Rotary Unions and Slip Rings in Food and Beverage Production – MOFLON Technology

In the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, every stage of production must be precise and safe. From washing bottles, through filling and capping, to mixing products – each machine requires efficient transmission of power, signals, and fluids between moving and stationary parts.

This is where slip rings and rotary joints come into play. They ensure production lines operate smoothly, without downtime or failures, while meeting high hygiene and safety standards. In this article, we will show how MOFLON solutions support modern production lines, increasing efficiency and reliability in daily operations.

Slip ring solutions for the food and beverage industry

A slip ring is an electromechanical device that facilitates the transfer of electrical power and signals from a stationary to a rotating system, while a rotary joint/rotary union/rotary connection is a precise device that allows the transfer of fluids from a stationary to a rotating system. MOFLON slip rings and rotary joints are designed to provide flexible, cost-effective, reliable, and excellent solutions, and are produced in many standard versions. We also offer customized solutions to meet individual requirements, fulfilling your precise needs.

Government regulations impose strict procedures on the food and beverage industry regarding cleanliness, health, safety, and environmental ethics. MOFLON Technologies offers proven products for sealing food and beverages, suitable for all types of packaging and processes, including clean media transport, bottle washing, filling, and capping, as well as other industry-specific solutions for the food and beverage, dairy, wine and spirits, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and personal hygiene industries.

Slip rings, which are a central element of the food and beverage industry, facilitate the transfer of power from stationary to rotating parts. They are used in all food and beverage equipment that requires power and signal transmission. As a result, slip rings significantly impact the reliability, performance, and efficiency of machines.

MOFLON slip rings can be designed to meet dynamic customer needs in terms of electrical current, communication functions, and operating temperatures, as well as mechanical vibrations and shock limitations.

In addition to the food and beverage industry, slip rings and rotary joints are also used in semiconductor manufacturing machines, energy systems, industrial automation equipment, agriculture, and construction machinery.

Recently, sensors have gained wide use in various sectors, including the food and beverage industry, supported by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, where large amounts of data are collected and shared between connected machines. These connected devices help companies increase productivity and efficiency, enabling real-time monitoring and control.

The connectivity factor in the food and beverage industry drives device-level innovation, particularly in slip rings for power and signal transmission. While this primarily concerns automation, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) factor drives demand for slip rings with improved signal transmission speed, bandwidth, and faster signal properties, such as Ethernet.

This new trend ultimately translates into a need for designing and producing slip rings that can transmit both electrical power and data, while providing high signal integrity through enhanced RF and EMI methods.

Brush technologies

One of the main aspects MOFLON considers when designing slip rings is the type of sliding surface/brush type. Various parameters, such as power, voltage, rotational speed, operating temperature, resistance difference, bandwidth, and impedance, largely determine the choice of transmission technique depending on the power or data requirements. Essentially, three types of brushes are available: graphite, monofilament, and multifilament.

A composite sliding contact consists of carbon graphite, though other materials may be added to increase power density. It is mainly used for transmitting power to motors and in applications requiring higher power and higher speeds. Monofilament sliding contacts are primarily used in low-power applications requiring low sliding resistance and clean signal conduction. Multifilament sliding contacts are used in applications requiring multiple channels, minimal sliding resistance and brush noise, high signal speed, real-time control, and sensitivity to analog data signals. The three brush types come with trade-offs depending on the application. For current, the main deciding factor is not the load current but the voltage drop along the slip ring and the actual power flow. Power loss affects the actual voltage under load and the total power transmitted through the device.

Basics of slip ring design and challenges

When designing slip rings, our engineers consider various aspects depending on their purpose. These include RF shielding, signal capacitance variation, sliding resistance, and high-frequency impedance tuning. Other important factors are operating temperature, slip ring lifespan, environmental factors, and packaging constraints. The biggest challenge for high-bandwidth products is electromagnetic interference (EMI). As the food and beverage sector increasingly utilizes online connectivity, Ethernet signals must transmit both power and data through devices. These signals are extremely sensitive to external electrical interference, especially from power cables, which can cause EMI in motors. This requires proper RF design skills to ensure EMI does not negatively impact signal integrity. MOFLON applies appropriate RF shielding methods and physically separates EMI bases to eliminate interference from neighboring sources. The shield must have a separate cable in the device to complement the power supply between the rotor shield and the stator shield. The separate cable allows shield power to flow along the proper path to the surface.

Bottle washing and cleaning systems

Media rinsing

Container washing devices can use air, water, and various cleaning fluids to wash, rinse, and disinfect bottles before packaging. Air is often used to blow contaminants out of bottles. Some rinsing devices rotate containers upside down before blowing air inside, allowing dust and other debris to escape before the blowing process begins. Other washing devices include bottle vacuums that do not rotate bottles but blow air through them before suctioning out residual contents.

Inside and outside

Container washing machines can clean both the interior and exterior parts of bottles, while some packaging machines perform both functions. In the food, pharmaceutical, and other product industries, rinsing devices are always used to clean internal parts, preventing contamination exposure.

Level of automation

Container washing devices, bottle vacuums, and container cleaning machines are available at various levels of automation. Semi-automatic machines allow users to wash one or two containers at a time, while fully automated lines provide high throughput and minimize operator intervention.

Rotary filling systems

Rotary fillers range from as few as ten heads to several hundred, depending on production requirements. Some devices can be integrated with monoblock systems consisting of rinse-fill-cap functions.

Types of rotary filling machines

There are various types of filling machines: pressure, gravity, piston, carbonated beverage, and can fillers. Each comes with standard features, such as star wheels that precisely position containers under the filling head.

Bottle capping systems

Automatic capping equipment

Automatic capping machines ensure high process repeatability through the use of cap lifters and sorting bowls. Each cap is properly positioned, and misaligned ones are rejected and corrected by the sorting system.

Semi-automatic capping systems

Semi-automatic machines operate similarly to automatic ones, but cap placement is done manually. Nevertheless, they still ensure consistent force and repeatable container sealing.

Manual cappers

Manual cappers allow operators to tighten caps with consistent pressure, ensuring process consistency. Although speed depends on the number of operators, manual devices still guarantee high sealing quality.

Pharmaceutical product mixing systems

Mixing processes in the pharmaceutical industry require precise and hygienic sealing solutions. MOFLON slip rings and rotary joints meet STAMPS requirements for size, temperature, medium, pressure, and speed, enabling safe and efficient mixing.

Stainless steel cable reels

Cable reels used in large mobile machines require slip rings that provide stable power and data transmission. MOFLON products are vibration- and corrosion-resistant and can withstand extreme operating conditions, with additional temperature sensors supporting safe operation.

Why choose DACPOL?

DACPOL is the official distributor of MOFLON solutions in Poland, offering technical support and advice in selecting slip rings, rotary joints, and systems for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. If you are interested in implementing modern and reliable solutions in your production line, contact us – our specialists will help you choose products perfectly suited to your needs.