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Sealing Solutions for Food Processing Equipment
Finding the right sealing solutions for food processing equipment is essential for the entire food manufacturing process. Hygiene and safety are one of the top priorities in food and beverage production as it is linked to human health related concerns. It doesn’t matter if it’s spring energized seals (Spring seals), Teflon Oil seals, PTFE lip seals, or bearing isolator; the seals used must comply with a set of standards and regulations to ensure the safety and quality of the final products. Key factors that should be considered when it comes to finding the right sealing component for food processing equipment includes material, hygienic seal designs, compliance with food safety standards, customization for different working condition and temperature resistance.
- Material Selection:
The criterion for selecting materials includes the compliance with food-grade regulations, including FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EU regulations. Common materials that complied with the requirements include EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), silicone, and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). PTFE can be filled with other fillers to adjust the properties of the seal according to the actual working conditions.
- Hygienic Seal Designs:
Sealing designs are related to the cleanliness of the equipment. Besides preventing leakages of the media, seals can also be used to prevent contaminants and bacteria. Some special seal designs might be required under poor conditions or strict sealing requirements. The sealing in CIP (Clean in Place) and SIP (Sterilizes in Place) Systems should be designed to withstand rigorous cleaning and sterilization processes in the food manufacturing process. At Parjet, for abrasive environments, special sealing components will be designed to ensure minimal leakages, such as wipers or scrapers designs.
- Customization for different working conditions
There are many different types of food processing equipment therefore the flexibility of the sealing designs is essential. Depending on the dynamic of the application, some seals are only suitable for rotary applications, such as PTFE Lip seals HiPerLip®, others are suitable for both reciprocating and rotary dynamics, such as spring energized seals HiPerSeal®. Additionally, some are suitable for lower pressure and others can withstand a higher sealing pressure. For very high-speed applications, ParSave® bearing isolator is suitable to eliminate any leakages under no pressure application. Customization of the sealing component is required to adapt to the different operating conditions.
- Temperature Resistance and Thermal Cycling:
The sealing component should have the capability of withstanding the temperature variations encountered from hot cooking processes to cold storage. The temperature resistance will depend on the material and actual design of the seal. Excellent temperature resistance and thermal cycling will prevent degradation and maintain sealing effectiveness. PTFE material has excellent temperature resistance that is a great choice for food and beverage manufacture processes.
Parjet offers a wide range of sealing solutions that can be used in Food and Beverage industry safely. Sealing solution includes spring energized seals HiPerSeal®, (Teflon Seals), PTFE seals, PTFE Lip seals HiPerLip® & HiPerFlon®, mechanical seals ParSeries® and bearing isolator ParSave®. Our material code 06T is FDA approved, which means it is safe to be used in food processing equipment and helps to ensure hygiene throughout food production. The glass fiber filled PTFE has high chemical and creep resistance characteristics which provide a great sealing solution when corrosive media is used.
Below summaries the suitable application for different sealing devices:
- • Spring Energized Seals HiPerSeal® – High pressure and low to medium speed (Reciprocating, Rotary, oscillating dynamics)
- • PTFE Lip seals (metal case) HiPerLip® – Low pressure and high speed (Rotary dynamic)
- • PTFE Lip seals (O ring) HiPerFlon® – Low pressure and medium speed (Rotary Dynamic)
- • Mechanical Seals ParSeries® – High speed and high pressure
- • Bearing Isolator ParSave® – Very high speed and no pressure
(*General recommendation – refers to but not limited to)
All of the sealing devices explained above has been widely used in food and beverage industry and can be designed to fit with food process equipment.
Overall, the selection of material and sealing design are the most important when it comes to sealing in the food and beverage industry. Both factors will determine the sealing performance and its ability to prevent any cross contamination or leakage throughout the process. We provide a variety of sealing solutions, from Rotary Lip seals, PTFE seals, spring energized seals, bearing isolator to mechanical seals that can help with any dynamic sealing conditions.
Contact us for more information.