Food and beverage

Manufacturers of electrical cooking equipment such as high-speed ovens, griddles, fryers, steamers, and toasters need to ensure food quality and safety, improved production processes, and a long operational lifetime of the equipment.
For proper temperature control, the heating elements are switched on and off or modulated continuously, resulting in a high number of switching cycles per day. Hockey-puck style solid state relays are very popular in these applications since they offer a cost-effective solution that results in a longer oven life as they have no moving contacts.

Commercial coffee machines are subject to frequent switching on of some electrical parts such as heaters, coffee grinders and water pumps. Frequent switching significantly shortens the lifetime of electromechanical devices. By comparison, solid state relays have no moving contacts and are therefore ideal solutions for this application.
Another critical part of the coffee machine process is the water level monitoring. Proper level detection can prevent failure of the electrical heater in the steam tank.

Regulations within the refrigeration industry are evolving, forcing manufacturers to make major design changes. Amongst these changes is the move towards the use of low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, some of which are also flammable. The use of arc-free switching technology helps reduce potential ignition sources within the electrical cabinet. Solid state relays are finding their way into these applications as they are not considered a potential ignition source. Additionally, SSRs provide a much longer lifetime than electro-mechanical relays and contactors. Proximity sensors are widely used to detect the presence of cups as well as the level sensing of liquids or solids.

Advances in food and beverage packaging have helped extend the shelf life of foods while guaranteeing food safety. There are several packaging technologies in use today that use thermal processes such as shrink-wrapping and blister packaging. Within blister packaging, a heating process ensures a good seal between the plastic wrap and the container to prevent moisture or contaminants. A high level of hygiene is also required on the packaging lines themselves. Proximity sensors used to detect the presence of food or bottles, must meet the appropriate standards and be able to withstand harsh operating environments.