Sanitary Welding
Topweld General Engineering is a premier choice for welding services in Canberra and New South Wales. We’ve worked with many industries, including those in food, medicine, and other consumables. Health concerns require sanitary welds to follow strict guidelines. Sanitary welding joins metal pieces to create a seal impermeable to fluids and gas. We commonly use this process in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries to ensure a sanitary, impurity-free environment. Not just any welder can do this job, but Topweld’s expert craftsmen are more than capable.
What Makes a Weld Sanitary?
- The weld itself must be free of any imperfections or defects that could provide a foothold for bacteria or other contamination.
- The weld joint must have a smooth surface, free of any sharp edges or burrs that could harbor bacteria.
- The weld joint must be properly cleaned and disinfected to ensure that it is free of any harmful microorganisms.
Materials Used
We use a variety of metals for sanitary welds, with stainless steel and aluminum being the most common. They may look similar, but each metal has its own benefits and drawbacks. These factors must be considered when choosing the right metal. During the design phase, the welder selects the most suitable alloy for a specific application.
Stainless steel is the most popular choice for sanitary applications. Its high durability and corrosion resistance make it ideal for wet environments like pipes. Additionally, it is easy to clean and sterilize, adding to its appeal. When welding stainless steel, we carefully select the filler metal to enhance the chromium anti-rust barrier. However, stainless steel has poor electric conductivity and is more expensive than aluminum.
Aluminum is another metal our team specializes in for sanitary welds. It is malleable, lightweight, non-toxic, and resistant to corrosion. However, it performs poorly in aqueous environments, limiting its use compared to stainless steel. Despite this, aluminum welding is still popular in industries that don’t use saline water. So, which alloy would best suit your project?
TIG Welding VS. MIG Welding Technique
TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas Welding) is the preferred technique in sanitary welding because it gives the welder more control. A trained metal fabricator can produce clean, strong welds with TIG welding, reducing the risk of harboring impurities. When calibrated properly, MIG welding (Metal Inert Gas) can also work for sanitary applications, especially on large metal fabrications. However, the speed and streamlined nature of MIG welding can become a disadvantage when precise joints and sections are required in sanitary welds.
What Are the Uses of Sanitary Weld?
Food Manufacturing
The most common use of sanitary welding is in complex machinery and food grade equipment that handles the processing of raw materials into food that will be sold to and consumed by a large number of people. For this reason, the industry must abide by strict rules in all stages of production in order to ensure public health safety. Sanitary stainless welding is a good example of the application of this type of work in the food industry.
Medical and Pharmaceutical
Similar to the food industry, the medical and pharmaceutical industry must also follow guidelines such as sanitary weld that are meant to ensure that their products are safe to consume or be used in the medical environment. Syringes, for instance, must be completely free of contaminants before they can be used as they will come into direct contact with a person’s bloodstream.
Agriculture
Farmers usually process their crops in bulk, so it is very important to keep the machinery and other food grade equipment they use clean and safe to avoid harmful substances from contaminating and potentially ruining an entire yield. The rice mill or the many milk processing equipment used in dairy industries make for good examples. Like processed food, sanitary stainless steel welding plays a vital role in maintaining the quality of these machines and their products.
Petrochemicals
Sanitary welding is also important in handling petrochemicals that produce products like detergent, paint, and even explosives. For these products, it is incredibly important that the interior is clean with a smooth surface so that no material that is unaccounted for ever gets mixed in during the manufacturing process. Once again, stainless steel is a fantastic material to utilize for this purpose.
Plumbing
Keeping the water supply and drainage systems in a residential building prevents blockages, leaks, and of course, water contamination. Not to be confused with plumbers, sanitary pipe welding is concerned with the structural integrity of the entire pipe system, rather than isolated problems.
How TopWeld Can Help you?
How Can Topweld Help You With Sanitary Welding Process?
If you want expert welders, there’s only one company you should call. TopWeld General Engineering is the best solution that knows what you’re looking for in a metal fabricator for sanitary welding work. We assure you that our team is experienced and has a good track record when it comes to the complete process of sanitary welding. We have the necessary equipment and resources to get the job done right. Finally, we are open to negotiations to make sure you are getting the most out of every dollar. Structural welding, pipe and tube installation, sheet metal fabrication, we have it all.
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Questions And Answers
TIG welding is by far one of the best ways to get a clean weld. It is much slower than other welding processes, but it can create stronger welds because fabricators have a greater sense of control over their workpieces.
Welding work costs around 50 – 60 AUD depending on the scale of the project and the rate per hour of the welding company. Additional costs may be incurred by materials and other necessities.
Sanitary welding is a special kind of welding service that joins two or more metals together in such a way that the surface is clean and safe from contaminants.
Machines that process food, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals need to be welded with extreme care and precision to ensure that their contents do not get contaminated during the manufacturing stage. Sanitary welding is a special branch in metal fabrication responsible for that specific task.