Drum motor vs. gear motor: A system comparison in the food industry

In 2015, the Interroll Group announced its collaboration with the Department of Food Science at the University of Parma to carry out a comprehensive system comparison between two distinct drive technologies in the food processing industry: traditional gear motors against Interroll drum motors. 

Comparison from hygiene to spare requirements

Under a research contract between the Interdepartmental Center SITEIA at the University of Parma and Interroll, Dr. Giampaolo Betta, contracted Professor at the University of Parma and Chairman of EHEDG Italy, and his research team conducted a far-reaching comparison along six evaluation criteria: hygiene, installation and maintenance, energy efficiency, noise, working temperature and space requirements.  

“For this study, which included scientific measurements and experimental trials, our aim was to carry out a comparison between state-of-the-art components. We designed three distinct use cases to simulate the different areas of a food processing plant, from a washdown application to a packaging line. A total of 36 different experiments were run over a nine-month period and yielded interesting results, with the drum motor showing superior performance every two out of three trials,” Betta explains. 

Conclusion: Drum motor for a more hygienic and efficient conveyor system

From a food safety point of view, it was concluded that drum motors offer significant advantages in terms of hygienic design and cleanability in place, which not only reduces the risk of soil accumulation and cross-contamination but also results in time and cost savings due to shorter cleaning times.  

Furthermore, the study confirmed concrete advantages of drum motors regarding installation and required space: As all components are embedded inside the drum motor, less parts are needed for installation and considerable space is saved. Dr. Giampaolo Betta says in his white paper:

Food safety is a critical matter for all players in the food processing industry but too often we still find gear motors that don’t satisfy the key principles of hygienic design in areas where food is processed. Supposedly such choices are dictated by economic reasons. We hope that the research, which we were able to conduct with the support of Interroll, and the resulting study will be considered by decision-makers in the food industry as practical recommendation for their equipment choices regarding their processing and packaging lines