Product category:
Machine Safety Components
News Release from: Schmersal UK | Subject: IP69K rated pushbuttons and emergency stops
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 06 April 2004
Hygienic pushbuttons prove impregnable
Brown Brothers Manufacturing has specified Schmersal IP69K rated pushbuttons and emergency stops for a new high-speed cooked meat slicer at its facility in Scotland.
Brown Brothers Manufacturing, which produces a range of quality cooked and sliced meats for the wholesale, retail and food service sectors, has specified Schmersal IP69K rated pushbuttons and emergency stops for a new high-speed cooked meat slicer at its 13,950m2 facility in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland The company had been experiencing day to day problems with the slicing machines and engineers and production operatives were repeatedly hampered by machine failures due to water ingress through the pushbuttons
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 14 Mar 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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As Brown Brothers' Group Engineering Manager Warren Godfrey explains: "We are committed to continually upgrading and investing in state of the art plant and machinery, but inadequate push buttons were causing production downtime, maintenance and repair callouts.
"We looked at a number of pushbutton manufacturers, but found that most use rubber boots that only achieve an IP67K rating.
These are unacceptable as they harbour bacteria when they rot and split, and also lead to a risk of fragments falling into the food products".
Schmersal pushbuttons were specified because they are not adapted from existing products and special attention has been paid to materials, shapes and sealing.
Warren Godfrey reports that, since the IP69K rated pushbuttons have been installed on the slicers, the problems caused by the regular, essential wash-downs and continual pressing of startup buttons have been completely eradicated.
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