Food Processing
ABOUT FOOD PROCESSING PLASTICS
Plastics have become increasingly popular in food processing, allowing companies to create efficient and hygienic products. High-Density Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Acetal are three of the most commonly used plastics in food processing due to their durability and chemical resistance. High-Density Polyethylene is best for applications like packaging, as it is both lightweight and strong, and it is also FDA approved for direct contact with food.
Applications
- Bushings, bearings, cams
- Conveyor parts
- Feed screws
- Guide rails
- Machine guards, windows
- Pipes and tubes for fluid processing
- Pistons/plungers
- Rollers
- Seals, seats, gaskets
- Gears, sprockets
- Star wheels
- Thermoformed machine housings
- Wear strips
- Forming dies
- Scraper blades
Materials
- Acetal (POM)
- Acrylic (PMMA)
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Nylon (PA)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polyetherimide (PEI)
- Polyamide-Imide (PAI)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – rigid and flexible
- Polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE)
- Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene
- Visual and Metal detectable materials available
Advantages May Include
- Lightweight for high-speed production using smaller drive motors
- Reduced maintenance and reduced contamination by eliminating lubrication
- Resistance to clean-in-place (CIP) and sanitize-in-place (SIP) cleaning chemicals
- Resistant to hot water and steam
- Long wear life
- Limited wear on food packaging and/or mating machine parts
- Transparency for easy viewing of machine during operations
- Grades are available that comply with FDA, NSF, 3A dairy and other federal agency regulations
- Flame, smoke and toxicity resistant
- Cleans easily
- Corrosion resistant