In this article, Matthew Aldridge, Managing

Director of igus in Northampton, UK,

highlights a few products developed

specifically for the food industry.

The TH3 energy chain was developed

on the basis of solid enquiries received

during the food technology exhibitions

in 2016. The requirements called for a

hygienic design: it must not only be safe

and avoid product contamination but

also be easily cleaned. The result is an

energy chain with an open design for

efficient cleaning and rounded edges,

which allows liquids to run off, and good

resistance to chemicals. The interior

separators are designed to leave enough

space between the cables and hoses for

cleaning. Meeting the requirements of the

FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and

EU, the energy chain is blue in colour,

which is easily identifiable.

As in the case of all its energy chains,

igus also supplies the TH3 as a ready-

to-install, harnessed product with no

minimum order quantity. The chains,

called ‘readychains’, are filled with

harnessed cables and hoses by igus

and, on request, are supplied and

installed directly on site. Given that igus

is not only the manufacturer of plastic

energy chains but also of chainflex

cables specially developed for movement

in e-chains, machine builders can have

confidence in these safe and reliable

systems from a single source.

In addition to cable management

systems, igus manufactures plain

bearing components, which have already

been used successfully in numerous

applications in the packaging, food and

beverage industry for many years. These

iglidur plain bearings ensure a good

basic resistance to wear. Fibres and

filling materials increase the bearing’s

mechanical load-carrying capacity. iglidur

A160 and iglidur A181 are blue materials

that comply with EU regulation 10/

and the requirements of the FDA for

recurring contact with food. Their high

wear-resistance, low moisture absorption

and resistance to chemicals, make them

especially suitable for applications in

food processing machinery, and, like all

iglidur materials, they do not require any

external lubrication

Cover story

Food for thought

Special customer requests are often the driving force for new

innovations at igus. More than 50 years’ ago, company founder Günter

Blase built up the company by asking customers about their greatest

machine design problems. This ‘solutions’ approach continues to lead

to new products every year.

6 dpaonthenet.net

igus offers a wide range of drylin stainless-steel

components specially for the food industry

Multivac’s R 081 thermoforming

packaging machine is fitted with

the TH3 energy chain, which is

designed in accordance with

Hygienic Design guidelines