Food and Beverage Industry
At Fakuma, Victrex is presenting a PEEK portfolio specifically developed for the food sector to support OEM manufacturers in complying with stringent legal requirements and high quality standards in the food industry. Compared to metals, the new "VICTREX FG™" family of high-performance plastics offers additional benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness, productivity, and performance for OEMs – and meets consumer expectations for taste neutrality.
OEM manufacturers in the food and beverage industry face numerous health, safety, and hygiene requirements demanded by legislators, industry, and consumers. In addition to the application of Industry 4.0 technology, special VICTREX PEEK polymers offer food and beverage manufacturers the opportunity to optimize efficiency and reduce production costs compared to using metals.
Reduce component production costs, improve reliability and maintenance intervals
The total component costs can often be influenced in the short term by the manufacturing costs of individual parts; for example, producing components from metals can require expensive multi-stage machining. The choice of other materials or tailored manufacturing processes, such as injection molding, can reduce component costs for appropriate volumes. However, by selecting optimal materials, such as high-performance polymers, and designs that extend component lifespan and reduce downtime costs or quality losses, component costs can also be reduced in the long term.
Machine components used in the food production industry require regular maintenance, for instance, because they are made of metal and are thus susceptible to corrosion. Should such corrosion occur, it can lead to contamination in local environments, such as with stainless steel in saline environments above 60°C. Furthermore, extreme temperatures and chemicals can damage components, or contamination can arise from lubricants, which may be necessary for moving parts.
"To protect consumers and implement social and ecological standards, the regulatory environment for materials used in food, beverages, or drinking water is becoming increasingly complex. Updated, stricter requirements, combined with the demand for improved taste, longer shelf life, clear ingredient labeling, product differentiation, and consumer safety, are additional challenges that the VICTREX PEEK food-grade portfolio can help address," says Steve Dougherty, Director Manufacturing & Engineering at Victrex, ahead of Fakuma in Friedrichshafen (October 16-20, 2018).
New portfolio for improving cost-benefit ratio and productivity
Victrex offers special PAEK products that, among other things, meet the EU10/2011 testing requirements. This can help reduce costs for household or commercial appliances and improve the productivity/yield of industrial equipment. Compliance with regulatory requirements typically incurs significant costs. The approval of new materials by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) often costs over 100,000 Euros per case and can, in some instances, take well over a year. This does not even include proprietary tests and validations for a specific application or the approval of the component itself for food contact. The cost risk can be reduced if the manufacturer has already certified its materials with NSF International. Pre-approved/certified materials can enable cost savings of approximately 10,000 Euros and time savings of about twelve weeks.
The VICTREX FG portfolio includes PEEK polymer types for food contact that comply with the stringent tests according to all or at least one of the following specifications:
- Food: USA FDA 21 CFR 177.2415 regulation (all types approved), European EU 10/2011 (all types approved with the exception of carbon fiber types); South American Mercosur GMC RES 02/12; 32/07; 32/10);
- Drinking Water: WRAS, Great Britain; KTW, Germany, including KTW guideline tests and DVGW W270 micro-tests.
Further development of applications based on food-grade products, combined with years of PEEK experience
The food industry has been utilizing Victrex's PEEK polymer-based solutions for some time. The range of applications extends from cookware and beverage dispensers for commercial and private use to industrial applications such as food-contact components in conveyor systems, aseptic processes, sensors, gears, and filling nozzles. The company's profound PEEK expertise is built upon almost 40 years of experience with this high-performance polymer and collaborative partnerships within the industry. In Austria, Victrex PEEK is distributed through Plastoplan Kunststoffe.
