Skip links
Machine feet in sealed sanitary design SHMF with black FDA NBR rubber with spindle with protecting sleeve

Sanitary Levelling Feet

Ensuring hygiene and sanitary compliance

Enhancing Stability and sanitary Compliance

Sanitary levelling feet play a crucial role in industries where hygiene and stability are essential. These components ensure machinery remains level, vibration-free, and easy to clean, reducing contamination risks in food processing, pharmaceuticals, and cleanroom environments. This article explores the usage, industries, materials, leading manufacturers, certifications, and real-world case studies highlighting their impact. Additionally, customer testimonies and authoritative sources confirm their reliability and effectiveness.

Get our catalogue here

See our product line here

Product Line Contact

Usage of Sanitary Levelling Feet

Sanitary levelling feet are designed to provide a stable base for machinery while adhering to strict hygiene standards. Their primary functions include:

Ensuring Equipment Stability

Machinery stability is crucial for precision and efficiency in production lines. Unstable equipment can cause vibrations, leading to inaccuracies, downtime, and potential safety hazards.

Easy Cleaning and Drainage

Unlike traditional levelling feet, sanitary levelling feet feature self-draining surfaces, reducing water accumulation and bacterial growth. Their smooth, polished design prevents dirt and residue buildup.

Reducing Contamination Risks

These feet eliminate dirt traps, which are common in conventional adjustable feet, making them ideal for environments where hygiene is non-negotiable.

Improving Workplace Safety

By reducing slippage and machine movement, sanitary levelling feet contribute to a safer workplace, preventing accidents caused by machinery misalignment.


Industries Benefiting from Sanitary Levelling Feet

Several industries rely on sanitary levelling feet to maintain strict hygiene and operational standards:

Food Processing

  • Used in dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, and bakery processing plants.
  • Helps maintain a sterile production environment in HACCP and GMP-compliant facilities.

Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology

  • Essential in cleanrooms and production lines for medication, vaccines, and biotech applications.
  • Complies with stringent FDA and EU hygiene regulations.

Beverage Industry

  • Used in bottling and packaging lines for soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and dairy products.
  • Prevents microbial growth in high-moisture environments.

Cosmetics and Personal Care

  • Ensures machinery producing skincare, perfumes, and hygiene products adheres to GMP standards.
  • Reduces contamination risks from chemical residues.

Medical Device Manufacturing

  • Used in sterile environments where precise machine positioning is required.
  • Prevents contamination of surgical instruments, implants, and diagnostic tools.

Materials Used in Sanitary Levelling Feet

The choice of material is critical for the performance and durability of sanitary levelling feet. Common materials include:

Stainless Steel (304 & 316)

  • Corrosion-resistant, durable, and non-porous.
  • 316 stainless steel offers higher resistance to acids and chemicals.

FDA-Approved Polymer Components

  • Used for anti-slip bases and vibration-damping properties.
  • Ensures compliance with food and pharmaceutical regulations.

Rubber Pads (Silicone or Nitrile)

  • Non-toxic, food-grade, and resistant to cleaning agents.
  • Provides additional grip on wet surfaces.

Leading Manufacturers of Sanitary Levelling Feet

Several global manufacturers specialize in high-quality sanitary levelling feet:

NHK Group

  • Provides a broad selection of certified stainless steel machine feet.
  • Known for precision engineering and compliance with global hygiene standards.

NHK Group is a leading manufacturer of high-quality sanitary machine components, specializing in stainless steel levelling feet, IP67 waterproof bearing housings, and certified industrial solutions. With a strong commitment to hygiene, durability, and compliance, NHK serves the food, pharmaceutical, and packaging industries, ensuring superior performance in demanding environments.


Certification and Compliance

Sanitary levelling feet must adhere to strict industry regulations to ensure safety and hygiene. Some key certifications include:

EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group)

  • Ensures components meet European hygiene standards for food and pharma applications.

3-A Sanitary Standards

  • Governs hygiene design for dairy and food processing equipment in the U.S.

FDA Compliance

  • Ensures materials used in levelling feet are safe for food contact.

ISO 14159

  • International standard for hygiene requirements in machinery safety.

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)

  • Required in pharmaceutical and food industries to ensure hygiene compliance.

Real-World Applications of Sanitary Levelling Feet

Dairy Processing Plant – Europe

A leading dairy manufacturer replaced conventional levelling feet with EHEDG-certified sanitary feet. The result:

  • 60% reduction in bacterial contamination.
  • Improved ease of cleaning, reducing cleaning time by 30%.

