Case Study: Reduce Re-Greasing in Wafer Baking Oven
Background
A Nye affiliate in Asia noticed an increase in production downtimes for the wafer baking industry. Representatives approached a wafer baking company in Malaysia that validated their observations. This company was experiencing costly production downtimes due to daily regreasing of wafer baking plate bearings. The bearings had high grease consumption rates, thus leading to high failure rates. When the machines were in operation, the bearings were extremely noisy. The daily regreasing was a tedious manual operation, so the company wanted our affiliate's assistance in replacing the existing grease with a high temperature, NSF H1 & Halal certified lubricant.
Challenges
- Can the lubricant reduce grease consumption rates and operation noise?
- Lubricant must be NSF H1and Halal Certified for incidental food contact.
- Lubricant must operate of temperatures up to 180°C.
Solution
Uniflor™ 4622R-FG
A PTFE thickened, heavy viscosity, completely fluorinated grease.
- Excellent high temperature performance
- NSF H1, Kosher and Halal Certified
- Heavy viscosity for severe service bearing use
| Product | Chemistry | Temp Range (°C) | 4 Ball Wear (1hr @ 1200 RPM) | Evaporation (24 hrs @ 100°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
UNIFLOR 4622R-FG |
PFPE / PTFE | -20 to 260 | 0.49 mm | 0% |
Results
The company’s internal test determined that Uniflor™ 4622R-FG lasted a full eight weeks, a significant increase over the daily failure rate experienced with the competitor lubricant. The customer chose to purchase Uniflor™ 4622R-FG and are now regreasing every four weeks, opposed to daily. The ovens are experiencing a smoother, quieter operation with no bearing failure. The lubricant reduced grease consumption, resulting in reduction in labor for regreasing and downtimes, ultimately leading to cost reduction for the company.
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