Machine safety and explosion protection for precise dosing processes
FRICKE relies on steute safety solutions for dosing systems in the perfume and flavour industry
When manufacturing perfumes and flavours, it is not only maximum dosing precision that matters, but also the highest levels of process and personnel safety. Together with steute, FRICKE integrates reliable safety components for hazardous areas into its dosing systems, creating safe, productive and future-proof production solutions for the international perfume and flavour industry.
About the partnership
FRICKE Abfülltechnik GmbH & Co. KG, based in Minden, Germany, develops and manufactures customized dosing and filling systems for demanding liquid products. Precision, reproducibility and protection against cross-contamination are particularly critical in the perfume and flavour industry. At the same time, many applications must meet stringent requirements for explosion protection and machine safety.
To reliably meet these requirements, FRICKE has relied on steute’s safety solutions for many years. The explosion-proof safety interlocks and other switching devices used make an important contribution to ensuring that highly automated dosing systems can be operated safely and efficiently.
Challenges: Maximum precision under demanding safety conditions
FRICKE dosing systems process formulations consisting of several hundred up to 1,000 individual components. The dosing range extends from the smallest quantities to large batches measured in tonnes. This complexity places high demands on the entire system technology – especially when flammable media are processed and the systems are designed for Gas Ex Zone 1.
In addition to explosion protection, machine safety also plays a central role. Mobile batch containers must be fed in and removed, maintenance areas must remain accessible, and at the same time the productivity of the system must not be compromised. What was needed, therefore, was a safety solution that meets high protection standards, can be flexibly integrated into the machine architecture, and operates reliably even under demanding environmental conditions.
Solutions: Robust safety components for hazardous areas
FRICKE integrates steute safety interlocks into its dosing systems, including the Ex STM 515. This device was specifically developed for use in potentially explosive atmospheres and is suitable for applications in gas and dust Ex zones. Its robust design, high locking force and flexible mounting options make it particularly well suited for highly automated systems with safety doors and enclosed process areas.
At the front of the systems, optoelectronic safety devices protect the areas where batch containers are moved. In addition, separating protective devices and segmented safety concepts ensure that individual system sections can be made selectively accessible for maintenance or service. In this way, FRICKE combines a high level of safety with productive and practical system operation.
Additional safety features such as a standards-compliant escape release provide even greater protection for operating personnel. In other areas of dosing and filling technology, FRICKE also uses further Ex switching devices from the steute portfolio, such as safety position switches and Ex rope pull emergency stop switches.
Implementation: Integrated safety concepts for productive systems
At FRICKE, machine safety is integrated into the design from the very beginning. Safety distances, reach-through times and shutdown concepts are configured specifically for each application in order to achieve a safety level of up to PLd. Wherever appropriate, FRICKE also relies on redundancy and combines different safety switching devices within an overall safety concept.
The steute solutions used support FRICKE in achieving a high level of system availability and operator convenience, even under explosion protection conditions. This includes robust components for demanding industrial environments as well as well-designed details for maintenance, service and safe access to individual system sections.
One example is the safety solution developed by FRICKE for mobile shuttles used to transport finished products: since no standard solution was available for this specific application, FRICKE opted for Ex rope pull emergency stop switches with multiple deflections – a practical and reliable in-house development within the framework of the joint safety concept.
Result: Safety, productivity and flexibility in harmony
Through its collaboration with steute, FRICKE delivers dosing systems that meet the highest requirements for precision, explosion protection and machine safety. The safety components help ensure that systems for the perfume and flavour industry can be operated reliably, economically and with a high level of process safety.
At the same time, productivity remains a key focus: individual system areas can be protected selectively, maintenance processes can be designed efficiently, and automation potential can be consistently utilized. The result is solutions that do not treat safety and efficiency as opposing goals, but combine them in a meaningful way.
Looking ahead together: Rethinking safety
The partnership between FRICKE and steute is defined by technical exchange, hands-on experience and a shared commitment to continuously advancing safety solutions for demanding Ex applications. New ideas for safety products and components are incorporated into the collaboration just as much as specific requirements from machine engineering.
In this way, FRICKE is laying the foundation to continue designing highly automated dosing and filling systems for sensitive production environments safely and with a future-proof approach.
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