ULTRA CLEANED PISTON

Manufacturers of food and pharmaceutical machinery are always looking for ‘hygienic’ solutions, i.e. designs that prevent product build-up during operation and facilitate cleaning during sanitisation. Everything must remain clean

Challenge

A major Italian manufacturer of pharmaceutical plants used all over the world asked us to develop a solution that was more hygienic in operation and cleaner following sanitisation than the one used, i.e. standard polyethylene monobloc pistons made with lip seals energised by steel springs.

Solution

Analysing the application with our technicians, it emerged that the customer’s systems were used for very different fillings depending on the end user. This led us to the idea of developing solutions that were optimal for the sector but remained interchangeable with each other, so that only the filling machine’s seal could be modified according to the customer.

An innovative solution was proposed, ATP’s Ultra Cleaned piston (patent MI2014A000239) MI2014A000239), already successfully used in filling machines in the food industry, where the hygienic component is the main parameter.

The Ultra Cleaned piston has been designed as a sealing system, with integrated seal and guide, for double-acting reciprocating movements (with pressure in the ‘push’ phase and vacuum in the ‘suction’ phase), typical of metering pistons in filling and dosing machines.

The Ultra Cleaned piston, designed with a proportional type mechanism, allows the cylinder interference to be adapted according to the operating pressure of the fluid, thus reducing wear compared to other solutions with constant energisation. Furthermore, the integration in a single object of product seal, suction and guide, allows complete and perfect sanitisation.

For the main part of the customer range, the Ultra cleaned piston was chosen to be made of SINTEK® TV HT (special polyethylene specifically for high temperatures), while for the more specialised machines, subject to even higher temperatures and greater chemical aggression, SINTEK® PK20 (special PTFE filled with superpolymers.

FUNCTION DATA. products in contact: foodstuff powders and liquids, pharmaceuticals operating temperature selected materials – SINTEK® PK20 ( 80 C + 200 C) +250 C for short periods – SINTEK® TV HT ( 200 C + 110 C) +135 C for short periods handling: alternative cleaning : cip sip sealing element requirements: FDA, EU1935/2004 certifications

Testimony

Thanks to its special geometry and the use of high-performance materials capable of meeting the demands of high temperatures and contact with food and pharmaceutical products, ATP’s solution used on many of our applications provides a totally hygienic sealing system.