Fiam motors ideal also for hand tools used in the food industry

The food industry is multi-sector and uses the most diverse equipment in production processes.

In addition to being integrated into various machines for mixing substances or liquids, kneading, capping or on clipping machines in meat processing, air motors are often used to drive portable tools in manual food processing.

The manual applications are indeed various, and realizations made by Fiam to date concern mainly tools for cutting or slicing meat, for boning fish or processing dairy products.

The food industry has always preferred the actuations offered by air technology over the electrical, due mainly to the safety issues related to the constant presence of water and humidity in production sites, but also for the versatility offered by air motors, suitable for multiple customizations.

For critical factors such as humidity and the constant use of water for cleaning and sterilization issues, to ensure complete absence of short circuits and practicality of use, the motors, as a part of the master machine, must fulfill following fundamental features:

• Certified IP67 protection rating, which prevents water/steam/dust from entering the motor and damaging it
• Safety and operational reliability even at high temperatures
• High resistance to corrosion from corrosive chemicals or detergents; in this regard, galvanically treating internal components and the external body of the motor make them highly resistant to aggressive agents
• Made from high-quality steels that meet ISO standards
• Have gears lubricated with food-grade lubricant
• External surfaces without pockets or cavities where dust and dirt can build up, with at least 40% less roughness to make cleaning and sterilization easier 
• Internal linings with special treatments to reduce vane friction and increase motor service life with little or no lubrication, depending on the target environments.

As concerns the safety issues, compared to electrical technology of equal power, air motors are chosen because able to work withstanding repeated starts and stops and, if brought to stalling, do not generate any overheating, on the contrary they cool down during the run, thus preventing any risk of short circuit.

As far as the need for customization is concerned — the second factor of choice for an air motor for the food industry — the dimensional factor is decisive for the insertion of motors on hand tools of different types, especially from the point of view of overall dimensions/weight.

Pneumatic technology is chosen exactly because the same basic characteristics of an air motor provides advantages over an electric motor of equivalent power. In fact, their compactness and low weight take up about a quarter less space and favor their installation on any tool, even the smallest.

In customizations, Fiam offers added value thanks to its ability to create «unique» solutions, often designed together with the customer in co-engineering. This is a really important aspect of distinction and our R&D has engineers dedicated solely to these designs and who, together with the Product Managers and Sales Engineers, make up a fast and coordinated staff focused only on the management of these orders.

Other distinctive elements of a pneumatic motor for tools dedicated to the food industry?

Certainly, that they have gears processed with food-grade lubricant and that the internal coatings are made with specific treatments to reduce the friction of the vanes and increase the life of the motor with little or no lubrication considering the environments of destination.

Lastly, another factor that makes the air motor ideal for tools in the food sector is sustainability: an air motor consumes a third less energy than an electric motor when it stops and starts frequently during a production shift. A determining factor in the ever-increasing attention to consumption that every company is forced to face these days.

Would you like to see our motors up close and discover all the advantages of the Fiam range?

Come and visit us at the International Fair IFFA in Frankfurt from 14th to 19th May at the stand 11.0A12 and you will find our experts to provide all the useful information.