Han® F+B – versatile connectors for the food industry
Food manufacturers have often been skeptical about using connectors in hygiene-sensitive areas, fearing that the profiles of the interfaces will disrupt the smooth, easily washable surfaces in areas near food production. With the Han® F+B has HARTING has now developed a special connector that can withstand intensive cleaning and offers new possibilities for the design, assembly and maintenance of production facilities.
In the food industry, installations must be designed in such a way that substances that are hazardous to health cannot end up in the food. Therefore, food processing and packaging machines must be designed to be easy to clean; dirt bags should be avoided. What sounds so simple at first glance causes headaches for many production leaders in the industry.
The product zone, i.e. the zone with direct food contact, places the highest hygiene requirements on machines and components. This zone is often kept small to limit cleaning efforts. Smooth surfaces are ideal because they make it more difficult for bacteria to accumulate. Since electromechanical interfaces interrupt the smooth surfaces, they are placed outside this zone if possible.
Electrical connections in the spray zone
Even in the spray zone, food manufacturers find it too risky to use industrial connectors instead of hard-wired connections. They argue that the aggressive cleaning agents used in this area put a heavy burden on the material of the connector. In addition, high-pressure cleaners and hot water are regularly used on the equipment. As a result, seals and glands of connectors can lose their protective effect on the inside of covers or housings.
A good example is Packaging Automation (PA), a manufacturer of tray sealers in Knutsford, Great Britain. In the past, the company associated the use of connectors mainly with risks: there were cases where glands and sealing rings lost their protective function after the use of highly effective cleaning chemicals and high-pressure cleaners. Still, PA has been using the special one for several years Han® F+B connector from HARTING. “It has helped us overcome a number of design challenges on our machines,” reports Steve Woodhead, Development Engineer at PA. The connectors have also allowed the standardization of the lower part of the machine. “If a customer wants an option changed, we can now easily replace the inserts without having to redesign the entire metal structure of our tray sealers,” says Woodhead. In addition, the Han® F+B connectors reduces the time it takes to replace parts such as exhaust systems.
Resistant to aggressive chemicals
The specially designed connector series from HARTING transmits current and signals in the splash zone, i.e. in a particularly hygienically sensitive environment where installation parts can come into contact with food. Although such foodstuffs never return to the product stream, residues can remain on machine components. In this zone, connection pieces are required that can withstand high-pressure cleaning and the effects of aggressive chemicals. After cleaning, there should be no residues left behind that could lead to the formation of germs.
It quickly becomes clear that the Han F+B is designed for the spray zone: the housing has an easy-to-clean design with large radii and smooth surfaces. It is designed according to the guidelines of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG). Special covers or housings and seals protect the electrical connections with IP69K against high pressure and steam cleaning. In addition, the cracks that occur in connectors during use are covered. The covers and housings are made of FDA 21 approved material and Ecolab certification confirms resistance to aggressive cleaning chemicals.
In addition to the Han F+B inserts with nine contacts, more than twenty different inserts are available for the Han® 3A size. The range ranges from RJ45 interfaces and signal inserts with up to 21 poles to power contacts for currents up to 40 amperes. This varied offering allows users to flexibly install electrical interfaces even in small installation spaces. This means that no cable glands in the control cabinet need to be opened to disconnect field equipment. The time-consuming disconnecting and reinstalling of hardwirelines is also not necessary. Thanks to the connectors, installation of systems is completed quickly and tool changes and service visits take less time.
More flexibility in system design
The requirements for connectors in the product-free zone are not as high, because direct contact between food and system components is less likely here. However, the components must be easy to wash and sterilize. This is where the Han® B industrial standard connectors can show their advantages. They have at least protection degree IP65 and are therefore suitable for many applications.
Stainless steel housings offer another option. If the product-free zone is cleaned together with other zones, the components may be exposed to noticeable chemical stress. In such cases, stainless steel is a suitable housing material for connectors because it is particularly corrosion resistant and has smooth surfaces. This allows the exterior to be thoroughly cleaned and ensures that no residue is left behind.
With their stainless steel housing, the connectors of the Han-INOX® series are particularly resistant to chemical cleaning in the food industry. The inside, including the contacts, is safely protected against splash water. With hoods and housings in the larger 10 B version, users can also benefit from the Han-Modular® series. When designing connectors from this series, the user can choose from a wide range of inserts in standard sizes, covering the different lifelines of the industry. The choice varies from the Han® Gigabit module for fast data transfer to power modules (with 16 amps), high-current modules (100/200 amps) and pneumatic contacts for compressed air. The right solution can be configured for almost all requirements.
Alternatively, compact Han® 3A stainless steel housings can be used. These have IP67 protection and take up little space. This makes them an ideal solution for motor connections, for example.
High-quality plastic is an alternative
Outside the production area, plastic is an alternative to stainless steel, because it can also be cleaned under high pressure. In addition to the special Han® F+B connector for the splash zone, the HARTING product range also includes the Han-Eco®, which is suitable for the product-free zone. The main advantages are the non-corrosive properties of the glass fiber reinforced high performance plastic. Han-Eco® uses housings that are characterized by high mechanical robustness and IP65 protection. At the same time, the weight of the plastic material is low. Here too, the combination with contact inserts from the Han-Modular® series is ideal. Han-Eco® users benefit from the fact that there is room for one more module in each hood or housing, compared to the standard metal equivalent Han® B. This reduces space, weight and costs.
For construction-intensive applications with frequent tool changes, for example mold changes on thermoforming machines, docking frames are useful. The frames can serve as a holder for Han-Modular®. By using it, different modules for the transmission of power, data, signals or compressed air can be placed next to each other. With more than 100 different modules, the modular connector program offers almost infinite combination options and flexibility. The docking frame is used to connect or disconnect the interfaces of tools or machine elements. Such docking systems can be constructed modularly and adapted to the relevant application. This creates meaningful and efficient solutions for many installation processes.
Hygienic design – white paper on the use of connectors in the food industry
HARTING has published an instructional white paper on connectors in the food industry. The document provides an overview of the requirements for connectors as they arise from zone classification in food production (e.g. EN 1672-2). In addition, it provides information about the correct design of interfaces for machines and systems in the food industry, the materials to be used and information about the resistance of connector components to cleaning agents.
The document can be requested at www.harting.com/fb.
Background: The three zones of food production
Processing in the food industry takes place through three different zones: the product, the splash zone and the product-free zone. Each zone has different requirements for the components to be used. All installation parts and components that come into direct contact with the food are classified in the product zone. They must be washable, easily disinfected, corrosion resistant, non-toxic, non-absorbent, smooth, continuous or sealed. Connectors do not usually come into direct contact with the food and are therefore rarely found in this area.
In the splash zone, foodstuffs can also come into contact with parts, but they never return to the product flow. Since this area also requires regular cleaning, the criteria for the product area should be consulted to ensure a high level of hygiene. In the product-free zone there is no direct contact between food and installation parts, although the latter must be resistant to corrosion and easy to wash and disinfect.
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