Automation technology for the food industry

Best practices and must-have product recommendations for food production

In food production, automation products are required to meet specific quality characteristics and standards. But which properties and standards are most important? And which products from our range are suitable for your industry? You can discover them here!

Automation technology for the food industry

High demands throughout food industry

Products for the food industry available at Automation24

What requirements should automation technology meet in the food industry?

High demands throughout the food industry

The food industry is one of the most important branches of industry. Food must meet high quality standards, be inexpensive, fast as well as available in large quantities.

In industrial food production, it is all about constant product quality, compliance with hygiene regulations, high system availability and efficiency. Regardless of whether in beverage production, milk processing, confectionery and bakery production, in meat processing or in frozen food processing – a smooth production process can only be achieved with high-quality automation technology.

Products for the food industry available at Automation24

In the Automation24 portfolio you will find a selection of high-quality products from ifm electronic, Endress+Hauser and Wiegmann, that are suitable for food production areas. You will find an overview below:

Inductive sensors

Robust stainless-steel sensors with high protection ratings of IP68/IP96K for reliable position detection.

Conductivity sensors

Conductivity sensors for concentration detection of cleaning liquids, rinse water monitoring for residues and the granting of production approval in cleaning processes (CIP).

Photoelectric sensors

Compact sensors with Ecolab certification for object detection even in highly reflective environments.

Pressure sensors

Hygienic and temperature-resistant sensor systems for pressure monitoring and level measurement.

Continuous level sensors

Electronic level sensor that uses guided wave radar principle and is suitable for continuous level monitoring in almost all liquids.

Point level sensors

Hygienic sensors that are able to differentiate media by parameterization of the switching outputs.

Vibrating level switches

Vibronic point level switches for level detection of liquids and bulk goods such as sugar and rice.

Capacitive level switches

Capacitive level switches for point level detection of conductive liquids such as water, acids and alkalis or for point level detection of powder or fine-grained solids such as flour, sugar and spices.

Conductive level switches

Conductive level switches for areas of application in which conductive or deposit-forming pasty media such as soft cheese, yogurt and ice cream are used.

Rotary paddle switches

Rotary paddle switches are ideally suited as full, empty and demand indicators in bulk material silos such as grain or feed silos.

Industrial thermometers

PT100 temperature sensors made of robust stainless steel housing for hygienic and aseptic applications up to a temperature range of 150 ° C.

Compact thermometers

Compact and vibration-proof PT100 temperature transmitters with IP67/IP68/IP69K ratings as well as fast response time for a temperature range from -50 ° C to 150 ° C.

Data managers / data loggers

Paperless data loggers for recording, visualizing and monitoring all analog or digital input signals.

Stainless steel control cabinets

304 stainless steel control cabinets for excellent protection and durability in washdown applications. UL and NEMA 3R/4/4X/12/13 rated for the utmost protection.

Sensor cables

Vibration-resistant mPPe cables with stainless-steel coupling nuts that enable secure and permanently sealed connections.

Connectors / field wireables

Highly elastic cable seals directly at the cable entry to ensure reliable protection against contamination.

Switches & signaling devices

Robust switches and signaling devices with protection ratings up to IP69K and high media resistance.

In addition, at Automation24 you will find many products for secondary processes in food processing such as compressed air meters for compressed air monitoring and vibration sensors for vibration monitoring of your pumps. We also have flow monitoring products available to provide superior pump protection for processes. To efficiently monitor and control the perfect interaction of your components, look no further than the superior control systems from Siemens in your food production.

What requirements should automation technology meet in the food industry?

The sensor and automation components used in food processing must meet prescribed food processing standards and high technical standards.

Review of guidelines for the food industry

Known standards certifying suitability for use in food production

For the U.S. market, components must be FDA compliant and 3A compliant in some cases. The 3A compliance is cofirmed by the 3A Sanitary Standard Inc.. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US regulator for pharmaceuticals and foods, provides FDA approval. This confirms compliance with the hygiene regulations for the use of materials.

Ingress protection ratings are also integral when selecting solutions for use in the food and beverage industry. Commonly, many sensors and electrical devices are tested and certified with an IP69 or IP69K protection rating, which not only protects from water submersion, but high pressure washdown applications as well. Similarly, stainless steel enclosures are frequently used in the F&B industry thanks to their durability and resistance to corrosion in wet and dirty applications. These enclosures are frequently categorized by NEMA ratings. NEMA 4, 4X, 12, and 13 are commonly available on enclosures specified for these applications.

Required product properties for food processing

Food processing machines have a high risk of contamination from residues that can repeatedly enter the production process. Therefore, frequent and regular cleaning of the machinery is essential. This is commonly done utilizing automatic CIP/SIP cleaning processes. CIP stands for "Clean-In-Place". This means that the automation components are largely cleaned without disassembling the inner surfaces that come into contact with food. SIP is the abbreviation for "Sterilization-In-Place" and if necessary is also performed according to the CIP procedure. In this step, harmful microorganisms are killed using hot water and, optionally, by adding aggressive cleaning agents or steam.

To withstand these intensive cleaning processes, the automation components used must have a high ingress protection rating, like protection class IP69K, as well as a high temperature and material resistance. An Ecolab certification confirms the sustainability of the cleaning solutions. In this regard, components are made of high-alloy stainless steel or made of plastic such as PEEK because they are corrosion-resistant and impervious to the chemicals used in cleaning.

The food industry places high demands on automation technology. At Automation24 you will find suitable products that meet the requirements of the food industry. You also benefit from excellent prices and rapid delivery from stock. Purchase today!