Case: Back plate and cover for a pump housing
This case concerns a back plate and a cover for a pump housing used in the food processing equipment industry. As the items are used for food contact equipment, it is important, that their surfaces are smooth and easy to clean.
It is also important that the items are resistant to corrosion, as they are used in an environment with temperature fluctuations and can be exposed to foods with low PH value. Therefore, the back plate and a cover are manufactured from stainless steel.
Read how we support food processing equipment business
How we manufacture the pump housing
The production of these components requires several different manufacturing operations, due to the complexity of their geometric shapes. Manufacturing these items require both laser-cutting, deep-drawing, annealing, turning, and welding operations.
Total Supplier
Before the cooperation with Steel Products, the customer used several different sub-suppliers, for the different steps in the comprehensive manufacturing process. This was both time consuming and required many resources for transportation and handling.
Today the customer only needs one sub-supplier to produce the items, as we have alle manufacturing processes inhouse.
The Benefits of Deep-Drawing for Food Contact Equipment
Items with complex geometries like this pump housing and back plate, is often manufactured through casting processes. In a casting process small gas pockets in the material is created, due to the heating process. The problem about this is that these gas pockets make the material rough and porous.
By deep-drawing the items instead, the material is formed at room temperature which eliminates the gas pockets. The result is stronger items, with smoother surfaces. The smooth surface makes deep-drawn parts easier to clean and disinfect, which makes them particularly suitable for food contact equipment.
