One of our customers came to us with a unique design for their pharmaceutical factory.
A bespoke stainless steel fixed platform was required for a pill hopper, and it would have to allow a conveyor belt to run through it while offering access from both sides.
In addition to the platform, a bund was also required that would need to be strong enough to hold a 1 tonne IBC container, as well as its full liquid capacity.
Finally, the underframe would need to be robust enough that it could be moved by a forklift truck.
Given the nature of the business, the client wanted a hygienic solution that would be easy to clean and would offer as few potential dirt traps as possible.
Clearly, this was a significant project and, during the course of the specification briefing, it became clear that some design changes would need to be made.
However, these were fairly minor: notably, we wanted to minimise dirt traps wherever possible. One of these places was at the bottom of the handrails; two of our standard designs weren’t compatible, so we came up with a completely gap-free solution that combined easy cleaning and a practical manufacturing process.
304 grade stainless steel was used rather than 316 grade because the product’s positioning meant the higher grade of steel wasn’t necessary.
Once our technical drawings were approved by the client’s engineer, we were able to complete the project within 5 weeks.
Upon delivery, the customer reported the product fitted perfectly into the specifications of the factory.
