Automation for processing

The market, demographic changes, and marketing are just some of the reasons why the packaging of food products and drinks is a sector that is continually growing and changing. In particular, there is a progressive evolution in the packaging of fresh products, an area that has always been subjected to the strictest standards and regulations in order to minimise any possible contamination of the items.

Production that is perfect from the hygiene viewpoint inevitably implies the right attention paid to the design of the machines themselves, to guarantee safe, quick and precise cleaning. The machines and components therefore have to be structured so as to eliminate every possible dirt accumulation (cavities, gaps, sharp corners) and the surfaces need to be resistant to aggressive cleaning actions, even the use of chemical agents.
Bearing this in mind, Bosch Rexroth offers a range of components designed for a market that focuses constantly on innovation.
For damp and wash-down areas, one example is the compressed air treatment units with pressure adjusters, filters and accessories in SS-316 corrosion-resistant steel, ideal for high pressure cleaning. All the materials comply with the standards NACE MR0175 and ISO 15156, and the lubricants meet the requirements of the NSF H1 certification.
The Rexroth pneumatic valves system (CL03e CL03XL - Clean Line), designed to satisfy protection class IP69K and certified by EHEDG, can be directly installed thanks to its design (with no joints, grooves or clefts), the materials used, and the excellent material properties (guaranteeing the maximum cleanliness with high pressure levels and high temperatures).

In the food handling field too, Rexroth offers an innovative, contact-free transfer system (NCT) for picking up and moving porous or air-permeable products and materials that are soft or have an uneven surface. The material is known as PEEK and is approved by the FDA and the EC; it is resistant to chemical agents, traditional solvents, acids, salts and oil, and its properties enable the direct contact use of the products.

For particularly damp production environments, Rexroth has a new guide - NRFG - using a ball rail system.
The ball guide rail and the runner block are made of corrosion-resistant steel as per DIN EN 10088, and the plastic materials are certified in accordance with EU 2002/72/EC and US regulation FDA21CFR.
The ball rail systems NRFG come in five sizes; they are resistant to a degree of relative humidity higher than 70%, and temperatures over 30 °C.