Hygienic Design Considerations for Weighing Equipment

Ensuring a contamination-free manufacturing process is a challenge in today's complex production environments.

In highly regulated industries, hygienic systems and processing areas can be adversely affected by a single contaminated product. This can lead to costly recalls, a damaged reputation and ultimately harm to customers.

Properly designed equipment, however, can help mitigate these risks and ensure a clean manufacturing environment. Understand the key principles of hygienic design and discover practical cleaning tips with our free Hygienic Guide.

Regulatory requirements

With regard to equipment design and use, leading authorities such as the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) or the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) are very consistent in their Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidance. They state that equipment should be designed specifically for its intended use, prevent contamination of the manufactured products and facilitate easy cleaning.

The European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) and the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF International) are the best-recognized international experts in the area of good design practices for sanitary equipment. Be sure to look for weighing equipment that is designed according to EHEDG guidelines and certified by NSF.

View the infographic for a brief summary of the key features to look for in order to comply with these requirements. Then, download the guide for a more detailed overview.

Materials to consider

The aim of hygienic design is to ensure that equipment is easy to clean, reducing the risk of contamination that can arise either from the equipment itself or from matter that is trapped inside. When choosing a piece of equipment, it’s important to strive for one that incorporates specific materials and surface types into its design.

A common material in the construction of hygienic equipment is stainless steel, with AISI 304 and 316 popular choices because they are resistant to corrosion and do not emit particles that could lead to product contamination.

Surface roughness is also critical to a good hygienic design. Although a surface may seem smooth, it actually may be quite rough and have deep valleys that can harbor bacteria and soils. It’s important to ensure all surfaces on hygienic equipment is smooth, which allows easier cleaning and minimizes the likelihood of soils remaining on the surface after a wash-down.

Important equipment features

Features to look for in hygienically designed weighing equipment include…

- Easy-to-clean, mirror-polished and self-draining surfaces

- Hygienic washer design to enable tight seals and secure connections

- Sealed joint areas to avoid contaminants

- Complete load cell protection

- No exposed threads that can collect contaminants

- No metal-to-metal contact to avoid microorganism contamination

Ingress protection (IP rating)

The ingress protection rating classifies the protection level of electrical enclosures. The first digit indicates protection against the intrusion of solid objects and the second digit indicates protection against liquids.

Download the Hygienic Guide for additional tips and tools to select your next bench scale, floor scale or weigh module and ensure a contamination-free environment.

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