Product category:
Food and drink manufacturing: processing equipment
News Release from: RW Greeff | Subject: Dow Corning's Molykote L1115FG Gear Oil ISO150
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 17 October 2003
Food grade synthetic oil saves
maintenance costs
A food processing equipment manufacturer using expensive EP synthetic oil in a custom built gearbox application had difficulties until the oil was replaced.
A food processing equipment manufacturer using expensive estercontaining extremepressure (EP) synthetic oil in a custombuilt gearbox application ran into difficulties as the oil was not approved for use near foods and the gearbox was being used on meat slicing machines Fortunately, Dow Corning's extensive Molykote range of high performance industrial lubricants had the solution as UK distributor, R W Greeff explains
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 31 Jan 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The manufacturer of food processing equipment had developed its custombuilt gearbox featuring helical steel gears.
Designed for a meat slicing application, the gearbox experienced higher than normal operating temperatures between 71 and 82degC.
Having performed numerous tests on available foodgrade gear oils, the manufacturer found that none could meet the challenge set by the demanding operating conditions.
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For almost four years from its inception, an ester containing, extremepressure (EP) synthetic oil was used in the gearbox as this was the only gear oil that could withstand the operating temperatures.
However, the oil comes into close proximity with unpackaged meat and was not approved for use with food.
Furthermore, although the nonfood grade EP oil operated well within the temperature of the gearbox, it would break down relatively quickly, requiring maintenance personnel to perform oil changeovers every 30 days.
Almost half of the slicing mechanism had to be disassembled to facilitate this.
If the oil was not changed frequently enough, the nonfoodgrade product might also lead to varnish deposits, this would significantly shorten gearbox life and require premature rebuilding.
Improved lubrication - to improve gear lubrication and simplify maintenance, the plant switched to Dow Corning's Molykote L1115FG Gear Oil ISO150.
Unlike oils made in conventional fractionation processes, the synthetic oil is made by combining smaller molecular "building blocks" to meet targeted performance specifications and to minimise impurities.
The customblended polyalphaolefin (PAO) synthetic oil delivers excellent lubrication at high and low temperatures, reduces volatility and provides compatibility with equipment designed for use with mineral oils.
It also conforms to USDA listing requirements applicable to meat and poultry plants and is qualified for direct food contact under FDA regulations.
Tests during evaluation revealed the Molykote L1115FG Gear Oil ISO150 maintained high lubricity even after extended exposure to the demands of the application.
Furthermore, friction within the gearbox was prevented to such an extent that the operating temperature under production conditions dropped by 11degC representing a 13 to 15% improvement compared to the EP synthetic oil previously used.
Molykote L1115FG Gear Oil ISO150 offers a high stability molecular structure resulting in a more stable lubricant that lasts longer.
In this application, gearbox operating life was extended threefold and, since the manufacturer converted to foodgrade gear oil, endusers of the meatslicing equipment have not experienced any lubrication problems.
Longterm benefits - new scheduled maintenance procedures on the gearboxes, which are used on a production basis around the world, involve routine disassembly only every 90 days.
On over 1000 such machines, maintenance personnel have found that the Molykote gear oil does not require changing prior to this scheduled downtime, reducing maintenance commitments by two thirds.
RW Greeff is one of the UK's leading distributors of high performance industrial chemicals with more than 30 years experience serving UK industry and solving customer lubrication problems.
The company is the UK Channel Partner for Dow Corning engineering silicones and Molykote speciality lubricants and offers a complementary range of top quality products from other world leading manufacturers.
ISO 9002 accredited, RW Greeff offers a fast, efficient delivery service to all areas of the UK.
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