Brian Lloyd, sales engineer for GGB, told FoodProductionDaily.com that the company’s bearings are ideal for food companies because they are self lubricating, so no grease (which could contaminate food) is required. He added that the bearings are suitable for bakery equipment, conveyors, dicers/slicers, forming/filling systems and many other food and beverage processing machines.
Food processing benefits
The bearings require no additional lubrication or grooved equipment shafts to distribute. According to the manufacturer, the compact, one-piece construction yields space and weight savings, simplifies assembly and eliminates fitting damage.
The bearings also reportedly feature uniformly low coefficients of friction for smooth, friction-free performance, reducing wear and extending service life, and high positioning accuracy minimizes play. According to the manufacturer, they withstand high loads, speeds and temperatures, and resist the corrosive effects of frequent cleaning with chemicals and disinfectants.
Metal-polymer bearings
These are used in various equipment for food and beverage processing, industries. Steel-backed DP4 bearings are used by one tortilla baker, who is using them to replace greased steel-to-steel surfaces in the crankshafts and connecting rods. The customer reports improved product quality and reduced maintenance.
The DP4 bearings also are used in baking forms for cookie plates, coffee grinders, producing beverage (as well as filling, capping, conveying, and washing them), frozen-beverage dispensers, and other applications.
Bronze-backed DP4-B bearings facilitate adjustment of the clip heads and feed mechanisms in sausage clip machines. In this application, two bearings are used to take off part of the cantilever loading from the hand wheel threads for smoother, easier height adjustments; the bearings can be used in close proximity to food because they run dry under minimal movement and light loading, providing low running play, minimal wear and resistance to rust and corrosion, according to the manufacturer.
Filament-wound bearings
Another tortilla baker uses Gar-Max bearings in place of greased bronze bearings for cleaner performance without the need for additional lubrication. These bearings consist of filament-wound, fiberglass-impregnated epoxy backings with low-friction, wear-resistant linings. Their reinforced structure supports high static and dynamic loads, and their inert nature makes them corrosion-resistant, the company reports.
In other applications, Gar-Max bearings are also replacing ball bearings in conveyors that transport filled bottles to capping stations, and replacing greased bronze bearings in the roller end of aluminum foil packaging machines, eliminating contamination from the buildup of aluminum particles in the excess grease.
In high-capacity machines for industrial production of sausage, paté, meat, poultry, fish and canned goods, Gar-Fil composite bearings are used in the pivot points of cutter bowls and in the mixing gears. Replacing sealed, grease-lubricated sinter bronze bearings, they are subjected to slow, angular movements and loads of up to 1,500 N.
Featuring a proprietary filled PTFE tape liner on a filament-wound backing, they are said to one of the lowest coefficients of friction of any self-lubricating bearing. They also provide good wear properties, resistance to chemicals and contamination, and machineable bearing surfaces for close tolerances.
Solid polymer bearings
EP solid polymer bearings are found in the feed devices, saddle slideways and other moving parts of meat slicers, where they are frequently exposed to chemicals and disinfectants during cleaning. The precision injection-molded bearings reportedly provide low friction and excellent wear resistance under both dry and lubricated conditions.
Made of a variety of engineering polymers compounded with reinforcing fibers and solid lubricant, they exhibit dimensional stability, high compressive strength and creep resistance, low thermal expansion and good thermal conductivity. Applications include beverage processing and filling, and hot or cold drink dispensers.
Metal bearings
In industrial-scale meat grinders, cast bronze DB bearings can replace grease-lubricated bronze bearings to prevent contamination of the product. Designed for heavy-duty food and beverage applications, the bearings feature solid lubricant inserts and are said to deliver excellent performance under high loads and intermittent operation.