When it comes to food processing applications, the types of equipment that need protection are as varied as the threats they face. Whether you specify or upgrade molds, hoppers, pneumatic cylinders, extruders or guillotine blades, protecting that equipment is a top priority. Depending on their intended use and environment, food production machines demand durability, protection from wear, and resistance to contamination, corrosion and adhesives. Without proper protection, your machine’s production, cleanliness and lifetime can suffer.

Synergistic Coatings Offer Many Benefits and FDA Compliance

Synergistic coatings are particularly well-suited for food processing equipment because they can be formulated for certain conditions and threats. Benefits include durability and wear resistance, good release properties to mitigate build-up and ease sanitation, and the ability to strip and recoat parts so food manufacturers do not need to buy replacement parts. Many of Magnaplate synergistic coatings include FDA-compliant versions to ensure surfaces are non-porous and moisture proof.

Here are some common food processing applications and their typical challenges along with corresponding synergistic coatings that can address them:

• Mold release: mints, gummy candies, cereals, meat molds, dog bone molds
  • Plasmadize® creates a non-porous, moisture-proof surface, when used with a proprietary polymer, to help increase the speed of the molding cycle and stand up to wear and abrasion.
  • Tufram® can prevent syrups used in gummies and various candies from sticking to molds while keeping their shapes true to form.
• Build-up prevention: candies with sticky fillings, fried pies and snack cake doughs
  • Lectrofluor® polymer coatings encapsulate parts to prevent build-up, making it desirable where non-stick properties are needed to keep production running smoothly. Candies with sticky fillings like caramel are potentially suitable for Lectrofluor.
  • Plasmadize provides dry lubricity to prevent substances from sticking to metal parts and helps machines meet USDA and FDA standards. When used with a proprietary polymer, it can prevent, for example, fried pie and cake doughs from sticking to processing parts.
• Wear resistance: candy production
  • Plasmadize can be applied to extrusion dies and fingers to provide better resistance to wear and corrosion such as typical with enrobing equipment used to make chocolates.
  • Nedox® can encapsulate surfaces and even make them harder to prevent scratches and scuffing, help ease cleanup and reduce downtime for slitter and guillotine blades commonly used in candy manufacturing.
• Resistance to adhesives, waxes and hot glues: food packaging and gum production
  • Nedox protects most base metals and makes cleanup easy. Most adhesives, adhesive-backed products or glues cannot permanently adhere to the proprietary polymer-impregnated surface of a Nedox-coated part.
  • Plasmadize is well-suited to prevent adhesive buildup on food packaging equipment. Unwanted materials fall off as soon as they dry.
• Corrosion Resistance
  • Lectrofluor stops attacks from acidic and alkaline products that could otherwise pit and corrode aluminum pneumatic cylinders. It protects against washdowns that could damage stainless steel equipment.
  • Nedox effectively protects mechanical equipment against corrosion and resists chemicals and cleanings. Nedox and Tufram won’t absorb moisture. Instead, water beads up and runs off.

Ensure Optimal Productivity and Uptime

Food processing equipment must withstand a host of challenges posed by their ingredients, packaging or operating environment. Synergistic coatings address these challenges with formulations for specific equipment, conditions and needs, and many of them also comply to FDA standards. Whether you need effective mold release, build-up mitigation or protection from wear, corrosion or adhesives, there’s a Magnaplate synergistic coating that will meet your food processing application’s particular challenges to ensure optimal productivity and uptime for your machines.

For more information about Magnaplate’s synergistic coatings for food applications, click here.