Never heard the term sanitary welding? If not, then why not have a look at it right now? And even if you know, let’s develop a complete understanding of what it is and how it is done.
By any chance, if you are working in any food industry, you will find the use of sanitary welding there. When it comes to storing and maintaining food on a large scale, then a need for proper storage equipment arises that is capable of keeping the food safe.
That is why you need to know how to make such equipment and machines. And you can easily do so with the help of sanitary welding if you have a proper idea of what that is.
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What is sanitary welding?
Sanitary welding involves making food-grade products and metal works for equipment and machinery that work with daily life consumables. Sanitary welding is the most common practice in the food, drug, and dairy industries.
Stainless steel is the most used and most suitable metal for sanitary welding. Usually, stainless steel with the grade of 316 is used for this purpose.
When you work in any industry related to food products, sanitation is the first and most important factor involved. It plays an important role in making, maintaining, and storage of food in storage cans and machinery.
Sanitary welding mistakes to avoid
Now here we will discuss some common mistakes that are done without knowing. But these mistakes can put others to risk. Keep in mind that you are dealing with the food and dairy product industries. So everything a welder does needs to be done carefully.
Mostly, these mistakes are done by most welders during sanitary welding:
- Bolted framework
- Welding two different metals together
- Surfaces are overstressed
- Failure in removing sharps and burrs
- Inner corner welds
Bolted framework
In sanitary welding, the first thing that needs full attention is the metals and piping connections. The connections between different metal parts and pipes of the machinery should be sealed properly. This is the most important thing and every professional welder in the field knows this.
For everything to work smoothly, the machinery parts must work smoothly as well. That is why all the parts and pipes should be completely intact. All the surfaces must be sealed instead of just bolting them together.
Disassembling
Moreover, while the machinery needs to be completely intact, it should also be able to disassemble if needed. Disassembling is usually done in case of cleaning or repairing some parts of machinery.
Welding two different metals together
Welding two different metals when you are doing sanitary welding is advised to be avoided at any cost. Because it can directly cause many problems in certain different ways. Due to this, there is a chance of corrosion around the coupling areas of metals.
Food contamination and metal cracking
In addition to that, corrosion in the metals can lead to food contamination. Also, due to the thermal differences between the two metals you are using, there is a chance of cracks in metal surfaces.
How to avoid such a problem?
To avoid this problem from happening, make sure that all the metal that has been supplied is authenticated and of the same quality as per your requirements. Your welding team should be aware of all the safety protocols and welding procedures.
This mistake usually happens in the starting phase of design when we manufacture food-grade equipment. So it is better to take care of it at the beginning for the rest of the process to go smoothly.
Surfaces are overstressed
While dealing with sanitary welding, you need to choose a welding technique that should not put too much pressure or stress on metal surfaces. Because too much pressure on the surface of metals can remove the oxide layers from the surfaces.
When the oxide layer is removed, the base metal is exposed to air increases the risk of corrosion. You need to take care of this especially when you are using stainless steel for food grading.
Corrosion will cause food decay. So make sure to avoid excessive stress and pressure on the metal surface during welding.
Failure in removing sharps and burrs
You might find it alright to leave burrs and sharps on the welded surface in different welding fields. However, it is unacceptable when it comes to sanitary welding. These bumps and sharps need to be removed by electropolishing the surface or using sanding paper.
Inner corner welds
In sanitary welding, making welds in inner corners is avoided. They must be radiused and flat to without making any corner. This is done because there is a chance of bacteria formation in the corners or porous surfaces.
Bacterias can breed if they find such a place and it can become very problematic for the food industry. So make sure that there are no corner welds once you are done with welding.
Applications of sanitary welding
Focusing not only on the food industry, you will also find many uses of sanitary welding in different industries. Let’s discuss some of them here as well.
Food industry
First of all, you will find its applications in the food industry from manufacturing to serving process. The machines and equipment that come in direct contact with food should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitary.
Medical industry
In the medical industry, we need to make sure that medical equipment and machines including lab machines and surgical tools are made with care. Here as well, sanitary welding plays an important role and must be done carefully to avoid all the risks.
Pharmaceutical industry
Just like sanitary welding is important here regarding the health of consumers, it is equally important in the pharmaceutical industry as well.
The chemicals need to be put in different tubes and containers which should be made to avoid any contaminations in the liquid that is in them. This can be a direct threat to people if the containers or bottles carrying the chemicals are made without following the safety measures.
Wrapping up
By explaining all this, we expect that you have a better understanding of sanitary welding than before. Make sure to avoid the above-mentioned mistakes to save yourself from trouble.