The team here at FDB Panel Fittings are pleased to announce that, together with our sales partner DIRAK, we can now offer a range of clean locking solutions for the secure closure of housings and equipment in the food processing industries where regular pressure washing is a normal requirement. These quarter turn and compression latches were specifically designed to meet the fundamental principles of “Hygienic Design (HD)” and adhere to the strict requirements and regulations for the food processing industry. These products include a quarter turn latch with SW13 insert, a series of hygienic compression latches and a compression latch with L handle and plate cylinder.
Design features include sophisticated geometric shaping, high-quality polished stainless-steel surfaces and other materials selected to prevent accumulation of contaminants while enabling vigorous cleaning on a regular basis. In this way bacterial build-up may be safely avoided because water can access all surfaces and drain off completely. The high-quality stainless steel used in these latches guarantees optimum corrosion and temperature resistance, making them ideal for almost any environment.
All “HD Products” of this type have been developed within the framework of the properties and tests required by the hygienic standards of the European industrial specifications of DGUV Test Certificate NV 13090. Consequently, the materials are selected to be resistant to acid-based and alkaline-based cleaning agents and each product is assembled with a blue sealing gasket to meet FDA requirements so it cannot be mistaken for food materials, and is readily identified as suitable for food processing.
The latch designs go even further to ensure a high level of safety by featuring smooth rounded edges (to avoid any potential risk during handling) and are matched with a fastening nut with grounding teeth which guarantees reliable contact between the lock and the enclosure, so that an electrically conductive earth connection is ensured.
