Complete range of Food Compliant plastic materials

Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products launches a complete materials offering for food processing and packaging industries, suitable for machined parts and for CIP/SIP applications

Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products launches complete materials offering for food processing, packaging industries.

Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (QEPP) has unveiled a complete line of Food Compliant Materials (FCM).

The new materials are designed to provide superior performance for machined plastic parts used in food and beverage processing and packaging equipment in food-product contact.

These Quadrant materials are also suitable for machined non-direct-food-contact-compliant applications such as shields, wall, and ceilings in food processing operations where cleanliness is an important issue.

"We are pleased to announce this complete food contact materials programme for OEMs that are serving the food processing and packaging industry," said Ulf Barth, Market Development Manager, QEPP.

"Our new food-compliant materials can be heated or cooled repeatedly without affecting food taste or appearance.

Food preparation equipment made with most of these materials can be frequently disinfected and sterilised without fear of degradation.

In addition, bearing or load surfaces made from plastics will not introduce dangerous shavings and require no lubrication," added Barth.

These new food contact-compliant products offer excellent chemical resistance against cleaning and sanitising substances used during food processing, and their 'Quadrant blue' colour secures traceability of potential plastic content in processed food.

The material self-lubrication and high wear resistance enables FCM products to deliver lower maintenance costs and good environmental performance.

The current range of 24 materials in the FCM product line offers OEMs and designers a choice of high-performance material solutions with highly dimensionally stable, temperature-resistant, economical parts.

Materials in the new food-compliant product line meet the demands of an array of important cleaning and sanitising procedures including CIP (Clean-in-Place), COP (Clean-Out-of-Place), and SIP (Sterilisation-In-Place).

They also satisfy a range of food-contact compliance regulations in Europe and the United States - including the European Union Directive 2002/72/EC and the US Food and Drug Administration Regulation 21 CFR 177.

The new Quadrant product offering includes highly chemical-resistant materials like Cestilene polyethylene (UHMW-PE), Ketron polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Techtron polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), Symalit polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), and Fluorosint polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

FCM products also include self-lubricating grades, such as Nylatron LFG polyamide 6 (PA6), Ertalyte TX polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Ketron PEEK-TX, and Techtron HPV PPS.

A range of standard colours in Ertacetal C acetal, Cesticolor ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) PE, and Ketron PEEK 1000 round out the offering.

The new Quadrant materials are targeted for a range of shapes to machine plastic parts used in food processing equipment including guiders, bushings, housings, thrust washers, forming plates, and scrapers.

Key industry segments served include bakeries for use in products such as tunnel ovens and forming, kneading, and cake-filling machinery; dairy processing and packaging; meat and sausage-processing equipment (cutters, grinders, mixers); confectionary; and beverage processing and filling.

"We expect to see strong growth for these materials in the global food processing industry due to innovation, re-investment, and maintenance requirements.

New countries joining the EU and strong activity in China will also spur growth," says Barth.

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