Figure 1: Two new seals have been added to Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ line of hygienic sealing solutions. Source: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies

Seals designed for hygienic applications, such as those designed for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry, face assorted challenges. In addition to having to comply with a number of industry- and country-specific legal regulations, these seals are oftentimes in direct contact with the products being manufactured — for example, food.

As such, seals designed exclusively for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry must meet strict hygienic regulations and cleanliness standards; conform to Hygienic Design standards; be able to undergo CIP/SIP (cleaning in place/sterilization in place) processes and thus withstand CIP/SIP media as well as partly aggressive product media; eliminate dead spaces where contaminants can collect; and be composed of high-quality materials.

Two new seals join Freudenberg’s portfolio of hygienic sealing solutions

To respond to the assorted challenges facing seals in the process industry, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a global company offering high-performance sealing solutions, has an entire portfolio dedicated to hygienic sealing applications. Two of its latest offerings — the Hygienic Forseal and the Hygienic Pressure Seal — meet all of the demands of sanitary applications such as those encountered in the food and pharma industry.

Advantages of the hygienic product line of seals

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ Hygienic Forseal and Hygienic Pressure Seal feature a flat contact surface that prevents dead space where residue and contaminants can collect. Likewise, both seals demonstrate high media and temperature resistance, ideal dry running properties, low friction and reduced wear — all of which lead to increased service life.

Further, both seals are composed of premium elastomer and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) materials, making them resistant to many different cleaning and product media.

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies uses the Finite Element Method (FEM), which enables the virtual evaluation of the performance of a seal design. This method enables designers to prevent dead space ahead of manufacture — saving time and development costs and enabling engineers to detect potential errors early on in the design phase.

The Hygienic Pressure Seal

Figure 2: The Hygienic Pressure Seal. Source: Freudenberg Sealing TechnologiesFreudenberg Sealing Technologies’ Hygienic Pressure Seal is designed for high-pressure process industry applications up to 150 bar. This seal is comprised of an innovative and unique combination of premium elastomers and high-performance PTFE Quantum®. All of the materials of this seal’s construction are certified according to the relevant legal regulations.

The Hygienic Pressure Seal is designed to fit securely, thereby reducing surface contact with the medium being processed. Additionally, the seal can be manufactured in custom designs, for instance, featuring a steel ring for support, or as a piston seal with one- or two-sided action or with an additional dust lip.

The Hygienic Forseal

Figure 3: The Hygienic Forseal. Source: Freudenberg Sealing TechnologiesLike the Hygienic Pressure Seal, the Hygienic Forseal is designed for hygienic applications in the process industry. This seal’s design includes a combination of a groove ring comprised of PTFE Quantum® that is activated by a pressure ring made of Fluoroprene® XP or ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM).

In lieu of the traditional stainless steel spring that results in dead space where contaminants can collect, the Hygienic Forseal features an elastomer contact pressure element that prevents contamination. Additionally, this seal offers mounting options in undivided installation space. Custom versions of the seal are available.

These new products join Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ family of sanitary sealing solutions, including radial seals for seat valves; the Radiamatic® HTS II 9539 VL; shaft seals; butterfly valve seals; Hygienic Usit®-rings; clamp seals with defined stop; and aseptic O-rings.

Legal regulations

All sealing solutions from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies for process industry applications meet the most common international legal requirements, such as those set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union (EU).

In the U.S., the most common regulations are the FDA’s Paragraph 21 CFR 177.2600, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and 3-A® Sanitary tandards. In the EU, the most common regulations governing sealing materials in contact with food products include EU (Reg.) 1935/2004 and EU (Reg.) 10/2011.

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ sealing products also comply with governing bodies such as Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, France’s Arrêté of November 9, 1994, and Chinese Food Law (GB 9685 and GB 4806).

About Freudenberg Sealing Technologies

As part of the global Freudenberg Group, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is a leading supplier of advanced sealing materials and products for customers working on process industry, automotive and general industry applications. Contact the experts today for assistance with high-performance and customized sealing solutions.