Common Cleaning Processes
There are two standard cleaning processes, including clean in place (CIP), typical for sizeable smooth surface components like tanks, pumps, and process piping. Or clean out of place (COP) process for items that require disassembly to access hard-to-reach internal parts like gears, hoses, bushings, and other structural and mechanical components. In the COP process, maintenance personnel will often sanitize parts by soaking them in a caustic solution.
Cleaning and sanitizing is a four-step process with an initial rinse step, followed by cleaning, a second rinse step, and a final sanitizing step. The sanitization step can involve a thermal process like hot water or steam and a chemical washdown using an approved chemical sanitizer.
Modern Caustic Washdown Processes Attack Many Common FDA Compliant Plastics
With the increasing trends of higher concentrations of caustics and other chemicals for sanitizing washdowns, selecting plastic materials compatible with washdowns and other cleaning processes such as steam or hot water is critical.
A wide range of FDA-compliant plastics is used for various components in conveyors, mixing equipment, filling equipment, bottling equipment, capsule / vile filling equipment, and other automation equipment.
In some cases, materials like Nylon or Acetal (Delrin) may experience a chemical attack from high concentration chemical or caustic washdowns and break down quickly, resulting in part embrittlement and early failure. These failures result in costly part replacement and production downtime.
Selecting the Right Plastic Material for Long Term Service in Sanitary / Caustic Washdown Applications for the Food, Beverage & Pharmaceutical Industries is Critical for Safe & Efficient Production
At Boedeker Plastics, Inc., we understand the challenges of increasingly aggressive caustic / chemical washdown processes to which equipment and components are exposed; our experts have extensive experience with washdown chemicals and varying chemical concentrations and service temperatures.
Contact Us - For assistance selecting plastic materials that will provide a longer service life in the harshest washdown environments in your application.
![]()
