Motion Control & Drives


Spherical roller bearings setting the benchmark in food safety

June 2024 Motion Control & Drives

Any operation involved in food manufacturing and processing has to adhere to extremely strict regulations, and for good reason. Companies in the food service business are compelled to sustain best food safety practices, as any form of contaminant entering the process poses potential harm to consumer health. The fundamentals of food safety are the measures taken by food processing companies to mitigate food contamination. These range from protective clothing wear like hairnets, masks and gloves, to personal hygiene practices like handwashing, to strict cleaning procedures, to using hygienically designed food-grade machines, equipment and components.

In a bid to address these needs, SKF developed and designed spherical roller bearings specifically for the food and beverage industry. The Food line of spherical roller bearings helps to maintain food industry hygiene standards and is fully compliant with all necessary global regulations.

“Our Food line bearings are pre-filled with NSF category H1 food-grade grease and incorporate integral FDA- and EC-approved seals,” says sales manager, Saien Rugdeo. “These bearings lower the risk of food contamination, increase machine performance and reliability, raise hygiene standards, and extend service intervals. They also boast a longer service life up to three times longer compared to SKF open spherical roller bearings.”

The high-performance, nitrile butadiene rubber contact seal protects against water, detergent and contaminant ingress. Moreover, as the risk of grease leaking from the bearing is minimised, the seal adds further value by reducing relubrication and related costs. Rugdeo adds that the seals are blue in colour to facilitate the detection of fragments, should they in an unlikely event end up in the food.

The self-aligning bearing is manufactured from high fatigue-resistant steel to the SKF Explorer performance class, increasing dynamic load-carrying capacity, and reducing vibration and heat generation. Rugdeo points out that the SKF Food line bearing helps to improve sustainability. “The low-friction seal reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The longer-lasting bearings also require less frequent replacement, thus reducing the demand for raw materials, manufacturing and transport. In addition, grease leakage is virtually non-existent, mitigating the need for repurchase, relubrication, and final disposal.”


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Taking reliability to the trenches
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
SKF’s maintenance-free Y Bearing Unit has significantly extended equipment uptime for key customer Gibela, a leading level 5CE CIBD-rated civils company with more than ten years of experience in the field.

Read more...
Adjustable chocks support extremely large telescope
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Adjustable chocks from SKF will play an important role in the world’s largest visible/near-infrared telescope, the ELT, which is currently under construction in Chile.

Read more...
Safe handling in all sectors
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG Motion Control & Drives
BMG is committed to ensuring optimum safety standards in all sectors, and encourages and assists customers to adhere to stringent safety legislation during bulk handling. Tsubaki backstops and cam clutches, which have been developed and manufactured in Japan for high efficiency and optimum safety in high- or low-speed applications, meet the requirements of current legislation.

Read more...
Motion control solutions for better machining results
Motion Control & Drives
NSK Europe is shining the spotlight on its latest solutions for machine tools. Innovative NSK bearings, ball screws, and linear guides can deliver significant gains for both machine users and builders.

Read more...
Drive technology for tunnel construction
Motion Control & Drives
Compact, robust, and reliable - these are the advantages of RUD’s Tecdos drive technology, which is a gamechanger in tunnel construction.

Read more...
Modernising for productivity
SEW-Eurodrive Motion Control & Drives
Making its debut appearance at NAMPO Cape in Bredasdorp in September this year, geared motor specialist SEW-EURODRIVE is all set to excite the farming community with even more solutions to drive productivity and efficiency.

Read more...
Cost-effective machine health monitoring
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
The easy to use SKF QuickCollect Bluetooth-enabled, handheld sensor monitors the health of rotating machinery via mobile iOS and Android apps, identifies developing issues, and mitigates potential failures by enabling customers to initiate predictive maintenance.

Read more...
Beer brewers avoid grease contamination
igus Motion Control & Drives
A study by RWTH Aachen University and igus recently quantified the financial and environmental benefits of using lubrication-free polymer bearings over traditional metal bearings. The study revealed that users can save millions of rands annually in lubricant costs, significantly reducing their environmental impact.

Read more...
Supporting the low-carbon steel movement
Motion Control & Drives
With a legacy of pioneering safer, more productive, and sustainable equipment and services, Konecranes is committed to advancing a decarbonised and circular world for customers and society.

Read more...
Harnessing robotics for a sustainable future
Motion Control & Drives
Yaskawa South Africa stands at the forefront of the green revolution, leveraging advanced robotics to drive sustainable manufacturing practices.

Read more...