SKINTOP® HYGIENIC vs. SKINTOP® INOX Cord Grips
Strain Relief Cable Glands
Cleanliness is key, especially in the food and beverage and medical industries. While often overlooked, a high-temperature and pressure-resistant strain relief cable gland is imperative in environments where machinery must be washed down regularly with harsh solutions. LAPP offers two lines of ECOLAB® approved VA-4 stainless steel strain relief cable glands: SKINTOP® HYGIENIC and SKINTOP® INOX.
| Production Area | Temperature Range | Available Threading | Resistant Against | Protection Rating | Applications | Approvals | Materials | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Direct contact: Direct contact with food and electrical components | -4° to 212° F | Metric |
Bacteria, |
IP68 IP69 |
EMC, |
NSF 169 |
Body: VA4 Stainless Steel |
|
|
Splash/Non-Product zone: No contact with food | -40° to 212° F |
Metric NPT |
Bacteria, |
IP68 IP69 |
EMC, |
NSF 169 |
Body: VA4 Stainless Steel |
SKINTOP® HYGIENIC FDA-Approved Seal Eliminates Risk of Contamination in Direct Contact Zones
SKINTOP® HYGIENIC will be the best choice for areas of your application where the cable gland will come into direct contact with food, beverage, or pharmaceuticals. Examples of this can include the use of the SKINTOP® in cutters, blades, stirrers, or filling nozzles. This strain relief cable gland features an FDA-approved, special elastomer seal and a smooth, edgeless, stainless steel body that prevents micro-organisms and bacteria from pooling or sticking to the gland’s surface. The SKINTOP® HYGIENIC is designed with no gaps, voids, or outer lying thread, therefore eliminating the risk of contamination in your application.
SKINTOP® INOX Is Best Used in Splash or Non-Product Zones
On the other hand, SKINTOP® INOX is best for areas of your application where the strain relief cable gland will be installed where it will not be exposed directly to food, beverage, or pharmaceutical products, but may be exposed through spraying during wash downs. While this SKINTOP® is made of the same stainless steel material as the SKINTOP® HYGIENIC, it does not feature the same FDA-approved seal, so although it is able to withstand the same harsh, high-temperature wash downs, it's not optimized to prevent contamination.
This product has an outer lying thread that could be subject to contamination if in direct contact with the product and is best used in the splash or non-product zones, unlike the SKINTOP® HYGIENIC, which features a seal over the threads. The SKINTOP® INOX is highly corrosion resistant with a smooth and edgeless stainless steel body but features silicone sealing elements instead of an FDA-approved sealing element.
So Which Cable Gland Should I Choose?
While both SKINTOP® INOX and SKINTOP® HYGIENIC resist bacteria and corrosion with their smooth, stainless steel designs, only the SKINTOP® HYGIENIC is suitable for use in direct-contact zones due to the FDA-approved special elastomer seal, which prevents contamination by sealing at the base of the gland as well as around the cable.
If you have any questions or need help selecting a cable gland for your application, please reach out to our knowledgeable customer support team via chat or send us a message and they'll be ready to help.
Clean Machines: Connectors for Food & Beverage Applications White Paper
The last thing you need in the food and beverage industry is food contamination within machinery parts. You don’t want to overlook places that bacteria may grow during the wash-down of machinery. One often-overlooked hiding place for microbes is within the machine's cabling and connectors.
Take a look at some lesser-known aspects of maintaining good cable hygiene in your facility. Read the Clean Machines: Connectors for Food & Beverage Applications White Paper.
