Cleanliness, hygiene, compliance and sustainability – the process industry poses various challenges to seals. They must be of high purity and meet hygienic design standards. At the same time, the requirements of industry and country specific standards such as USP Class VI, NSF, FDA and GB apply. Conformity with the standards mentioned is not enough, however. The sealing materials must also be able to withstand aggressive media such as CIP/SIP detergents, greases, aromas or chemicals and extreme temperatures. Sealingtechnologies has risen to this challenge and has developed sealing solutions tailored to the requirements of the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
The challenges for seals in the food and beverage industry are many. A multitude of different applications place different demands on the selection of the right sealing solution.
Especially when filling beverages, avoiding aroma transfer plays an important role. In addition, the sealing materials must be resistant to aggressive cleaning agents.
To ensure safe food consumption, the design and material composition of the product must comply with legal requirements, such as the European EUO (VO) 1935/2004, the US FDA §177.2600 or the Chinese GB 4806 and GB 9685. At the same time, they must comply with the Hygienic Design Standards of the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group), which means that they must seal without dead space and thus prevent contamination.
Because drug synthesis in the pharmaceutical industry does not produce unwanted by-products or allow germs to enter the product, the purity requirements for the process and the product are particularly high. There are sealing solutions for this that reliably prevent contamination and allow carefree contact with the product.
The pharmaceutical industry consists of many different applications and processes, all of which have individual requirements. For example, the manufacture of finished pharmaceuticals requires very good chemical resistance of sealing materials to various educts and solvents. Very low temperatures can occur in vaccine or protein production and blood separation, which require seals that are highly resistant to cold temperatures. These and many other requirements pose new challenges to sealing solutions in the pharmaceutical industry every day.
The chemical industry encompasses a wide variety of different processes, materials and plants. This great diversity requires individually tailored sealing solutions. In sensitive chemical processes, such as in reactors, generators and agitators, it is very important that nothing harmful can escape from the plant.
In processes involving fine and specialty chemicals, temperatures of up to +300°C can push seals made of elastomers and plastics to their limits. The seals are also exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations during steam cracking. In addition, the sealing materials must be able to withstand particularly aggressive, sometimes even toxic chemicals and high pressures. Seals must also help chemical processes meet the emission values required by the TA air legislation. Due to these extreme operating conditions, robust and chemical-resistant materials are indispensable in the chemical industry.
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