World's first plastic energy chain according to "Hygienic Design Guidelines"

At this year's Fachpack, the new Hygienic Design e-chain will be showcased on the deep-drawing packaging machine R 081 by Multivac. (Source: igus GmbH)

For clean and equally safe energy management, the motion plastics specialist igus has developed the first e-chain according to "Hygienic Design Guidelines". Due to its open design, the chain is very easy to clean – with rounded edges and a screwless construction that prevents dead spaces and the resulting germ formation. Thus, the new energy chain is ideally suited for use on machines and systems in the food and packaging industry.

Machine components for the food industry must not only operate safely and prevent product contamination with lubrication-free solutions, but they must also be equally easy and quick to clean. The so-called "Hygienic Design" to avoid structural weak points in machines and systems is therefore becoming increasingly important. For this reason, the motion plastics specialist igus has developed the first e-chain according to Hygienic Design guidelines and presented it to the professional audience at this year's Fachpack. "The new energy chain is very easy to clean because there are no dead spaces where germs or dirt can settle," explains Lars Braun, Head of Industry Management Packaging Industry at igus. "The blue material typical for plastic components in the food industry is FDA-compliant and also has good resistance to cleaning agents and chemicals."

Joint development according to customer wishes – following the market

Like many innovations year after year, the e-chain according to Hygienic Design guidelines was also developed based on specific market and customer requirements. One of the "driving forces" behind this idea was, among others, the company Multivac from Wolfertschwenden, which is regarded as the specialist for packaging machines in the industry. Multivac approached igus at a time when the market demanded suitable solutions. With the inquiry from Multivac for a hygienically designed energy management system, the product development was launched, followed by joint testing. The main requirements were easy cleaning, an open design, radii and curves to avoid dead spaces, and a construction that avoids overlapping surfaces. The e-chain will be available in two different internal heights and five different internal widths. The up to five fixed internal segments for individual filling are available for both chain sizes and allow cables and hoses to be routed separately and neatly, providing enough space for cleaning. At this year's Fachpack, the new e-chain will be showcased on the Multivac R 081 thermoforming packaging machine and will be used on all types of thermoforming packaging machines in the future. The constantly increasing hygiene requirements in the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries are addressed with the consistently pursued Multivac Hygienic Design.