Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is set to display several products at the CibusTec 2023 trade show.  It states that vegetarian, vegan, fast and slow food and the range of foods and beverages constantly evolve. There are considerable regional differences along with stringent conditions. The processing companies must react to this continuously—and the machine and equipment manufacturers must do so.

“The food and beverage industry has high requirements. It really helps when the industrial companies and seal manufacturers work together closely, share their view of the market and identity trends together,” says Rainer Kreiselmaier, technical director for the global market segment process industry at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

Seals used in the manufacture of dairy products must be resistant to fats, for example, which means to non-polar media, as well as to high sterilization temperatures. Of course, they must also comply with the specifications of an aseptic, germ-free fill technique. Beverage bottling, on the other hand, mostly involves contact with polar media that do not contain fats, as well as minimizing the transfer of aromas. In many facilities, the cleaning and sterilization happens in a closed state to maximize plant efficiency. However, this requires the seats to be highly resistant to the acids, alkalis and disinfection media used in this process, such as peroxides or chlorine. On top of all this, it is country-specific and meets different needs regarding material approvals and conformities.

For these and other challenges, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies will present various product highlights for the food and beverage industry at this year’s CibusTec trade show. It will occur in Parma, Italy, from October 24 to 27, 2023, Hall 5, Booth 047.

Cleanliness Matters – Hygienic Product Line for Food Applications

The highest requirements for hygienic design in the food industry present major challenges for sealing technology. Thanks to special design solutions, premium elastomer and PTFE materials developed in-house, two hygienic sealing solutions in the portfolio of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies fulfill food industry standards. They reportedly resist Cleaning in Place/Sterilization in Place (CIP/SIP). One of the basic requirements for hygienically sealing solutions is construction without dead spaces. The company states that it prevents the collection and settling of product residues and micro-organisms in undercuts, for example. The selection of applied materials and their resistance to hot water, steam, acids, alkalis and high pressures are also relevant.

The Hygienic Pressure Seal from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ design is specifically for high pressures. The company gives an example of a rod seal for valves or pumps. It functionally resembles a traditional rod seal, but due to its performance, it also meets high hygiene standards. The Hygienic Forseal bases its design on the forseal from the company, but its design and materials are adapted to requirements in the food industry. The classic solution has a standard PTFE and a metallic tension spring; the new development uses Quantum PTFE for its material and an elastomer ring for optimal contact pressure. Both elements form a flat and dead space-free surface to the medium.

The Simmerring Family – for Any Application in the Process Industry

According to the company, as a flexible and resilient solution for sealing drive shafts, the Simmerring offers benefits such as high media resistance, easy adaptability to customer-specific requirements and the option to use numerous tools in standard dimensions. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies developed a portfolio of Simmerring radial shaft seals to meet the food and beverage industry needs.

The Simmerring product family consists of various designs for the process industry, including the Simmerring BAC, a partially or fully coated radial shaft seal for stringent hygiene requirements. The Simmerring MSS3 reportedly offers special protection against aggressive media, and the company says it is ideal for direct contact with food products. Whenever higher pressures, extreme chemicals thermal stress, dry runs or deficient lubrication are a factor, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies recommends the Simmerring B2PT. It states that the product enables stick slip-free operation and can be adapted to customer needs. The design for the Simmering Blue Seal works with applications with low lubrication, high speeds, extreme temperatures and aggressive media. Additional radial shaft seals from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, such as the Gerromatic or Radiamatic HTS II, are made of high-performance PTFE materials combined with stainless steel clamping rings. The company reports that they can easily adapt to customer installation spaces without tooling costs.