Interroll unveiled the first prototypes of its new self-cleaning drum motors at this year's IFFA trade fair in Frankfurt. The pioneering feature is designed to provide improved hygiene, tangible cost savings with regard to daily cleaning activities, and superior operational reliability. Full-scale production is to commence at the end of 2007.
Boasting a fully integrated self-cleaning mechanism, the drum motors are predestined for use in conveyor systems that can be operated without the need for manual cleaning of individual components. This is of particular benefit to meat processing industries, as well as all other sectors of the food production industry, which are heavily dependent on conveyor technology to maintain efficient value chains. Alongside hygiene, cost-effectiveness plays a particularly dominant role in this area: if a mere €15 can be saved per day, the self-cleaning drum motor pays for itself after just over a quarter of a year (€15 x 67 working days = €1000 / quarter. Additional cost of self-cleaning drum motor and accessories = approx. €1000).
Supplied with water and a cleaning agent, the next-generation drum motor (with its specially positioned nozzles) is capable of cleaning itself. In parallel, the unit also cleans the underside of the conveyor line within the area of the motor, as well as the joints of the modular plastic conveyor belts. Designed on the basis of a 135mm drum motor, the self-cleaning drum motor has been equipped with a second jacket tube, which delivers the incoming cleaning liquid to the nozzles via a special chamber system. The liquid enters the unit via the drum motor axis, and is then distributed to the chamber system.
Approximately 20 nozzles per dm² surface are responsible for cleaning the entire unit at a predefined pressure. Even congealed blood and grime are removed from the drum motor. Cleaning tests were also applied to standard conveyor chains supplied by leading manufacturers within this field. They, too, were thoroughly cleaned from the underside and within the joint area. The upper surface, which is not directly accessible to the motor drum nozzles, can be cleaned by an additional system of nozzles fitted to the equipment - to create a fully self-contained cleaning system that is capable of reaching every area of the conveyor.
The cleaning process is performed while the drum motor is operating. First, the cleaning foam is applied by the system; having been left for a specific period, it is subsequently rinsed. Due to the fact that the drum motor is moving, the modular conveyors are cleaned thoroughly as part of this procedure.