12 minute read
NSK EUROPE
NSK Life-Lube® bearings drive cost-saving improvements in food plants
NSK’s Life-Lube® bearing units are proving increasingly popular in the food and beverage industry, and with good reason. These advanced bearings combine the corrosion-resistant properties of Silver-Lube® housings with the excellent sealing and lubricating properties of Molded-Oil inserts. LifeLube® units are specifically for use in sectors where contact with water and process fluids is unavoidable, and where excellent chemical resistance and long lubrication life are primary requirements. By taking advantage of the benefits available, food and beverage plants can tap into considerable savings from reduced downtime and maintenance costs.
Astute design engineering means Life-Lube® bearing units (comprising a housing and bearing insert) are adept at withstanding the often harsh operating conditions of food and beverage plants, while simultaneously preventing any contamination of the processing environment to meet strict hygiene regulations.
CORROSION RESISTANCE
Primary among the design considerations is the unit’s housing material: thermoplastic polyester (PBT), which is highly resistant to corrosion. In conjunction with Molded-Oil bearing inserts and nitrile rubber seals, this design guarantees good chemical resistance and long service life.
In particular, the polymer housing not only eliminates any risk of contamination from painted or coated surfaces, but its smooth finish prevents dirt adhesion and reduces wash-down time.
Complementing the housing is the stainless steel insert, which delivers improved corrosion resistance for wet environments. Moreover, the MoldedOil insert cavity contains a lifetime of lubricating oil and polyolefin resin that means no re-lubrication is required for the lifetime of the product.
Another important feature for the food and beverage industry is the flinger seal, which prevents the ingress of bacteria and protects the Molded-Oil filled cavity. There is also no potential for lubricant leaks.
BACTERIA-FREE
NSK has taken great care to ensure the design of its Life-Lube® bearing units are free of crevices and ‘bug traps’ that could harbour mould or bacteria. As a result, the bearings are ideal for food manufacturing environments that involve dust (dry or wet), water (spray or submerged) and wet abrasive contamination, as well as temperatures up to 80°C. Life-Lube® bearing units are also suitable for use in some starchbased environments, as well as those involving low temperatures, down to -18°C.
The suitability of Life-Lube® bearing units for food applications is vast, encompassing tasks that include primary (cutting and mixing), secondary (moulding), conveying, inspection, heating and packaging processes, while beverage applications include bottle moulding, filling, sealing, inspection and packing. In these operating environments, Life-Lube® will resist excessive moisture, washdown chemicals and contamination, all while operating at continuous high speeds if required. The speed factor is maximal dn = 12 x 104 ( dn =bore diameter in mm x speed in rpm). A major snack food producer is among those now taking advantage of LifeLube® bearing units. Previously, the company was experiencing frequent bearing failures on its cutter line, so it requested the assistance of NSK to help reveal the root cause.
NSK analysed the failed bearings and reviewed the application as part of its AIP Added Value Programme. By following a process map survey of the site, it was evident that extensive grease washout had been taking place following production line washdowns. To help keep the line running and avoid costly unplanned downtime, the plant was replacing the bearings every six weeks as part of preventative planned maintenance, but failures would often occur beforehand.
NSK engineers recommended replacing the existing bearings with Life-Lube® housed units, commencing a trial on one production line. One year later, the units were still performing well with no failures, delivering substantial annual cost savings in maintenance labour, replacement bearings and lost production time. Due to this success, the food plant is currently adopting Life-Lube® bearing units on its two other production lines.
Today, the plant enjoys many other benefits of Life-Lube® bearing units, which include a spherical housing seat and spherical outer ring that allows for any initial misalignment on mounting, and the availability of various locking methods as standard to ensure close-fit shaft mounting. In addition, quiet and efficient running comes courtesy of super-finished raceways.
This success story is one of an increasing number across the food and beverage industry, where plants are discovering that the combination of thermoplastic housing, special nitrile rubber seals, stainless-steel bearing material and Molded-Oil lubricant makes the Life-Lube® range ideal for wet and/or contaminated environments.
www.nskeurope.com
8 Reasons for selecting an Air Operated Diaphragm Pump for your Food Transfer Application
Selecting a food transfer pump can be difficult. When there’s a possibility of changing viscosity, requirement for hygienic design, gentle handling to ensure products remain as designed and a hazardous environment, selecting a unit can be a difficult choice!
One overlooked pump design is an Air Operated Diaphragm Pump. Its simplicity in design – a central air exchanger driving a piston back and forth compressing each diaphragm to deliver fluid provides many benefits.
Here are 8 reasons why an Air Operated Diaphragm Pump may be the best solution for your food transfer application:
HIGH FLOW RATE
Due to the speed in which both diaphragms can be filled and compressed, air operated diaphragm pumps deliver one of the highest flowrates possible for viscous fluids without compromise to flow rate. Capable of delivering up to 54,000L/hour its high output is often unrivalled.
UNAFFECTED BY VISCOSITY
Positive displacement design ensures that pumping performance remains regardless of viscosity. Internal components act as valves ensuring fluid output is maintained across a variety of thick or thin fluids and temperatures. RUN DRY
As this design of pump is constructed without an internal mechanical seal, when operated without fluid- unlike other pump designs it does not sustain damage enabling it to be left unattended, as well as not being sensitive to dry matter.
