New Elastomer Material Family Compliant with all Major Global Food Regulations and Standards
Alongside full global compliance, these materials are suitable for use with virtually all food and beverage products and are resistant to harsh cleaning and sterilization processes. The FoodPro® EPDM family consists of three materials:
- FoodPro® E75F2 is ideal for universal use in a full range of processing environments. This 70 Shore material maximizes the usability of EPDM in static and dynamic applications.
- FoodPro® E85F2 is an 80 Shore EPDM material which offers offers enhanced extrusion resistance, making it the optimum compound for high pressure applications.
- FoodPro® E75F1 is a 70 Shore EPDM that meets all relevant global food contact regulations, including strict US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for use in equipment processing infant formula.
On September 28, at 4 pm Central European Summer Time (CEST) / 10 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and September 29 at 9 am CEST, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions food and beverage experts will be hosting a free-to-attend webinar FoodPro® EPDMs – Ensure Safe Sealing in Food Processing Now. Our experts will introduce participants to the new family of materials and demonstrate the benefits they bring to food and beverage equipment manufacturers.
Global Compliance with Food Contact Material Regulations
Mikkel Moerup, Global Segment Director Food & Beverage at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, says: “What makes FoodPro® E75F2 so unique is its versatility. To best support our customers, it was important for us to develop a material for use in all types of food and beverage processing equipment.
“Processing equipment manufacturers can look to FoodPro® E75F2 to meet their customers’ needs, because of its suitability for the widest range of applications. They no longer need to specify sealing materials for each piece of equipment dependent on geographical use, process media and cleaning regimes. This saves significant time, reduces complexity and simplifies manufacturing processes.”
FoodPro® EPDMs comply with all major global food contact regulations, including US FDA CFR 21; Reg. (EC) 1935/2004; Chinese GB 4806.1-2016, GB 4806.11-2016, GB 9685-2016; and 3-A Sanitary Standards. In addition, FoodPro® EPDM materials and products are compounded and manufactured according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Standard O-Rings to Complex Multi-Component Designs
Mikkel continues, “In addition to standard O-Rings and gaskets, the compounds can be shaped into any design imaginable to fit our customers’ needs. By combining FoodPro® EPDMs with other rubber, plastic and metal materials, creation of multicomponent products is possible. Uniting several parts into a single component, eliminates potential dead space where bacteria can grow, strengthening hygienic designs and substantially enhancing cleanliness, as well as offering more robust solutions.”
FoodPro® EPDMs are suitable for a wide range of static, semi-dynamic and dynamic food applications, such as separators, decanters, valves, pipe couplings and heat exchangers, in any type of seal design, from standard O-Rings and gaskets to multicomponent parts. The materials are compression and injection moldable into complex geometries and withstands surface imperfections in applications.
Proven performance in CIP and SIP
Able to withstand the harsh chemicals of CIP and SIP cleaning regimes, FoodPro® EPDMs are characterized by high chemical resistance, demonstrating long life in polar media and excellent compatibility with alkaline cleaning agents.
Aiming to ensure the material’s broadest possible use in the food and beverage industry, rigorous testing was undertaken, including tests to prove the material’s compatibility with process and cleaning media according to DIN ISO 1817. These involved testing materials in numerous media, including sodium hydroxide 2%, steam, alkaline and acidic cleaners, at elevated temperatures for 168 hours. FoodPro® EPDMs demonstrated good or very good performance with all cleaning agents tested, retaining hardness and tensile strength, while exhibiting little volume change.
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