the basic requirement for any operation in food and beverage, pharmaceutical industries is a clean and hygienic environment. Regular cleaning, often with aggressive chemicals and high pressure cleaners, is a daily standard procedure.
Any contamination of the product by oil or grease must be minimized. Production processes, like cleaning – cooling – baking, demand special attention to the bearing lubrication
Typical challenges for the bearing lubrication
- wet environment – process water
- cleaning – (detergents / acids and leaches)
- pressure cleaning
- hot or cold processing
- demand of food grade lubricants suitable for incidental contact with the processed product
- low maintenance costs – reduced environmental impact
The thb lub-systems Durolub variants are the high-end solution to all these challenges. We fill our compound lubricants in any type and brand of bearings. You are not forced to buy a specific brand for whatsoever reason.
Wet Environment
The challenge
Water and moisture inside a bearing decreases the lubrication effectiveness of the lubricant, cause wear and corrosion. The bearing will fail prematurely.
A frequent relubrication with grease tends to be unsuccessful, the refill will be washed out again in short time. Regular re-greasing contaminates the environment and there is a high risk of grease impurifying the product.
The solution
Durolub DL, a thermally treated polymer compound with a high performance synthetic oil, cannot be washed out of the bearing.
The base oil is extremely resistant to water, there is no re – lubrication and almost no pollution of the environment.
(High) Pressure cleaning
The challenge
Cleaning with high pressure press water inside the bearings. The water jet often is positioned towards the seals. Integrated seals will be deflected inward. Water and detergent can easily move into the bearing, normal grease will be washed out of the bearing. The bearings will fail prematurely
The solution
Additionally to the benefits for the wet environment:
Durolub DL is filled into all free space of the bearing. After the thermal treatment Durolub is a solid compound which provides additional support to (integrated) seals and avoids the inward deflection.
Cold processing
The challenge
Operating temperatures around and less than 0°C increase the viscosity of the lubricant significantly. Standard lubricants often reach a critical high viscosity already at +10°C, the lubricant is getting „too thick“ and doesn´t lubricate the bearings properly.
Mixed friction causes wear and high friction torques, the energy costs for operation are high and the bearings will fail prematurely.
The solution
Durolub DL32 contains a special low viscosity base-oil which is suitable for operating bearings at very low temperatures.
Starting temperatures, as low as -50°C, can be realized. Bearings operated in low temperature environment will have lower friction torque, energy costs reduce.
Food grade solution / Antimicrobial option
All Durolub DL, the compound + base oil + additives, are certified NSF/H1 – Halal – Kosher for incidental contact with food.
As Durolub DL is a highly effective lubricant, which just uses the needed quantity of oil in the raceway and because of the fact that it cannot be washed out, Durolub DL is a very clean lubricant. It does not contaminate the environment like grease based solution – therefore the risk of incidental contact to processed food or pharmaceuticals is minimized.
Antimicrobial option
Durolub DL with antimicrobial additives prevents microbial growth efficiently (Suffix AM).
The main features and advantages are:
- H1 – certified
- Prevents pathogenic microbial growth in the lubricant
- No microbial contamination of the processed product in case of incidental contact
- Proven efficiency against various pathogenic germs and mould
- inhibits ageing and degradation of the lubricant
Hot processing (no food contact)
The challenge
Operating temperatures above 100°C reduce the life-time of ordinary mineral-oil based lubricants significantly. Seal and cage material needs to be suitable for high temperature application.
The thermal treatment of bearing rings should be according to the planned operating temperature range, coatings can improve the overall performance.
Depending on the planned applications there are different solutions, we at Durolub are always at your disposal for further details.
The solutions
Durolub offers a wide range of products, the Durolub G series, for grease / polyglycol/solid and solid lubricants. There is also a special Durolub compound variant available, the Durolub© SLC.
Durolub SLC is a special dry lubricant compound filled into the free space of the bearing. During rotation of the bearing, small quantities of the dry lubricant are transferred to the contacting surfaces. This, about 1µm thick lubrication film, lubricates the bearings and can be used for operating temperatures up to 300°C – temperature peaks are causing no problems, only above 350°C the efficiency of DL-SLC is reduced by oxidation.
Durolub SLC is not supposed to get in direct contact with food.
Maintenance cost / Environmental impact
Bearings lubricated with Durolub contain up to 5 times more oil than greased bearings. Highest quality synthetic oils, which cannot be washed and the support of integrated seals offer the maximum grease life time.
The bearings are practically maintenance free. There is no regreasing necessary, no excessive grease is around your applications. This all saves lots of time, money and is the best solution for the environment
