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Technical aspects of enclosures
“Maultaschen” (ravioli-like filled pasta cases) are a Swabian speciality and every day, nearly 1.5 million of them leave Bürger, a local, family-run business. Bürger attaches great importance to the latest production and process technology, and to uppermost hygienic standards. To protect the electronic control functions installed in the middle of the process field from leaks and failures due to water penetrating every day while the entire system is wet cleaned, the Swabians have consistently focused on the Hygienic Design enclosure system from Rittal – from small terminal boxes to large compact enclosures.
“Our practical experience with Hygienic Design solutions from Rittal was so convincing that we itemised them in our specifications.”
Bernd Müller, head of Bürger’s maintenance team
Residue-free cleaning
For several years, Bürger has been using enclosure technology from Rittal’s modular Hygienic Design (HD) range, designed to meet the high hygiene requirements of the food industries down to the smallest detail. These stainless steel HD enclosures, which can be distinguished at first glance from ‘regular’ enclosures by their sloping roofs, can be cleaned without leaving any residue. They have been designed to EHEDG guidelines, and above all they succeed in open processes – in other words, where products such as fresh Maultaschen are processed while still unsealed.
Tightly sealed – without dead spaces
The hallmark of Rittal’s HD product line is the blue, external silicone gasket. It seals without leaving any gaps, protecting the electronics installed in the enclosure from moisture and creeping wetness during the daily prescribed wet cleaning process performed with water, foam and disinfectants.
The gasket is made in one piece and can be replaced very quickly. Unlike gaskets sold by the metre, they do not suffer from the sealing strip being pulled out during assembly, which would then lead to gaps at the ends. Gaps, external hinges or inaccessible dead spaces that can serve as breeding grounds for microorganisms are purposely eliminated – so preventing any potential cross-contamination.
In use at the sharp end
Hygienic Design enclosures of various sizes are used in production at the plant. One of the smallest of these “lone wolves” is a mini-HD enclosure on the automatic machine for Schupfnudel (finger-sized Swabian potato noodles). This compact enclosure offers safe protection for the motor drive, so ensuring that these special potato delicacies are made in a flash.
As many as five larger compact enclosures from the modular HD range can be found in the modern packaging plant, which is housed within a special cleanroom zone.
The pasta manufacturer is also increasingly turning to Rittal’s hygiene-optimized protective enclosures at the periphery of its production area. Thus, HD enclosures have already been used at Crailsheim to house telephone and time recording systems for a while.