Pharmaceutical Cleanroom – USA

A pharmaceutical company manufacturing vaccines adopted 316 stainless steel levelling feet:

  • Reduced equipment vibrations, improving precision in filling machines.
  • Compliance with FDA and GMP standards was easily achieved.

Beverage Bottling Line – Asia

A soft drink producer integrated self-draining levelling feet into its bottling lines:

  • Eliminated water pooling, reducing mold growth.
  • Increased machine longevity by 25%.

Meat Processing Facility – South America

A meat processing plant upgraded to hygienic levelling feet, leading to:

  • 40% reduction in listeria contamination risks.
  • Enhanced stability, reducing machine maintenance costs.

Customer Testimonials

Food Processing Manager

“Switching to EHEDG-certified levelling feet significantly improved our hygiene inspections. Cleaning is now faster and more effective.”

Pharmaceutical Engineer

“Our cleanroom compliance was at risk due to outdated levelling feet. With the upgrade to sanitary models, we achieved full GMP compliance without operational delays.”

Maintenance Supervisor

“We faced persistent corrosion issues with standard levelling feet. The switch to 316 stainless steel versions solved the problem and improved machine lifespan.”


The Key to Sanitary and Efficient Industrial Operations

Sanitary levelling feet are essential for industries where hygiene, safety, and stability are top priorities. With certified materials, compliance with global hygiene standards, and proven performance in real-world applications, they offer unmatched reliability. As leading manufacturers continue to innovate, these components will remain a critical element in food, pharmaceutical, and cleanroom environments.

By choosing certified sanitary levelling feet, businesses can ensure optimal operational efficiency, compliance with regulatory standards, and long-term cost savings.

Sanitary Levelling Feet

The sanitary designed and protected levelling foot is the acceptable choice for machinery and equipment that has to comply with sanitary requirements.
The thread is covered with a sanitary sleeve, which also functions as counter nut. All the movable parts are sanitarily sealed.
Lowered cleaning effort is obtained by the design of the self draining surfaces.
Additionally, the foot is sanitarily sealed to the floor by vulcanized FDA-approved, anti-vibration, anti-slip rubber, which blocks out bacteria underneath the footplate.

Sanitary Levelling Feet

All process industries are subject to increasing regulatory requirements, which increases the focus on resource consumption, product safety and sanitary design.
The sanitary levelling feet reduce the water consumption and cleaning resources in addition to lowering the risk of contamination in the production.
Choosing NHK’s sanitary levelling feet will secure your machinery with an acceptable sanitary design and contribute to your customer’s Return-On-Investment.

Product Group Features
• Sanitary-oriented design
• Self-draining surfaces and no exposed thread secures minimum cleaning
• All movable parts are sanitarily sealed
• Low-friction washer between spindle and footplate ensures easy adjustment
• FDA-approved, anti-vibration, anti-slip rubber blocks out bacteria underneath the footplate
• Stainless steel AISI 304/A2, 1.4301. Optional AISI 316/A4, 1.4401
• More than 1.000 different variations available (weight load, height-adjustment, flexible mounting parts)
• Design and patent protected

NHK manufacture and deliver all necessary accessories, which ensures a quick and easy installation of the levelling foot.
In addition to supplying standardized accessories we are also able to supply customized accessories.

It is important to follow these instructions in order to ensure the certified sanitary design and functionality.
This documentation is enclosed with the levelling feet and should always be handed over to the end-user.

NHK Group

NHK Group fundamentally adheres to all applicable directives and standards. All information is based on the current state of knowledge and is subject to change. We attentively follow the revisions and amendments to these directives and will design our products accordingly. This ensures that products from NHK Group are always in compliance with currently valid requirements.
Our product category is not covered by the scope of application of the EC directive for machinery. For this reason, they cannot be furnished with the CE marking in accordance with the EC directive for machinery.
Furthermore, we declare that the listed materials applied in our products comply with the demands for materials used within the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Machine feet in sealed sanitary design SHMF with black FDA NBR rubber with floor lock plate and spindle with protecting sleeve
Machine feet in sealed sanitary design SHMF with black FDA NBR rubber and spindle with protecting sleeve
Machine feet in sealed sanitary design SHMF with spindle and protecting sleeve and black FDA NBR rubber
Machine specially developed for sorting frozen berries and vegetables

Contact

    Articles