SELF PRIMING & SOLID HANDLING
Pumps can prime up to 6M, and handle suspended solids without clogging. Designs are available to handle some solids without damage.
GRADES OF FINISH TO MATCH YOUR PROCESS
Not only are pumps available in a multitude of materials but also a variety of Stainless Steels. For example if there is a hygienic application where the only requirement is material type - Stainless Steel can be provided. If polished stainless or complete accredited (3A or EHEDG) hygienic design for cleaning via CIP with rotating pump head for draining another version can be selected. All with a variety of sanitary diaphragms, available as conductive for flammable liquid handling (ATEX). Hygienic Pump Design
GENTLE CONVEYING OF PRODUCT
The working motion of an AOD pump is gentle meaning product consistency remains unchanged. However when an air regulator is installed, pumping speed can be slowed reducing any shear.
SIMPLICITY OF MAINTENANCE
Due to wetted parts consisting of a few components maintenance is often quick, uncomplicated, requires little expertise, with low risk of damage during reassembly.
The above mentioned benefits highlight why these pumps are used for fluids ranging from Whisky to Sauces, Creams and Gels with very little maintenance, or downtime.
If you have a food or beverage application and are unsure of the right solution, contact us to see how we can help.
Visit www.northridgepumps.com, Email: Sales@northridgepumps.com or contact us on 01773 302 660.
We’re pump We’re pump specialists, so you specialists, so you don’t need to be don’t need to be
Sanitary Pumps Sanitary Pumps Engineered for Your Process Engineered for Your Process
Optimise performance with specialist support Optimise performance with specialist support
Whether you’re dealing with clogging, separation, downtime, or other issue - Whether you’re dealing with clogging, separation, downtime, or other issue - it’s costly. Time wasted troubleshooting and lower production mean missed it’s costly. Time wasted troubleshooting and lower production mean missed targets and less profit. A sanitary pump is the solution but choosing the right targets and less profit. A sanitary pump is the solution but choosing the right one feels like stepping into a minefield. You know what you need it to do but one feels like stepping into a minefield. You know what you need it to do but with so many options, it’s difficult to know which is best for your process and with so many options, it’s difficult to know which is best for your process and parameters. parameters.
++ Accelerated stator wear Accelerated stator wear ++ Clogging Clogging ++ Changes to fluid consistency Changes to fluid consistency ++ Clean-in-place and sterilise-in-place hygiene issues Clean-in-place and sterilise-in-place hygiene issues ++ Crushing of sensitive products Crushing of sensitive products ++ Inconsistency in finished product Inconsistency in finished product ++ Inaccurate transfer of flavourings or ingredients Inaccurate transfer of flavourings or ingredients ++ Liquid separation Liquid separation ++ Seal wear or failure Seal wear or failure We’ve been engineering sanitary pumps We’ve been engineering sanitary pumps for sectors such as distilling, brewing, food for sectors such as distilling, brewing, food manufacturing/processing, and more, for manufacturing/processing, and more, for 20+ years. We understand industry-specific 20+ years. We understand industry-specific processes and know what it takes to optimise processes and know what it takes to optimise performance through better-suited pump performance through better-suited pump design - giving you complete peace of mind. design - giving you complete peace of mind.
EXPERT GUIDANCE: EXPERT GUIDANCE:
Our expert engineers understand your process Our expert engineers understand your process and guide you through the options, so you and guide you through the options, so you can confidently select the most suitable can confidently select the most suitable sanitary pump. sanitary pump.
EXAMPLE PRODUCTS: EXAMPLE PRODUCTS:
++ Abrasive mixtures Abrasive mixtures ++ Creams, milk & ice cream Creams, milk & ice cream ++ Edible oils & fats Edible oils & fats ++ Fish & meat Fish & meat ++ Fruits eg. cooked apples, Fruits eg. cooked apples, plums, berries, grapes plums, berries, grapes ++ Grains & seeds Grains & seeds ++ Pastes & purees Pastes & purees ++ Syrups, juices & alcohols Syrups, juices & alcohols ++ Vegetables & peelings Vegetables & peelings ++ Waste eg. trimmings, Waste eg. trimmings, packaging & offcuts packaging & offcuts ++ Sheer sensitive liquids Sheer sensitive liquids ++ Solid laden or viscous Solid laden or viscous mixtures mixtures
AA UU GG UU SS T 22TheT 22The , 2019importance , 2019importance ofof water/steamwater/steam qualityquality assuranceassurance andand controlcontrol inin thethe foodfood andand drinkdrink processingprocessing sector.sector.
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‘ snapshot’ of the process and does not give continuous measurement of the process condition. This could mean an anomaly could be missed and time will elapse between non-conformance and corrective action. The only way to truly verify water or steam quality is the use of ‘ real-time ’ continuous measurement. This can be achieved through a well-maintained control system, in conjunction with high accuracy steam and water analysis system (SWAS). Installation of SWAS will give you real-time, continuous measurement to ensure your process is controlled within specification to ensure reliable and repeatable production, reduced waste, less downtime and ultimately increased consumer confidence in the product.
’ continuous measurement. This can be achieved through a well-maintained control system, in conjunction with high accuracy steam and water analysis system (SWAS). Installation of SWAS will give you real-time, continuous measurement to ensure your process is controlled within specification to ensure reliable and repeatable production, reduced waste, less downtime and ultimately increased consumer confidence in the product.
