Freudenberg Process Seals Introduces Fluoroprene® XP 40 Material to the North American Food and Beverage Processing Industry

ELGIN, Ill., Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To meet the stringent sealing challenges surrounding food and beverage processing, Freudenberg Process Seals is now offering its Fluoroprene® XP 40 sealing material to the North American market. This new material overcomes the limitations of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene Monomer) and other FKM materials. Normally EPDM would be the material of choice for processing applications in aqueous solutions and CIP/ SIP (Clean-In-Place / Sterilization-In-Place) media, but fails in high fat containing media. FKM is commonly used in high fat containing media at elevated temperatures, but fails in acid or basic cleaning agents.

Prior to Fluoroprene XP 40, there wasn't a single sealing material capable of withstanding both the chemically aggressive cleaning agents and sterilizing steam, as well as the high fat concentrations or flavoring agents commonly found in processing applications. Fluoroprene XP 40 was developed as a universal sealing material able to withstand the numerous challenges associated with these various aspects of sealing. As a result, the new Fluoroprene XP 40 material eliminates the need for multiple materials, as it demonstrates high durability in all essential fields of the food and beverage industry.

"Often, the durability of food and beverage processing seals is not dependent on the product, but on the other chemicals and aggressive agents that are also used in a given application," said James Lippert, U.S. sales manager, Freudenberg Process Seals. "As a result, we developed Fluoroprene XP 40 as the first universal material that is resistant to all media used in the food and beverage processing industry."

Developed to meet the specific needs of the industry, Fluoroprene XP 40 material is resistant to a variety of temperatures (from - 15 degrees C to 200 degrees C) and media, such as high concentrations of fat, flavoring agents, acids, bases and steam. It is especially well suited for use in facilities that manufacture and process different products with a wide range of formulas and processing conditions. For the beverage industry, the transfer of flavoring agents from one production batch to another is of particular concern. Due to its superior durability, extensive tests have demonstrated that this can be avoided by using Fluoroprene XP 40.

Available for O-rings, molded parts and diaphragms, the material features a unique dark blue color, which sets it apart from other materials to reduce the chance of mix-up. Fluoroprene XP 40 eliminates the need for different sealing materials, which reduces purchasing and logistics costs, and its universal durability allows for longer maintenance intervals and reduced downtime caused by seal failure.

Freudenberg Process Seals, a division of the international Freudenberg Group, is a sealing solutions supplier for the food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. As a specialist in process engineering applications, the company has more than 160 years of technological knowledge and market expertise. For more information, please visit www.freudenberg-process-seals.com.

SOURCE Freudenberg Process Seals