Thinking Food Grade?
Posted by: David Geesaman
Food grade lubricants are more frequently requested than ever before. Used most often in food/beverage handling and water treatment environments, food grade lubes are expanding also into areas where environmental contamination is hard to control. Food grade lubricants are safer because the quantities of harmful chemicals are strictly limited.
While food grade lubricants often meet the same general performance standards as the industrial lubricants, they have some important differences. 1) Food grade lubricants are less robust performers in certain areas such as moisture absorption, anti-wear performance, and low-temperature flow. Take extra precautions and deliberately re-establish maintenance intervals in converted mixers. 2) Food grade lubricants are not always compatible with industrial lubes, particularly greases. The best time to convert to food grade is during a unit overhaul or new unit. If you need to convert an existing unit to food grade lubes in the field, please contact the food grade lubricant vendor for compatibility information and the equipment supplier for support.
Food grade lubricants represent a great improvement in product and environmental safety. Take a little time to get to know them and they can provide these benefits without any change in your equipment reliability.
About the author: Mr. Geesaman has been engineering rotating equipment for 8 years and with Philadelphia Mixing Solutions for 4 years. He holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Tags: contamination, environmental safety, food grade, grease, lubricant