneumatic, electric or pneumatic
technology whichever best suits the
customer application. Systems are
delivered fully assembled and tested as
ready-to-install system solutions –
complete with technical file data, system
drawings and a comprehensive functional
and fixed price guarantee. Users receive
not only the hardware in the form of a
connection ready module but a complete
value creation package. Complete
solutions mean less work for the
customer, reduced system design costs,
simplified procurement and process
costs. “Fit and forget is the objective for
our customers,” explains Andrew
MacPherson Industry Segment Manager
for the GB food and beverage industry. No
two handling systems are the same; they
vary from simple pick & place systems to
linear and cantilever gantries, 3D
gantries, to, dual rod, kinematic Tripod
robotic systems. “Our customers describe
their handling task, we deliver a plug and
work solution directly to the installation
cell – there is no need for complex
commissioning,” continues MacPherson.
Putting an end to waste
Many companies have declared war on
waste and high energy prices are
increasing the focus on energy reduction.
Less machine downtime and the detection
and elimination of leaks in compressed
air systems are crucial. That is why total
productive maintenance, condition
monitoring and energy saving services are
FDA certification and the accessories
such as proximity sensors are optimised
for the environment and are resistant to
cleaning agents, heat and mould.
The star with the gentle curves
The star performer in food zones is the
stainless steel roundline ISO cylinder
(CRDSNU). Thanks to its gently rounded
profile it is easy to clean. Its unique, self
adjusting end position cushioning PPS
saves a lot of time during set up and
maintenance. These cylinders have
proven their worth in a salmon sorting
machine. Salty sea water and fish extracts
mean cylinders are put to a severe test.
What is more, it is of course cleaned daily
with strong chemicals. A standard
actuator would give up the ghost in this
application after just a few weeks.
However, the CRDSNU, is in its element in
this humid and aggressive environment
delivering long, reliable, lifetime
performance.
Signed, sealed, delivered
To ensure that Festo drives are suitable
for harsh environments, users can choose
seals from the Festo modular seal tool