Festo Now Has a Washdown-Rated Electric Motion Solution — and It Opens the Door to Food and Beverage

Quick Summary

• IP69K-rated electric cylinders and servo motors, built for washdown environments
• 316L stainless housing, NSF-H1 food-grade grease, dual-seal technology
• Feed forces to 12,500 N · speeds to 1 m/s · strokes to 1,000 mm
• Complete servo solution — cylinder, motor, drive, cables from one source
• Designed for food, beverage, pharma, packaging, and corrosive environments
• Available through EandM across CA, OR, and WA — with local technical support

A gap that engineers have worked around for years

Festo has long been a go-to for pneumatics and general automation — excellent technology, strong support, a broad portfolio. But when the conversation turned to electric cylinders and motors that needed to survive daily high-pressure washdown, engineers specifying food, beverage, and pharmaceutical lines had to look elsewhere.

"Stainless steel" and "washdown-rated" are not the same thing — and that distinction has limited Festo's electric motion portfolio in some more hygienic F&B applications. Until now.

 The Festo EPRF stainless steel electric cylinder and EMMH-AS stainless steel servo motor are purpose-built for broaden - Festo's EA Portfolio into these washdown zones. 

What F&B Environments Actually Require

This is one of the most common conversations we have with engineers specifying electric actuators for food and beverage lines. The assumption is that "stainless steel" means washdown-ready. It doesn't — not on its own.

Per FSMA guidelines, hygienic design has three non-negotiable requirements:

An IP69K rating alone doesn't guarantee all three. What matters is how that rating is achieved — and what materials and design principles are behind it.

What Festo Built — and Why It Checks the Boxes

The EPRF cylinder and EMMH-AS motor were engineered together as a matched hygienic system. Every design decision traces back to the environments they need to survive.

Performance Specs — Not a Compromise Product

Some washdown-rated products achieve their environmental protection at the cost of performance. These don't. The numbers are competitive with standard (non-hygienic) electric cylinders.

EPRF stainless steel electric cylinder

• Five sizes: 36, 45, 55, 75, 86 mm diameter
• Feed forces up to 12,500 N
• Stroke lengths from 25 mm to 1,000 mm
• Max speed: 1,000 mm/s
• Max acceleration: 15 m/s²
• Repeatability: ±0.02 mm
• Six mounting options (M1–M6) with rotatable flanges for flexible installation

EMMH-AS stainless steel servo motor

• Four sizes (68, 88, 108, 138 mm), two lengths each — 32 total variants
• Continuous stall torque: 0.75 Nm to 18.1 Nm
• Peak torque up to 59 Nm
• Battery-free multi-turn absolute encoder (EnDat2.2) — no homing required on startup
• Single-cable solution (OCP) with integrated pressure equalization hose
• Optional holding brake for vertical axes

A Complete Servo Solution from One Source

Here's what makes this more than just two new products. Festo built the entire drive stack to match — and sourcing everything from one place removes significant engineering overhead, especially for OEM machine builders.

Everything in the hygienic servo solution:

The CMMT-AS-MP supports all major fieldbus protocols in a single drive hardware platform — integration with your existing PLC or motion controller isn't a negotiation. Commissioning runs through the Festo Automation Suite.

For OEM machine builders: piecing together a hygienic cylinder, washdown motor, and compatible drive from three different vendors — then validating the system holds its IP rating at every cable entry point — is real engineering overhead. A matched solution from one source removes it.

Industries and Applications

The most common applications are in food and beverage, but these products were designed for any environment that combines precision motion with demanding washdown or corrosion exposure.

Food & Beverage:

• Beverage filling
• Meat and fish handling
• Cheese processing
• Kitchen automation

Other industries:

• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Packaging lines
• Battery manufacturing
• Pulp and paper / mining
• Freezer and cold storage environments
• Car wash equipment

The common thread isn't the industry — it's the operating condition: high-pressure cleaning cycles, aggressive chemicals, moisture ingress risk, and positioning accuracy that needs to hold over the full life of the machine.

EandM: West Coast Sales and Support for Festo

EandM has been the West Coast's trusted automation resource since 1955. As a Festo representative across California, Oregon, and Washington, the team provides the local technical knowledge and hands-on support that make the difference between a product spec and a successful application.

What EandM provides:

Office locations: Healdsburg, CA · Walnut Creek, CA · Irvine, CA · Portland, OR · Seattle, WA

Whether you're sizing a cylinder for a new beverage filling line or retrofitting an existing system, the EandM team can walk through the full servo solution with you — from component selection through commissioning support.

FAQ

Does IP69K mean the same thing as "washdown-rated"?

Not necessarily. IP69K is a protection rating for high-pressure, high-temperature water jets — but it doesn't speak to material compatibility with cleaning chemicals, surface cleanability, or whether internal lubricants are food-safe. The EPRF and EMMH-AS are designed to meet all of these requirements together: IP69K sealing, 316L stainless construction, NSF-H1 grease, and smooth-surface hygienic design principles that support cleaning and sanitation procedures.

Can the EPRF and EMMH-AS be used in direct food contact zones?

Yes. Both products are documented as suitable for direct food contact. The 316L stainless steel housing, NSF-H1 certified grease, and dual-seal rod sealing system are all specified for hygiene-critical zones. Application-specific requirements should always be reviewed against your facility's food safety plan.

Do I have to use Festo's drive with these products?

No. The EMMH-AS motor integrates with third-party PLCs and motion controllers. That said, specifying the complete Festo servo solution — cylinder, motor, drive, cables, and mounting kits — provides validated system performance and simplifies commissioning through the Festo Automation Suite.

Is the EMMH-AS encoder battery-free?

Yes. The EMMH-AS uses a multi-turn absolute encoder with EnDat2.2 interface that operates without a battery — no homing cycle required on startup and no battery to replace. Both are meaningful advantages in food environments where maintenance access can be restricted and unplanned downtime is costly.

What mounting options are available for the EPRF?

Six mounting options (M1 through M6) cover flange mounting with threaded holes, flange mounting with through-holes, foot mounting, rear trunnion mounting, and combinations of flange plus foot mounting. All front flanges are rotatable, so positioning can be freely selected for your specific installation geometry.

What industries use these products beyond food and beverage?

Common applications outside F&B include pharmaceutical manufacturing, packaging lines, battery manufacturing, pulp and paper, mining, freezer and cold storage environments, and car wash equipment. The Corrosion Resistance Class 4 rating — the highest available — reflects the breadth of environments they're designed for.

How do I get sizing help or request a quote on the West Coast?

EandM is the Festo representative for California, Oregon, and Washington. The team includes certified product specialists who can assist with presale selection, sizing, and application review — at no cost. Reach out through the EandM website or contact the office nearest to you in Healdsburg, Walnut Creek, Irvine, Portland, or Seattle.

© EandM — West Coast Automation Since 1955