Sanitation of packaging equipment

looking to see what is normally used in the industry. to sanitize die cutters, folder/gluers, paper sheeter that will be used to make dry food contact paper board boxes. 

Thanks,

looking to see what is normally used in the industry. to sanitize die cutters, folder/gluers, paper sheeter that will be used to make dry food contact paper board boxes. 

 

Thanks,

Do you mean "clean and sanitize" ?

Like Charles, I will assume you mean to clean and sanitize - having recently seen an Ecolab presentation I would suggest contacting your local Ecolab rep and asking about their specialized cleaners and sanitizers for this application - they and Spartan have a nice line of items.

I am new to SQF and getting ready for an audit.  After taking SQF Practitioner course which is really not geared for box packaging products.  It seems like these courses are more geared towards making actual food products.  They go into all kinds a things you have to worry about when processing food.  90% of this stuff would never occur in making boxes.

I was not sure if I can just clean the machines that manufacture (die cutters, folder/gluers, paper sheeter) the boxes with just alcohol or do I have to use some type of sanitize chemical.  Like, it talks about when you are actual preparing food and our manufacturing food products and you have to sanitize the equipment used in food processing. 

Thanks for your replies.

Thanks for the reply.  I passed the SQF Pratitioner course.  Was just giving my opinion on the course that I had to take, which really was not geared to packaging.  So, that it is clear.  I am talking about a company that only makes boxes.  Not food or places food in the box.  Just makes food contact boxes.  SQF does not have a course geared for that industry.

My question is for any SQF Practitioner or quality manager out there in my industry and what they use on their machines.  Don't need to engauge in a consultant.  This would be a easy question for someone working in my industry.

But, I appreciated your help.

sorry for the misunderstanding.  I looked up Ecolab.  Will call them on Monday.  That was another question you answered that I forgot to ask (wet or dry).  Thanks again.

I work for a box manufacturing company.  Looking for advise on what type of cleaning solution or sanitizing cleaner companies use on their packaging machines.

We do not process food or pack food in the boxes.  We would only be manufacturing the box.  Every low risk of any type of contaminates.

I was thinking of using a food grade greasers and some type of food grade sanitizer or even alcohol/water mix.   Just fishing for information on what other similar companies use. 

I contact Ecolab.   They are going to be sending me information on some type of system that they want to install.  

Machines:

Paper Sheeter

Die Cutter

Folder Gluer

Hello Mike, 

Ecolab will be a great resource to use for this, just don't let them sell you something you don't need. From my experience most manufactures are using a quat ammonia or alcohol based sanitizers. You will just want to check or speak with your maintenance crew on the potential of corrosion on your equipment. That should get you headed in the right direction though. If you are just wiping machines down and not deep cleaning each shift maybe Sani Wipes would be a better bet for daily use and chemicals for the deep clean. 

Hope this helps, 

J   

I like Ecolab and also Spartan, Zep also has a good program for smaller companies (if that fits you.)

as Jared said, Ecolab is a good company but in my experience with them they are always in an upsell mode.

Hello,

I am a Quality Manager in a folding carton company.  We do not sanitize the printing, die cutting or folding/gluing machines.  We do, however, clean our machinery (wipe down, remove build-ups, etc.) and do regular maintenance on them.   We are BRC Packaging compliant and have had numerous third party audits and have never been asked to sanitize.  As you indicate, we are not producing any food products, just the packaging of the food products.

Stay safe.

Hello,

 

I am a Quality Manager in a folding carton company.  We do not sanitize the printing, die cutting or folding/gluing machines.  We do, however, clean our machinery (wipe down, remove build-ups, etc.) and do regular maintenance on them.   We are BRC Packaging compliant and have had numerous third party audits and have never been asked to sanitize.  As you indicate, we are not producing any food products, just the packaging of the food products.

 

Stay safe.

I agree with this. I work for a corrugated converter (cut, print, fold, & glue). We are moving towards BRC certification and have had a consultant not see any issue with our dry cleaning methods during a Gap Analysis.

