Specialised Plastics From Partwell Group

By Author: Luke Gilrane
Total Articles: 81
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Partwell specialise in plastics, offering a bespoke machining & engineering service for simple and complex components.

Case Study – Food Processing Plant Safety Guards & Screens

Following a request for a site visit at a large food processing client, Partwell’s Technical Sales Manager Ken Schooley conducted a comprehensive free of charge inspection of their Packaging Line Safety Guards to identify weak points.

It is good practice to identify weak points and damage of safety screens and not always is it necessary to replace them. Once the risk is identified, careful monitoring of the damage can take place to ensure that the risk is managed. However, inevitably, replacements are required where large cracks have severely weakened the screen and are spreading, putting the protection at severe risk.

In this particular application, the cracks also posed a food hygiene risk as food stuffs were being trapped in the gaps, which would inevitably cause bacterial growth. On this occasion, it was recommended that a number of screens should be replaced.

Material Identification Service

Partwell’s ...
... technical team provided a full design service. The screen was measured up and the ideal material grade was identified which met the requirements of the risk in which they were to be sited.
A full written quotation was provided to ensure clarity of work recommended, cost and time scales.

Minimised Plant Down Time

Within a few days the new screens were delivered to customer for installation at the earliest opportunity between production runs, to minimise loss of production. The customer felt re-assured that the working area was safe and would remain accident free. The cause of cracking is generally wear and tear over a period of time or from damage from previous events where the screens acted as a barrier.

The Benefits of Having a Plastic Food Guard from Partwell
• PVC has excellent chemical resisting properties, withstanding strong alkalis and acids.
• Polypropylene provides excellent chemical resistance and also has good electrical properties.
• High density polyethylene HDPE 300 grade and also resistance to ionising radiation.
• PEEK has excellent chemical resistance, anti-oxidisation properties and fire resistance.
• PTFE is almost chemically inert.

If you would like a no obligation review of your production line screens then please contact Partwell as part of your prevention program. Partwell provide a comprehensive bespoke plastic engineering service for a wide range of industries, research and development, 5-axis technology production, any volume manufacture from industrial plastic sheet stocks. We also offer water jet cutting services at our premises in Lancashire.

Useful Resources:
Water jet cutting from Partwell | Original story can be found online at Partwell