Food processing. Steel that lives through wash-down without rusting at every weld.

Where it fits

The wash-down defines the design.

Food processing facilities run continuous-cycle clean-down — high-pressure water, sanitizers, alkaline foam, sometimes hot water at ~82°C. A mezzanine or platform that meets every structural requirement but rusts at the welds in 18 months is the most common failure mode in this vertical. Material selection, weld continuity, drainage geometry, and finish all defer to the wash-down environment first; production layout fits around them second.

Common scopes

• Work platforms — for sorting lines, trim stations, packaging.
• Equipment-support platforms — for batch tanks, mixers, process equipment, controls.
• Catwalks — for inspection routes above process lines.
• Storage mezzanines — typically in dry-warehouse zones outside the wet processing area.

Wash-down design rules

• Continuous welds, not stitch welds — every joint that meets a wash-down zone gets a continuous fillet so water can't sit between pieces and rust the gap.
• Drainage geometry — surfaces slope to drains, no flat horizontal surfaces, no closed channels that trap water.
• Sealed tube — handrail tubes have weep holes at the lowest point; trapped water that freezes splits welds.
• Food-grade epoxy — typical finish for processing-zone steel: two-coat epoxy rated for indirect-contact surfaces in wash-down service.
• Avoid pockets and ledges — at structural connections, gusset plates that create horizontal pockets are reworked into closed boxes or solid plates.

Typical project parameters

• Live load125 – 200 psf typical
• Coatingfood-grade epoxy / two-coat industrial paint
• Weldscontinuous, no stitch, no porosity
• Drainagesloped surfaces, no closed channels
• Stainless option304/316 quoted separately when specified
• Lead time6 – 9 weeks from sign-off