CartonQM -  when you say dry method.  are you using a dry chemical? If you are using a chemical.  please advise on the chemical name.  Thanks,

Dry cleaning meaning clean dry cloth to wipe down equipment, some compressed air/vacuuming, and sweeping of the floor (no sanitizers used). 

Almost forgot, our ink system & trays are flushed with clean water, so not all entirely dry.

that's what we will do.  thanks a ton.

We are a packaging manufacturer: Flexo, Offset, sheeting, die cutting and folder gluing. Definitely must use food grade lubricants. Our processes include a periodic cleaning of equipment using (Prisco) Force-40. Unless you are introducing allergens or other pathogens somehow, there is little to no risk of anything contaminating your equipment. The equipment design and construction is the important thing here. If your machinery isn't more than 15 - 20 years old, the construction and design prevent introduction of contaminants and GMPs should address any others. We tend to avoid using anything other than dry wiping unless we have identified a contamination event. PRPs including your GMPs should control any risks as there is no inherent risk from your raw materials, just make sure you back that up with an LOCG from your suppliers and make sure your cleaning schedule, hygiene and GMPs are solid and followed. Pre-operation wiping of belts is about the only "cleaning" we do and even then your make-ready should clear those adequately. Make sure it's documented with risk assessments and in procedure.

Yes to dry method. Packaging machinery manufacturers will actually tell you NOT to use wet methods. The machinery is not intended to be in wet environments and it is easy to wash out lubricants vital to the operation of the equipment. Definitely contact the manufacturer (ours are primarily Bobst, ManRoland and Hidelberg), get their recommendation in writing and keep it as evidence for your decision.

Quats are your friend in a dry environment like that.

They'll leave a residual after they dry which will help prevent biofilm formation if any areas stay damp,

they're a mild detergent, so while you can't remove heavy grease they do help remove drips of oil as you go, rather than having to scrub/wipe with something soapy first,

they're easy to do concentration checks on and they remain very stable when portioned out into secondary containers (like spray bottles)

at the use concentrations they're very safe to handle.

Hooisersmoker - thansk for the reply.  I have decided to use compressed air from the mahinces to clear out dust and any paper pieces.  Will use a water/alcohol mix.  Spray on towel and wipe areas of the machines that can possible touch the paperboard.

Have another question for you.  Since you are in similar industry.  How did you handle Environment Monitoring?  This is something that I would think that the risk is very low.  Did you perform a risk assessment?

Thanks again.

We gained exemption from Environmental Monitoring by providing the evidence to support our claim and risk assessment to our CB's Technical Department. We did a swabbing of machinery, raw materials and auxiliary surfaces (tables / work surfaces) and found no trace of any pathogens or other bacterium. Having never done that type of sampling before and there being no evidence of any inherent contaminants from the materials we use for our products, our risk assessment showed no real reason for additional, ongoing monitoring unless there is a credible reason such as notification from a supplier or report of violations of GMPs that would warrant thorough cleaning or testing, which isn't technically an environmental contamination. The process for making the paper and film involve steps that would kill any such contaminants preventing potential contamination. The risk levels showed low enough to support our request for exemption. Hope this helps!

Stick to alcohol based sanitizers to keep things dry.  Quat is good for environmental sanitizer, but is not necessary for your equipment and is a water based sanitizer.  Sounds like you want to keep things dry on your equipment.

Ecolab has a good alcohol blended cleaner / sanitizer called Drysan Duo.  It works as a cleaner and as a sanitizer.  You can get it in liquid form and also in wipes.  I will say in the current environment with COVID it will be hard to get.  We are still waiting on a drum of it we ordered 5 weeks ago, it was supposed to be here last week.

You can also use regular alcohol as well, if you can find some.

Hi mikeq,

Please avoid posting duplicate topics. It causes confusion and wastes people's time.

I have combined the two threads.