Food and Beverage Applications: The advantages of Using Plastic

Due to stringent regulations surrounding the food and beverage production and packaging sector, the need for specific materials and solutions has arisen. In recent years, the efficiency in production and the quality of products in the food industry has improved significantly, with newly developed high-performance engineering plastics contributing significantly to this. In modern food production systems, plastic products support essential process steps such as processing, handling, conserving, packing and storing. Consumers already benefit from these improved processes and rightfully expect the highest possible safety standards in the production of food and beverage products.

Traditionally metal has been used for machine components in the production and packaging of food and beverages. However, due to its many advantages, specially developed ‘food grade’ engineering plastics are increasingly being used as an alternative to metal parts.

Advantages of using plastic

In addition to preventing metal contamination in food and beverage products, using plastic also has the following advantages:

• Specialist engineering plastics offer improved productivity and product life time
• Reduced material friction and wear.
• Self-lubricating formulations lower equipment maintenance costs.
• Better design capabilities and higher level of automation possible as a result of low material coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) and tighter tolerances.
• Special formulations, e.g. 3-A Sanitary-Dairy compliant materials allow higher shelf time of food stuff by providing lower level of contamination.
• Food compliant material formulation shorten certification time for installation and offer safety in design.

Products

The following products we supply from Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials have FDA and European Food Contact Approval, meaning they can safely be used in food and beverage industry applications:

• TIVAR® 1000              
• TIVAR® Oil Filled      
• TIVAR® CleanStat    
• TIVAR® H.O.T.
• Ertalon® 6 SA            
• Ertalon® 66 SA          
• Ertalon® 6 PLA          
• Nylatron® LFG
• Ertacetal® C
• Ertalyte®
• Ertalyte® TX 
• Ketron® 1000 PEEK 
• Ketron® TX PEEK
• Ketron® MD PEEK
• Techtron® HPV PPS                
• Duratron® U1000 PEI             
• Fluorosint® 207        
• TIVAR® MD
• Nylatron® MD  

Some of the above materials (TIVAR® MD, Nylatron® MD, Ketron® MD PEEK) are also metal detectable, meaning they contain additives which allow detection of very small (27 mm3 and bigger) particles via metal detectors addressing the remaining risk of occurring breakage or wear of metal parts.   

Applications

The above food grade products can be used in various machine parts in the food and beverage industry, such as the following:

• Chain guiders
• Bushings, rollers
• Thrust washers
• Manifolds
• Scrapers, paddles
• Plungers
• Pistons, valves
• Gear wheels
• Spools
• Grippers
• Sliding bearings
• Cutter discs
• Forming plates
• Time screws

The above products are registered trademarks of the Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials