In the food and beverage industry, precision and reliability are both of great importance. Electroforming technology makes it possible to create high-precision components that meet rigorous industry standards while offering heat-resistant and bio-compatible characteristics, critical for food and beverage manufacturing processes. This blog reviews its technical advantages and explores its wide applications in the food and beverage industry.
Electroforming is an advanced Additive Manufacturing process that leverages Photolithography and Electrodeposition technologies to produce high-precision metal parts atom by atom. Unlike subtractive machining processes, which remove material to produce components, Electroforming “grows” components with exceptional accuracy and tight tolerances. For the Food and Beverage industry, Electroforming technology features technical benefits that make it the suitable choice for various applications:
- micron-level precision: Electroforming enables the production of components with features down to microns, empowering applications requiring high precis
- customizability: Electroforming allows for the creation of components tailored to specific demands. Manufacturers can customize parameters such as feature design, hole size, shape, and open area.
- ultra-smooth surfaces: Electroforming produces parts with smooth, high-quality surface finishes, which minimizes additional finishing steps. For food and beverage applications, this makes the cleaning process easier and helps reduce the risk of contamination.
- durability and corrosion resistance: Electroformed components are made from high-quality alloys with excellent durability and resistance.
- unique conical hole shape with non-clogging benefits : Electroforming enables the manufacturing of components with unique conical hole shapes. With Electroforming high-performance filtration sieves with self-releasing advantage can be made.
Filtration is one of the most prominent applications of Electroforming technology in the food and beverage sector. In sugar manufacturing, the performance of a sugar screen can directly impact sugar yields and sugar quality. Electroformed sugar filtration screens deliver anti-clogging performance, ultra-smooth surfaces, enhanced durability, and higher throughput compared to conventional filtration media, all of which result in enhanced yield and reduced processing times. Similarly, Electroforming transforms coffee filtration by enabling filters with custom hole geometries. Unique customized apertures can optimize flow and prevent clogging or channeling, ensuring full extraction of coffee oils while retaining fine particulates, which enhances flavor clarity and eliminates residue. In addition, high-precision Electroformed filtration screens are also employed in the production of monosodium glutamate (MSG), edible oils, and so on.
Besides filtration, the accuracy and versatility of Electroforming also make it ideal for manufacturing dosing and metering components. In food and beverage production, accurate ingredient proportions are essential. Electroformed components, such as high-precision nozzle plates and aperture plates, are used to ensure precise liquid dosing and flow control. Their ultra-smooth surfaces and unique anti-clogging hole definition prevent blockages and ensure reliable operation, even under rigorous production conditions. For viscous ingredients like sauces or syrups, for example, customized aperture designs can help regulate flow rates without blockages, while ultra-smooth surfaces simplify cleaning and meet hygienic standards.
In addition, Electroformed nozzle plates also find application in the nozzle and spray systems of the food and beverage sector. They are suitable for processes that require high-precision nozzle plates including spray drying, flavor dispersion, coating, and fine misting processes. Such nozzle plates are highly valued for their superior quality and performance. Their ultra-smooth surfaces and burr-free, stress-free apertures ensure precise performance and minimize the risk of deformation. The unique anti-clogging hole features help improve efficiency over time, while corrosion and heat resistance allows them to withstand demanding production environments for a longer time. Additionally, bio-compatible material options and customizable geometries are also possible with Veco’s application engineering service.
Apart from being crucial parts of food and beverage production processes, Electroforming is also frequently utilized to create a variety of parts for food and beverage processing machinery. For instance, encoder discs are essential for motion control in automated equipment, ensuring accurate performance in operations like packing, filling, and sorting. Flow discs, on the other hand, regulate the flow of gases and liquids in processing systems, optimizing flow rates following manufacturers’ demands. Interested to learn more about Electroforming, or doubting whether it can be a suitable solution for your manufacturing processes? Don’t hesitate to talk to our application engineering team to find out!