In pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food plants a sifter must do more than separate particles. It has to protect the product from contamination, be easy to clean and inspect, and come with the documentation your quality team needs. These are the design points worth checking when you specify a machine for hygienic duty.
Contact materials
Product contact parts are normally made from stainless steel. The grade is chosen to suit the product and the cleaning agents: SS 316 or 316L is widely specified for pharmaceutical contact parts, while SS 304 is often acceptable for many food applications. State the grade you need in your user requirement specification (URS) rather than leaving it open.
Gaskets, seals and flexible sleeves in contact with the product should be made from materials suitable for food or pharmaceutical contact, with supporting declarations from the material supplier.
Surface finish and construction
- Smooth, polished contact surfaces release product more easily and are quicker to clean. If your process requires a specific surface roughness, specify it.
- Continuous, ground welds avoid crevices where product can collect.
- Rounded internal corners and self-draining outlets reduce hold-up.
- Avoid painted surfaces and exposed threads in or above the product zone.
Cleanability
A sifter for hygienic duty should come apart quickly. Quick-release clamps, screens that lift out without tools and a layout that lets operators see every contact surface make cleaning faster and cleaning validation more reliable. Consider how the machine will be cleaned (dry, wet or both) and whether parts must fit in a parts washer.
Containment and dust
Closed covers, sealed inlets and outlets and properly fitted sleeves keep dust in and contaminants out. For potent or dusty products, discuss containment requirements at the enquiry stage.
Documentation
Quality teams usually expect material certificates for contact parts, declarations for gaskets and seals, drawings and a parts list, and support for qualification activities. Agree the documentation package with your supplier before ordering so it is ready when the machine arrives.
Share your URS or a short description of your product and hygiene requirements with us, and we will propose a configuration and confirm the documentation that can be supplied with it.