NEW FOOD-GRADE LUBRICANT ELIMINATES PIPEWORK FAILURES
A new, food-grade semi-fluid grease from ROCOL promises to succeed where others fail, delivering efficient and effective lubrication in even the smallest bore pipework.
The new FOODLUBE® Auto SF high performance lubricant has been specifically developed to overcome the issue of pipe blockages and splitting in automated lubrication systems, as ROCOL technical manager, Paul King explains:
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“Automated lubrication systems in food manufacturing environments distribute product at predetermined intervals to various application points, using a series of pipes.
“Those pipes are often very long and thin for space-saving purposes, aesthetic reasons and to enable lubrication in difficult to reach areas. The main problem with these small pipes is that they are liable to block over time when conventional, thicker greases are used.
“Blocked pipes lead to production downtime and can therefore be very costly for food manufacturers and processors. To overcome this problem, we have developed a semi-fluid food-grade grease, FOODLUBE® Auto SF, specifically for food processing environments.
“This NSF registered product offers the same performance capabilities as any in the ROCOL range, with one additional advantage: it can be pumped through piping systems easily.”
ROCOL’s starting point was to look at ways of thinning grease, with a reduced amount of solids, to prevent pipe blockage. Oil is usually the obvious choice, but the ROCOL team were keen not to create a product that would drip and cause wastage.
Instead, their solution was to use oil with specially formulated additives to deliver the correct level of lubrication, whilst being gelled to prevent the product running out of the application. The adhesive properties of the gel help the oil adhere to machine parts, resulting in a longer-lasting supply of lubricant and reducing frictional wear, whilst enabling the semi-fluid lubricant to be pushed through pipes very easily.
“Standard pipe sizes are typically 4-6mm bore,” says Paul King. “We now have customers using FOODLUBE® Auto SF in 1mm diameter pipes with no blocking or sticking issues.”
The lubricant’s white appearance gives good visibility in translucent pipework, allowing ‘at a glance’ checks that the system is dispensing correctly, and the gel sticks to machine parts, resulting in a longer lasting supply of lubricant and reduced frictional wear. This, ultimately, maintains the machinery to a higher standard and reduces the risk of production downtime.
FOODLUBE® Auto SF performs to the same high standards as all ROCOL FOODLUBE® products, offering food-grade lubrication across broad-ranging temperature ranges (-20°C to +150°C), excellent water wash-off resistance and corrosion protection. It also has excellent stability, resulting in extended lubrication intervals and reduced lubricant usage.
Says Paul, “With this product, we believe we have developed the ultimate solution to the problems associated with small bore grease pipes, enabling food producers to benefit from consistently high-grade lubrication to machine parts whilst reducing the maintenance issues associated with small bore tubing.”
