Project Challenge
Krijn Verwijs is one of Europe’s foremost suppliers of shellfish products, particularly blue mussels. When the fresh catch arrives at the processing facility it is put into large basins. These containers incorporate a constant flow of clean salt water which serves to keep the product healthy while thoroughly rinsing out the sand. Given the close proximity to these containers, and the fact that live mussels are then conveyed wet, all processing lines throughout the factory are inevitably exposed to a humid, salty atmosphere.
Aggressive environment –Due to this destructive atmosphere, corrosion rapidly appears on exposed and unprotected metal across the entire automated process, including the conveyor lines. In the case of conventional cast iron gear drives, rust spots and other signs of corrosion, first appear on new systems in a matter of weeks resulting in a one to two year service life. Special coatings or varnishes merely help to moderately delay the onset of corrosion. Stainless steel gear drives, when compared to NORD gear drives with NSDtupH, do not qualify as a cost-effective solution either, proving both costly and impractical due to mandatory cool-off periods before every wash-down.
Resilient, affordable, easy to clean –Frequent drive replacements used to be commonplace at Krijn Verwijs until the company learned of a new approach for gear drives placed in aggressive environments; the NSDtupH surface conversion introduced by NORD DRIVESYSTEMS. This technology enables aluminum alloy gear drives – which can be quickly washed down – to achieve stainless steel grade resistance to corrosion at a lower cost.