SKF introduces new series of food industry-compliant bearings

• Seals made from synthetic rubber compliant with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as European Community (EC) requirements, coloured blue for ease of optical detectability should they be damaged
• High-quality grease, suitable for typical food and beverage application conditions registered as NSF category H1

The Food Line family includes 19 different standard sizes of deep groove ball bearings from SKF's comprehensive range, in diameters ranging from 8 to 40mm.

David Oliver, SKF Europe Industry Manager Food and Beverage says: "Both the blue seal and the lubricant were developed for use in food and beverage applications. The overall bearing meets the highest standards of food management systems and regulations. This offer is unique to SKF; none of our competitors can offer the full package of food-grade grease, plus FDA and EC-approved blue-coloured sealing in their stainless steel deep groove ball bearings."

Food safety management systems such as HACCP are placing ever greater importance on safe food production. Many food product recalls are necessitated by the possible presence of hard or sharp objects, so food safety and detectability are high priorities for any components operating close to the food stream. The same is true of lubricants, and for this reason food-grade lubricants are increasingly used on a plant-wide basis to remove the possibility of accidentally applying a non-food grease to a critical component.

SKF stainless steel deep groove ball bearings offer high resistance to corrosion, so that they can withstand the aggressive wash down regimes which are necessary in the food industry. The special seal enhances this, helping to retain lubricant and prevent ingress of wash down fluids.

For more information about the new food industry-compliant bearings please visit www.skf.co.uk.