Hygiene regulations in the food industry place high demands on drive and control components with regard to surfaces and materials, which must be able to withstand regular exposure and resistance to aggressive cleaners. By coating a standard servomotor so that it is suitable for use around food products, Beckhoff breaks new ground: the white coating, which is typical in the food industry, is compliant with FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations and guarantees that the products manufactured with it are not in any way tainted by chemicals.
The FDA-compliant motors differ from the standard types only by their surface and by the stainless steel shaft, otherwise they are identical. The advantage for the 
user is that additional motor types do not have to be ‘designed into’ the machine in the case of mixed use of coated and standard motors. A further advantage is the price: the coating adds only about 30 percent to the price of the standard motors, depending on the size. Not only that, the IP 67 design permits use in harsh industrial environments.
The flange sizes 2…7 from the Beckhoff AM3000 series are optionally available with the new surface coating.
Please send readers' questions regarding “Wash-down motors” to: Beckhoff Automation GmbH, Eiserstraße 5, 33415 Verl, Germany Phone: +49 (0) 5246 963-0, Fax: +49 (0) 5246 963-198 e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Internet: www.beckhoff.de