Washdown Keyboards for Food and Drink Manufacturing

Walk round most food and drink factories after the end-of-shift clean and you will find at least one office keyboard wrapped in cling film. It is a sign that someone on site knows the keyboard should not be there, but nobody has found the time to replace it.

We understand why. A keyboard is a small item on a long list, and a standard one works fine on day one. The trouble starts a few weeks into the cleaning schedule, when the hose, the foam and the sanitiser have done their work and the keys start sticking, the legends wear off and liquid gets under the board. By then it is not just a broken keyboard. It is a hygiene risk sitting in the middle of a production area.

This guide covers what actually happens to keyboards in food plants, what the IP ratings mean in practice, and which types of washable keyboard we recommend for different parts of the site.

Why standard keyboards do not last in food production

A food factory is hard on electronics for reasons that have little to do with rough handling:

• Washdown. Production areas are hosed down, often daily, and often with pressure. Water gets everywhere, including straight into the gaps around ordinary keys.
• Cleaning chemicals. Caustic detergents, chlorinated cleaners and sanitisers attack plastics, print and seals. Guidance on hygienic electronics design from element14 and nVent Hoffman notes that agents such as chlorine bleach can degrade electrical equipment that is not properly protected.
• Crevices. The same guidance stresses removing undercuts and dead spaces, because they collect residue that can support microbial growth. An office keyboard is almost entirely made of crevices.
• Temperature and humidity. Chillers, blast freezers, ovens and steam all sit within a short walk of each other, and keyboards near them see condensation and big temperature swings.
• Allergens. This one is often overlooked. The Food Standards Agency's review of allergen cleaning points out that allergenic proteins are often difficult to remove and are generally not destroyed by heat. If operators touch ingredients and then a keyboard that cannot be properly cleaned, it becomes one more shared surface where cross-contact can happen.

The answer is not more cling film. It is a keyboard that is sealed, can be cleaned with the same products as everything else on the line, and has as few places for dirt to hide as possible.

What the IP ratings mean on a food site

Every washable keyboard comes with an IP rating, and it is worth knowing what you are actually buying. IP codes are defined in IEC 60529 and explained on the IEC's IP ratings page. The first digit covers dust, the second covers water. For keyboards in food production, the useful ones are:

• IP65: dust tight and protected against water jets. Fine for areas that are wiped and sprayed, but not hosed down hard.
• IP66: dust tight and protected against powerful water jets. A sensible minimum for general washdown.
• IP67: dust tight and protected against temporary immersion in water up to 1 m.
• IP68: dust tight and protected against continuous immersion, under conditions set by the manufacturer.

You will also see IP69K mentioned a lot in food equipment. It is a separate, much tougher test for close-range high-pressure, high-temperature cleaning. According to the summary of the IP code test conditions, it uses water at 80°C and 80 to 100 bar, sprayed from 10 to 15 cm. None of the keyboards in this article claim IP69K, and we would be wary of any keyboard that does without a test certificate to back it up. In practice, most sites keep pressure washers away from operator stations and clean keyboards by spraying and wiping, which is exactly what IP67 and IP68 keyboards are made for.

One more detail: the RUGGED range describes many ratings as "dynamic". In that range, a dynamic rating applies while the keyboard is in use, which is what you want on a line where people type with wet gloves.

Silicone hygienic keyboards: our usual first choice

For most food production areas, we start with a sealed silicone keyboard. The keys are moulded into one continuous surface, so there is nothing for crumbs, dough or liquid to get under, and it is comfortable to type on for long shifts.

The hygienic models in the RUGGED range are designed with exactly this in mind:

• The RKB-M390KP-FN-DT is a 106-key silicone hygienic keyboard rated IP68 dynamic, with a sealed numeric keypad and an antimicrobial surface coating.
• The RKB-M375KP-FN-DT is a similar 106-key IP68 dynamic keyboard with long-stroke carbon-on-gold switches for a more positive feel.
• The RKB-M399TP-KP-FN-DT adds a sealed touchpad, so there is no separate mouse to clean. There is also a panel mount version, rated IP66 dynamic, for building into a console or machine.

A feature we like on these models is the CLEAN key. According to the product listings, it locks the keyboard so it can be wiped down without unplugging it and without typing rubbish into whatever is open on screen. It sounds minor, but it is the difference between staff cleaning the keyboard properly and staff avoiding it.

For a simpler, lower-cost option, the InduKey TKG-086-IP68-WHITE is a waterproof silicone keyboard that can be completely disinfected, and white makes it easy to see when it needs cleaning.

Stainless steel keyboards: for the toughest areas

Stainless steel suits areas where keyboards get knocked, scraped or treated roughly, and where they are mounted permanently into equipment. The same hygienic design guidance recommends stainless steel enclosures for food environments, with self-draining surfaces and no ledges where fluids can pool.

• The RKB-A396KP-FN-DWP is a 111-key stainless steel keyboard rated IP67 dynamic, with a numeric keypad and a gasketed rear panel mount for a tight seal into a cabinet.
• The RKB-B340KP-DWP is a more compact 81-key stainless keyboard, also IP67 dynamic and washable, with top panel mounting.
• From iKey, the DT-102-SS is a sealed stainless steel desktop keyboard with an integrated touchpad. The iKey data sheet lists it as NEMA 4X and IP66, with an operating range of -40°C to +60°C, which covers chilled and frozen areas comfortably.

The trade-off is typing comfort. Stainless keys have short travel, so they are better for entering batch codes and weights than for writing long reports. If staff will type a lot, silicone is kinder on the fingers.

Making the keyboard part of your cleaning regime

A washable keyboard only helps if it gets washed. A few things we suggest to customers:

• Put it on the cleaning schedule. Treat it like any other shared hand-contact surface on the line, with the same frequency and the same approved chemicals.
• Check chemical compatibility. Send us your cleaning chemical data sheets and we will check them against the keyboard before you order.
• Spray and wipe, not blast. Even a sealed keyboard should not take a pressure washer at close range. Direct the hose away from operator stations.
• Think about allergen changeovers. If you run allergen-containing products, include keyboards in changeover cleaning and verification, not just the food contact surfaces.
• Choose a light colour where you can. Dirt shows up on white and grey far more obviously than on black.

Mounting and placement

Where the keyboard sits matters as much as what it is made of. Panel mounting a keyboard into a stainless console removes the gap underneath a desktop keyboard where debris builds up. If you use desktop models, mount them on a stand or arm that lets water drain away rather than pool around the base, and keep cables tidy and off the floor. Angled mounts help too, as liquid runs off rather than sitting on the keys.

Get the right keyboard for your site

Every plant is different, and the right answer for a bakery is not always the right one for a meat processor or a brewery. If you tell us the area, the cleaning chemicals and how the keyboard is mounted, we can narrow it down quickly. Get in touch for a quote and we usually reply within 24 hours.

You can also browse our full range of washable and sealed keyboards and keyboards for industrial and manufacturing sites.