For the food and beverage manufacturing industry, proper production of safe food free from contamination and of high quality is immensely important. There are stringent regulatory policies and procedures governing manufacturing that require all the constituent materials and fabrication tools used in the manufacturing of food and beverages to be of high quality and fit the food safety procedures. Of these, one of the methods that has lately gained popularity within the F&B manufacturing industry is orbital welding. In this article the reader will learn about sanitary welds, why orbital welding in particular complies with the industry’s guidelines, and what the advantages of that type of welding are for the food and beverage sector.
Understanding Sanitary Welds
Sanitary welds refer to the combination of two surfaces that has been welded in a way that will uphold necessary hygienic and safety conditions common to the food industry. It is important not introduce things like weld droplets into foods or drink and wine that may cause health implications & legal cases. Sanitary welds cannot afford the formation of any pits, crevices, or other surface roughness capable to promote microbial growth. In addition, they should also be smooth and free from angles that the food products can stick on when in the process of production.
Orbital Welding: An Overview
Orbital welding is a sort of automatic welding where a robot is used to perform welding work and that yields excellent welds. The process involves attaching the welding torch to a robot with some path to determine where the operation will be performed, while ensuring that the weld seam is filled continuously with the correct filler metal. This makes orbital welding more desirable when it comes to weld distortion, quality and productivity thus widely accepted in industries such as food and beverage industries.
Orbital welding fully complies with the stringent requirements applied in industries around the world.
This is a very sensitive industry in terms of food safety and cleanliness, thus the welding factor is a very sensitive operation in the food and beverage industry. Orbital welding is well-suited to meet these stringent requirements due to its several key features:
- Precision and accuracy: Orbital welding uses a manipulator and welds along a path because of which the welds that are made are very precise. His unique method does away with extensive post-welding cleaning and subsequent repair because the process has little or no room for getting contaminated by microbes.
- Cleanliness: Brazing process occurs with the minimum human interference and it take place in clean environment. This eliminate the possibilities of contamination and means that the equipment is free from contaamination through out the manufacturing cycle.
- Consistent weld quality: Common with most types of welding, orbital welding delivers quality welds that conform to existing norms. This is especially so in the area of food production and preparation to which the faults could easily result in contamination of the foodstuffs.
- Reduced labor costs: Orbital welding is a semi-automatic technique, which implies a substantial reduction of the duration of activities involving human beings, hence a reduction in the cost of labor. Also, the time to finish a welding task is a lot shorter that with other welding methods, adding to efficiency.
Pros of Orbital Welding for Food and drink production and processing industries
There are several benefits of adopting orbital welding in the food and beverage manufacturing process:
- Improved product safety: Orbital welding provides a clean and hygienic welding process which eliminates chances of product contamination. These result in production of better quality products; safer for human consumption and meeting the food hygiene standards.
- Increased efficiency: The highly accurate welding and the comprehensive applications in orbital welding result in increased productivity, lower time usage and much higher efficiency.
- Enhanced equipment longevity: The weld quality and the minimum stress exerted on the equipment in orbital welding aid in creating longer equipment life in the food and beverage production processes meaning less equipment replacements and more output.
- Reduced maintenance: Orbital welds are uniform in quality and, therefore, require very little extra fixing and maintenance, hence lower labor costs and efficiency.
Conclusion
Food and beverage manufacturing heavily depends on orbital welding as a sanitary technology for producing welded products that meet strict industry standards. With advantages in weld quality, reduced contamination risks, and enhanced productivity, orbital welding is an indispensable solution for food and beverage producers. As consumer expectations for improved quality and safety measures continue to rise, the importance of orbital welding in meeting these demands will only grow in the future.
For food and beverage manufacturers looking to stay ahead, UPM Technology offers cutting-edge orbital welding systems tailored to meet the unique sanitary and quality requirements of the industry, ensuring precision and compliance at every step.
