Industries | Energy engineering | Food industry

Perfekte Antriebe für spezielle Anwendungen:
Beispiel - Kundenspezifische Getriebe in der Lebensmittelverarbeitung

Hygiene standards in the food processing industry are becoming increasingly important. In this project, too, the hygienic design of the gear unit was the central requirement.

Initial situation

Foodstuffs are processed in a plant, and the customer requires gearboxes with different gear ratios to drive various axles, which may come into direct contact with foodstuffs. In order to bypass further protective devices on the plant, the housing temperature in S1 operation must not exceed the 60°C mark. Furthermore, the gear unit must be designed in accordance with EHEDG guidelines; the challenge here is to connect the motor with mounting threads and the requirement that the customer wants to mount the motor himself.

Project implementation

The common practice at SPN is the adaptation of standard gears, as in this case. The basis for the project implementation is the SPN planetary gear unit E24. The gearbox was modified so that all external components are made of stainless steel 1.4404. Due to their position right at the edge of the housing, the EPDM sealing rings prevent germs from penetrating the gaps between the housing parts. The mounting of the motor in B5 design (with mounting threads) put the creativity of the SPN designers to the test. The result is a seamless transition between the motor and the gear unit without any disturbing fastening screws on the outside. Despite the uninterrupted design, the customer does not have to forego the usual comfort during motor assembly. Using standard tools, the customer can carry out the motor assembly himself safely and easily.

The external stainless steel components are essential for the design specifications, but their poor thermal conductivity greatly impairs the cooling effect via the housing. It is therefore all the more important to keep the heat input due to losses as low as possible. Through a number of precisely coordinated measures in the gear unit design, the maximum housing temperature of 60°C could be maintained during S1 operation.

Project result

The basis for this gear design is the SPN planetary gear unit E24. With the adjustments made, a gear-motor combination has been created which is convincing due to its seamless design. A drive that even in S1 operation does not exceed the surface temperature of 60°C and can therefore be operated according to the machinery directive without additional cover. Due to the simple and comfortable motor attachment, the customer can mount the motors with mounting threads himself. Thus he has the variance to combine different motor sizes with different gear ratios and can react flexibly to the requirements.

A gearbox that optimally fits the customer's requirements. This is the drive from SPN.

Our planetary gear box E-P88-S-VA