Lubricating filling machine (for liquids)

How to resolve grease contamination problem in a filling line?

A leading pharmaceutical manufacturer, marketer and distributor of a diverse, high-quality range of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products are looking at reducing process reliability and product integrity due to grease contamination of finished product along the liquid filling/packaging line. 

Their current liquid filling machines have two or in some machines six filling heads. Its operating temperature goes up to 22 °C - 24 °C and operates six hours a day, five days a week. EPDM O-rings are used and installed in piston-cylinder assemblies of filling heads as it does not deteriorate when in contact with the product being filled into the empty containers. The O-rings in the piston-cylinder assemblies of the filling elements were not lubricated and would frequently seize and tear, resulting in product leakage from the filling heads.  

The solution offered by Klüber Lubrication was a non-greasy H1 lubricant, called UNISILKON M 2000 Spray. This was proposed after grease residues were identified during an H1 grease trial was conducted.

The outcome after switching to UNISILKON M 2000 Spray was the grease contamination of finished products is no longer an issue, thus improving process reliability and solving their issue. Because this is an H1 lubricant, there is no risk of cross-contamination, hence no compromise to process reliability and product quality. They also observed there was a reduction in lubricant application and batch changeover time by 50%.

UNISILKON M 2000 Spray provides efficient protection and lubrication of EPDM O-rings applications. 

How can the reliability of the conveyor belt lubrication be improved sustainably?

A Swiss leading manufacturer of cosmetic and hygienic products such as toothpaste, shampoo, body lotion, skin cream, and others was keen on meeting the strict requirements of good manufacturing practices. The manufacturing plant has 20 filling lines with just-in-time batch production capacity varying from 500 kg to 5,000 kgs. The objective was to ensure that production lines of any size could run efficiently to meet the needs of its clients.

Due to higher production output, they were facing wear and contamination on their conveyor belts. This meant compromise on quality of the final product and also huge waste in the form of frequent conveyor belt changes. To overcome these challenges and be more sustainable in the future the customer partnered with Klüber Lubrication to find the right solutions to meet their goals. 

The outcome:

Klüber Lubrication suggested the customer use UNISILKON M 2000 Spray on the conveyor belt surface. The excellent adhesive property of this lubricant ensured no contamination on the end product while ensuring that wear on the conveyor chains is reduced dramatically.  With the prolonged usage of UNISILKON M 2000 Spray the frequent change of the conveyor belt also stopped, thereby adding to their sustainability goals. UNISILKON M 2000 Spray being available in spray format also helps in easy application. 

Overall benefits and values:

• Less abrasion – fewer wear particles – less contamination of products – higher production output
• Minimised belt wear
• Increased safety in production due to NSF H1 registration and NSF ISO 21469 certification