Production managers looking for the perfect connector for their whole plant are often confronted with an endless variety of materials and specifications. When the optimal connector has been found, the question arises of how to fasten it safely to the existing pipework without compromising its durability and flexibility. BFM connectors are made from highly transparent PU and can easily be snapped onto the pipes using the internal snap-and-seal ring.
Flexible connector for the chemical industry
Just snap it on
Production managers looking for the perfect connector for their whole plant are often confronted with an endless variety of materials and specifications. When the optimal connector has been found, the question arises of how to fasten it safely to the existing pipework without compromising its durability and flexibility. BFM connectors are made from highly transparent PU and can easily be snapped onto the pipes using the internal snap-and-seal ring.
Engineers at Bayer Crop Science in Monheim, Germany, have been looking for a standardised solution for the hundreds of different flexible connectors so far in use worldwide with the aim of further increasing safety levels. The fittings not only have to be resistant to the many different Bayer Crop Science products for seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control; they also have to fulfil the high safety standards regarding Ex protection and workplace and product safety. One goal was to eventually only use conductive, Atex certified connectors in all facilities worldwide in anticipation of local legal requirements. The flexible fittings have to be 100 % dust-tight to protect the production environment and keep workers from unnecessary contact with emerging dust. Product changes need to take place quickly and safely, without risking cross-contamination by product particles which remain inside small folds and pockets in the connectors.
No tools needed
During the search for this all-round solution, Bayer came across BFM fittings – connectors made from a highly transparent PU, whose most exciting advantage is their system for fastening to the pipework. Each BFM connector is equipped with an internal snap-and-seal ring at both ends, which can be manually set into the respective BFM spigot. The snap-and-seal ring fits perfectly into the spigot profile and ensures a dust-free seal for the connection. Problems with dust leakage, difficult and dangerous handling because of necessary tools and rapid wear owing to the constant friction between the connector material and the sharp pipe edges and/or hose clamps are now a thing of the past.
The test phase started after the connector material had been further improved to comply with international Atex regulations, and the first installations at Bayer Crop Science Korea in 2011 showed that the quick and simple handling of the BFM Fittings is particularly advantageous for production equipment that requires frequent cleaning cycles. Machine downtimes for cleaning processes could be reduced to a great extent. After more tests at Bayer Crop Science locations in Vietnam, India and Indonesia, the German site in Dormagen also began switching over to the BFM system: “We have more than 300 cleaning cycles here in Dormagen every year with a considerable number of connectors that need to be exchanged per cycle. Hence, it makes a major difference to us whether one connector change takes five or ten minutes, as it used to with our old connectors, or only thirty seconds as it does now with BFM”, reports Mr. Jaeger of Bayer Crop Science Dormagen.
Less maintenance required
Due to the improved leak-tightness and reduced damage to connectors, maintenance requirements have decreased as a whole and every single cleaning process takes less time. Another bonus is the transparency of the Seeflex BFM connectors. Connectors have so far been manufactured from all kinds of non-transparent, coloured materials, so that a visual inspection of the production process was not possible. Using BFM connectors the relevant areas are now readily visible from the outside. Due to their versatile application options and high safety standards, the BFM fittings are used at all Bayer Crop Science production locations worldwide. Fewer different connectors are in use as a result. Documentation, sourcing and warehousing have also been simplified: there are fewer materials, fewer sizes and only one supplier. Moreover, BFM connectors have a sealed-in label with a description, part number and batch number, so that anyone at the plant can check at any time that the correct product is being used at each position.
Originally developed for the food industry because of their premium hygienic features, the connector materials and sealing mechanism have been regularly adapted and improved over the years and are now also a true alternative for the chemical industry, with all its specific safety requirements. The combination of mechanical, thermal and chemical endurance with international food and Atex conformity allows standardised applications in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
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Sabine Neumann
Sabine Neumann
Product Manager,Walter Gerätebau
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