It’s no secret that food-grade welding is one of the more temperamental welding processes, thanks to its high standards and requirements. But it’s also undeniable that those standards have a purpose and cannot be skirted for the sake of convenience. Northland Fastening Systems (NFS) provides the tools and equipment you need for high-precision sanitary welding, and encourages all welders to take food safety seriously for large and small welding projects alike.
Keeping a Clean Workspace
While careful cleaning isn’t usually what prospective welders’ picture when they’re prepping for a job, when it comes to food-grade welding, cleanliness does matter. The best materials in the world can’t compensate for dirty tools and environments, which means that, as the welder, you need to ensure that your welding process is as contamination free as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean spraying down your surface after every weld, but it does mean that an effort should be made to prevent unnecessary mess. The good news is that quality sanitary welding is well suited to easy cleaning.
Food Grade Welding
Sanitary welding is all about preventing gaps, crevices, and cracks that can allow moisture and germs to fester. Rough surfaces and faults can be deadly for sanitary welding, which means that thoughtless and haphazard welds won’t cut it. In general, haphazard welding won’t look good on a job, but in food-grade welding any irregular surface can be a breeding ground for germs. In some cases, this may mean sanding or filing edges until they lay flat and even. Once sanitary welding is complete, you should be able to easily disinfect the surface without encountering hard-to-reach areas.
Food-grade welding might be a high-effort process, but the results produce vital equipment for a huge variety of health- and safety-related industries. The high standards they require are also a great lesson for all types of welding. Even if the weld you’re working on isn’t necessarily food grade, preventing sharp edges, cracks, crevices, and faults should always be the goal. It’s also great to get into the habit of keeping your work area clean and your surfaces disinfected. Whether your welds are going to end up in a garage or a hospital, practicing the tenets of sanitary welding will boost the quality of everything you make.
Welders looking for tools suited to food-grade welding or sanitary welding can reach out to NFS today at (651) 730-7770 or find out more by visiting our website here. Our welding supplies make precision easy and can live up to the highest Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards with ease. Call us now to discuss purchasing or rental options.