7 replies to this topic

[NPE Produce Consulting]

RE: Cleaning and Sanitizing Corrugated Packaging Set Up Machines
 
Interested in requirements (and opinions) on cleaning and sanitizing corrugated packaging setup machines.
 
Most surfaces on the machine do not come in direct contact with the corrugated packaging, however a few components do, e.g. machine mandrels (these push the boxes through the gluing and compression chamber) and the outlet conveyors.
 
My thoughts are to dry clean the entire machine on a daily basis using a dedicated brush and then to clean the product contact surfaces with a bucket with cleaner using a dedicated brush followed by a controlled water rinse (maybe a pump up sprayer with nozzle control from coarse to mist) to minimize excess water followed by a controlled sanitizer application (either spray bottle or pump up sprayer) that has alcohol in it to facilitate better drying. Dry cleaning may also involve some blowing with compressed air, although I think we may not like compressed air if it creates any dust.
 
Any thoughts on the cleaning and cleaning & sanitizing requirements for these machines and keep in mind that these have some water-sensitive components that are difficult to impossible to cover before wetting?

[zac2944]

I like your idea.  My plant makes food grade packaging, and we focus sanitizing on product contact surfaces.  We wipe down our machines on a regular basis, but only sanitize the product contact surfaces.  In my case my machines handle webs of film/paper/foil, like large printing presses.  We only sanitize the rollers that touch the material. The machine frames are kept free of debris, but we don't sanitize them.

[nbobrowicz]

I too am looking for some direction on sanitizing procedures for presses. We are a printer of food contact packaging and I'm trying to find out what others are doing related to sanitizing procedure for presses, slitters, etc. How are others determining frequency of sanitizing and what methods are being used to determine this? Our printed food contact structures include paper/foil/poly as well as in-line laminated heat sealable poly structures, but we also print non-food contact laminations. There's not much information on this process for printers, so thanks for any suggestions or direction.

[ksteele]

I'm looking for more information along the lines of this thread, can anyone give an update? Thanks!

[paulpaine]

There's not a lot of information for the packaging industry.  We have followed our pre-requisite program for SQF certification but are a level 1 since we are non food contact.  I believe also that the type of product (food) going into the container (package) would also carry some weight as to what process you would have to implement beyond general cleaning/sanitation.  We have been asked more lately by clients for food contact packaging and would need to make the jump to SQF level 2 so I will be searching this site as well for more information.

[Saraya Mark]

In Australia the BRC and SQF auditors are very happy with using an alcohol surface wipe on contact surfaces. I have a number of customers who need to clean and sanitise their packaging machines on the food production line and where these machines are water sensitive or are in dry areas, Alcohol wipes seem to be accepted by auditors and the micro results are perfect.

[ateetroshan]

Hi

What re some of the sanitation chemicals that could be used? Will chlorinated sanitation chemicals be harmful to rollers? How about 70% alcohol? Our practice needs improvement.

[tezza07]

I too am looking for some direction on sanitizing procedures for presses. We are a printer of food contact packaging and I'm trying to find out what others are doing related to sanitizing procedure for presses, slitters, etc. How are others determining frequency of sanitizing and what methods are being used to determine this? Our printed food contact structures include paper/foil/poly as well as in-line laminated heat sealable poly structures, but we also print non-food contact laminations. There's not much information on this process for printers, so thanks for any suggestions or direction.

 

The type of sanitizers and cleaners you use and the frequency of the cleaning & sanitizing is determined by you. You can easily validate the chemicals and frequency through micro testing. Good thing about flexible paper-based food packaging facilities is that we are low risk :) Right now we sanitize paper-contact surfaces the first shift of the week, but we've never had a micro test result come back positive (we test every quarter), and with the sanitizer we currently use (10 min. contact time and you have to wipe it off after) it involves too much downtime every week. So using that info, I'm going to push it back to once per month and ramp up micro testing for a year to validate the new frequency.

 

I'm also looking into replacing the sanitizer that we currently use as 10 min. contact time is just nuts (we are low risk, seems a bit extreme). We have a fair number of machines in our facility and I think if we used alcohol wipes our cleaning budget would go through the roof lol but I do like the idea of it (no solutions to make, sanitizer and cloth all in one, and they are one time use which is great). I'm looking for a no-rinse sanitizer that you can spray on, let it be wet for a minute, and then just let it evaporate. Anything more involved than that will involve too much downtime.