Plant efficiency improved
parts for processing plants in the ready-to-eat food and dairy
industries, is offering antimicrobial protection for rubber parts.
The company believes that heat-cured rubber compounds offer
excellent protection against bacteria and fungi in food production.
The company is installing Elastoguard rubber compounds from Milliken Chemical. The compounds can be applied to machinery such as rubber rotors for pumps, rubber air valve stems, balls for ball check valves, sanitary pipeline gaskets, and O-rings.
Elastoguard compounds are said overcome the disadvantages of traditionally used chemicals by using a new, powerful biocide that is effective against a greater variety of bacteria and fungi. The new biocide - Alphasan silver-NZP ion-exchange resin - permeates the entire rubber matrix after vulcanisation and, offering a low rate of migration, maintains a higher and longer level of protection.
It also makes processes easier because it is not sensitive to heat or shear. It can therefore also be used in elastomers formulated for a variety of processes.
Every product that DSO offers meets FDA and 3A standards including the company's pipeline gaskets, which also meet Class VI standards.
"By using Elastoguard grades that have attained numerous regulatory registrations around the world for food-contact applications into our Buna rubber, EPDM, and fluoroelastomer products, we preserve DSO's commitment to our customers to quickly deliver the safest, highest quality products," said Michael Glaser, DSO president.
"Now we can offer rubber replacement parts with the ultimate in antibacterial as well as antifungal protection. This is a great benefit to sanitary processing plants where microbial growth on rubber parts can damage processing equipment and cause expensive downtime and clean-up costs."
Greater plant efficiency has also been achieved through the arrival of new lubricants. Shell Lubricants for example has just introduced Shell Grease FM 2, a lubricant that aims to improve efficiencies and economies of scale for the food and beverage processing industry.
FM2 was formulated specifically for use in machinery where rare, miniscule contact might occur between food and lubricants, the company says. Food and beverage processing/packaging plants can specify it for electric motors, pumps, conveyors, mixers, gear units, slides and ways.
Like other Shell food-grade oils, FM 2 contains additives designed to minimise wear in high-pressure applications. It is specially formulated to provide water separation, oxidation stability, corrosion resistance, adhesion/cohesion properties, and thermal stability characteristics.
The colourless, odourless, and tasteless grease meets the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) requirements for food-grade lubricants as well as similar European requirements. It is also listed on the NSF International (formerly National Sanitation Foundation) list of lubricants as H1 approved. Class H1 lubricants may be used on equipment and machine parts that are used to manufacture food and drink for human consumption.
