Smooth, flawless surfaces, slim, no-frills shapes, flowing transitions - the entire design of the new stainless steel line for actuators from PTM mechatronics is designed for highly sensitive, hygienic operation in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics production. Agitators, conveyors, actuators and other actuators can be connected directly and individually. The new INOX drives offer a wide range of features that have not previously been available on the market and which make the implementation of hygienic standards safe and easy. But what has been the problem so far? And what is the solution?

Openings, corners and crevices - ideal sources of contamination

Conventional drives have ventilation grilles or cooling fins. These are technically necessary installations for cooling the motors. There are also screw connections, cut edges and corners in the design. If gearboxes are required, these are flange-mounted separately on the drives. All these components form undercuts and gaps. These are ideal places for the deposition of dust and other substances, whether from the production process itself or from the environment. Sharp corners or gaps in particular are then difficult or impossible to clean. This allows germs to multiply unhindered and ultimately contaminate the production goods.

Our solution:

All INOX drives from PTM mechatronics have a fully enclosed, smoothly polished housing made of high-quality V4A stainless steel 1.4404. They are self-cooling due to their technical properties. Ventilation grilles and fans are obsolete. The external design is therefore flowing, there are neither gaps nor superfluous undercuts. Necessary corners and edges are rounded in line with our soft-edge design to ensure easy cleaning and minimize residue.

Our gearboxes are integrated directly into the drive housing. This allows us to avoid additional gaps.

For particularly sensitive applications, we rely on hygienic laser engraving for type plates and instructions, thus eliminating the need for dirt-prone stickers.

Dust turbulence jeopardizes hygienic production

Conventional drives swirl the surrounding air with their ventilation grilles and fans. As a result, they virtually throw the ambient or production dust into their environment. This gets caught up in the sensitive production process or is deposited on the production lines when the environment calms down. This process therefore affects the entire production facility and cannot be controlled in the slightest. For this reason, an attempt is generally made to install these drives as far away from the production process as possible.

Our solution:

The solution is to keep the environment calm and prevent turbulence from occurring in the first place.

Due to the aforementioned self-cooling properties of INOX drives, their housings have neither ventilation grilles nor fans. The exhaust air is elegantly organized via a small hose and can therefore be discharged in a precisely controlled manner at any point. This means that no distances from the production process need to be taken into account. The need to clean production facilities is reduced to the normal extent of production due to the prevention of turbulence. This is why our drives are even classified in the highest cleanroom class 1 according to DIN 14644 and can therefore be used in all cleanrooms.

Electric drives and cleaning - when one excludes the other

Electric drives naturally pose a risk when it comes to cleaning with water or water vapor. Cooling fins and fans are perfect entry points for all kinds of substances. Short circuits and the associated risk of fire or explosion must be taken into account. Especially if the production goods themselves are also flammable materials. Either a large distance must be maintained from the production section to be cleaned or the electrical drive must be protected accordingly. But even then, there is a certain risk of contact with water and moisture. It becomes even more dangerous and complicated if the drive itself has to be cleaned.

Our solution:

Our INOX actuators are not only resistant to substances of all kinds, even aggressive ones. They are also waterproof to IP67. This means that, in the most extreme case, they could be completely submerged in water. They would even continue to work unhindered. This means that our INOX drives can be easily cleaned with steam, water jets or water baths. The same applies to dust. Not a drop of water or a grain of dust gets inside the drives. This also makes them less susceptible to faults and low-maintenance.

Seals and oils - the horror of hygienic production

Conventional drives require oil to run smoothly. Gearboxes are mounted in oil. Seals secrete oils and silicones after a certain time. Contamination of production goods in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries with oils or silicones is probably one of the biggest no-gos of all. The more oils are used, the greater the risk. Contamination often occurs without ever being detected: via old seals or small leaks in the construction.

Our solution:

All seals in our INOX operators are made from food-safe materials as standard, which do not emit hazardous silicones or oils. We also only use food-safe lubricants. As our drives are completely sealed in accordance with protection class IP67, not only does nothing get inside the drives - nothing gets out either.