Freudenberg seal takes Tetra Pak product further

WEINHEIM, Germany—When Tetra Pak set out to meet the strict standards for country- and industry-specific hygiene requirements with one of its product offerings, the company turned to Freudenberg Sealing Technologies.

That product—a tubular heat exchanger for food industry process lines—features a specially designed FST seal. And that heat exchanger, FST said, is the first and only device on the market to receive European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group standards approval.

In achieving these standards, the Tetra Pak products—and FST sealing seal—achieved FDA, EG (Reg.) 1935/2004 and 3-A® Sanitary Standards.

"The objective of the development cooperation between Freudenberg and Tetra Pak was to develop a cost-effective, hygienic sealing solution that would connect the stainless-steel components of the new tubular heat exchanger," FST said in a news release.

Because the tubular heat exchangers are used in the food industry—specifically in process lines where liquid products with different viscosities and solid contents are to be heated to achieve a longer shelf life—it is critical that components coming into contact with the product prevent contamination.

Further the seal had to withstand a broad temperature range, be durable enough to withstand cleaning and sanitizing, and provide a long service life.

Those were challenges, yes. But they were challenges that FST said it was ready to meet.

"Choosing the right sealing materials was a key factor in this regard. The two materials used, 70 EPDM 291 and 75 Fluoroprene XP 40, meet the requirements of the FDA, EG (Reg.) 1935/2004, NSF 51 and the 3-A Sanitary Standards," FST said. "In addition, they are optimized especially for cleaning in CIP/SIP processes. Both materials cover a wide range of temperatures: 70 EPDM 291 between -40°C and 150°C; 75 Fluoroprene XP 40 between -15°C and 200°C."

When it came to ensuring the long service life of the seal, Freudenberg turned to its modeling technology. This made it possible to not only ensure the service life of the seal, but optimize its design in the process. This not only saved on time and costs, it helped to ensure the right product with the right fit.

"We are proud to be able to help make food production safer with our sealing solution that is based on our extensive development and materials expertise," said Mats Harrysson, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies key account manager for the Global Process Industry.