How worm gear reducers meet the hygiene requirements of the food industry

Worm gear reducers need to meet strict hygiene requirements in the food industry, which are mainly achieved through the following design and use specifications:

1. Material and structural design

1. ‌Food Grade Materials‌ Parts
   in contact with food must be made of stainless steel (such as 304 or 316L) or non-toxic coating materials to avoid heavy metal precipitation and microbial growth. The tooth surface of the worm gear needs to be smoothed to reduce residue accumulation.

2. ‌Sealing and Protection‌It
   must be equipped with a sealing structure with IP65 or above protection level to prevent lubricating oil leakage and the intrusion of external pollutants. The output shaft adopts labyrinth seal or double lip seal to avoid food contact with grease.

2. Lubrication management

1. ‌Food Grade Lubricant‌
   Must use NSF H1 certified grease to ensure it is non-toxic and meets food contact safety standards. The lubrication system must be designed to facilitate cleaning and oil change to avoid residues.

2. ‌Lubrication maintenance specifications‌The lubricating oil needs to be replaced after
   the first 400 hours of operation, and maintenance is required every 5,000 hours or when the oil temperature exceeds 95°C. Check the seal regularly to prevent lubricant from contaminating food.

3. Cleaning and Maintenance

1. ‌Cleanability Design‌The surface of
   the equipment should have no dead spots to facilitate cleaning with high-pressure water guns or CIP (cleaning in place) systems. The worm gear box needs to adopt arc transition to avoid hygienic blind spots.

2. ‌Anti- corrosion treatment‌In
   humid or acid-base environments, the worm gear needs to be nickel-plated or passivated to prevent corrosion. Equipment that is exposed to steam for a long time (such as jacketed kettles) needs to be made of high-temperature resistant materials.

4. Security and Compliance

1. ‌Hygienic certification‌
   needs to comply with the ISO 14644 series of standards (such as surface chemical cleanliness testing) and food machinery hygienic design specifications. Some scenarios need to pass the UL particle emission test to ensure there is no risk of pollution.

2. ‌Installation and Operation‌The
   reducer should be installed on a flat base to avoid vibration causing seal failure. It is prohibited to use self-locking worm gears to replace the braking function to prevent contamination risks caused by dynamic loads.

Through the above measures, the worm gear reducer can meet the stringent requirements of the food industry for hygiene, safety and reliability.