Igus has developed an easy-to-clean energy supply system from FDA-compliant material for the food industry. For a clean and equally reliable energy supply, the motion plastics specialist has developed the first e-chain developed according to "hygienic design guidelines". Due to the open design, the chain is very easy to clean and, thanks to rounded corners and the absence of threaded connections, dead spaces and therefore resulting germ formation is avoided.

The new energy chain is therefore ideally suited for use on machines and systems for food and packaging industry. Machine components for the food industry must not only be reliable in operation and avoid product contamination through lubrication-free solutions, they must also be capable of being cleaned easily and quickly.

The so-called "Hygienic Design" for the prevention of constructional weak spots on machines is therefore becoming more and more important. For this reason, the motion plastics specialist igus has developed the first e-chain developed according to hygienic design guidelines and presents this to the specialist audience at this year's Fachpack. "The new energy chain is very easy to clean because there are no dead spaces in which germs or dirt can accumulate," explains Lars Braun, head of the packaging industry at igus.

"The blue material, which is typical of plastic elements in the food industry, is FDA-compliant and is also highly resistant to aggressive cleaning agents and chemicals."

Like the many new products that have been developed year after year, the hygienic e-chain was also created for satisfying special market and customer requirements. The "driver" of this idea was the company Multivac from Wolfertschwenden, which is a specialist for packaging machines in the industry. Multivac turned to igus at a time when the market was demanding appropriate solutions. Multivac's request for a hygienically designed energy supply system was the starting point for product development, followed by joint tests. In the foreground was the requirement for simple cleaning, an open design, radii and curves avoiding dead spaces, as well as a structure that avoids surfaces lying on top of each other. The e-chain will be available in two different interior heights and five different interior widths respectively. The up to five fixed interior segments for individual filling are available for both chain sizes and enable the cables and hoses to be laid separately from one another in order to provide sufficient space for cleaning. The new e-chain will be displayed on the R 081 thermoforming machine from Multivac at this year's Fachpack and will be used in the future for thermoforming packaging machines of all types. The ever-increasing hygienic requirements in the food, medical and pharmaceutical sectors are ably met by consistently observed Multivac hygienic design guidelines.