New lubricant for food machinery claims to cut costs

The food grade lubricant, Sheerplex is a new multipurpose premium grease specifically designed for use in food and beverage applications. It is said to be clean, translucent and approved for uses involving incidental food contact.

The lubricant, which features the company’s corrosion inhibitors, performs well in bearing corrosion tests and provides rust protection for equipment that works with high levels of water contamination, according to the company. The results are longer equipment life, longer service intervals, lower energy use and repair bills leading to higher profitability, it claims.

Sheerplex lubricant is NSF H1 registered, Kosher Pareve certified, and cleared for use in United States Department of Agriculture-inspected facilities. It is an aluminum complex, NLGI Number 2 grease manufactured with white mineral oils, performance additives and organo-metallic thickeners.

Food equipment​

According to the manufacturer, the product’s smooth, non-tacky texture ensures clean and easy cleaning for the frequent washdown of food equipment.

It is also said to provide for outstanding pumpability in centralized lube systems.

Sheerplex contains no pigmentation, so it appears nearly transparent, which allows clear visual inspection of the machinery it lubricates.

The product was developed in response to customers’ requests, said Scott Schwindaman, president, Lubrication Engineers. “We developed Sheerplex grease based on feedback from our customers,” he​ said. “The reliability of food manufacturing equipment continues to improve thanks to the performance of LE's H1 products and the knowledge and experience of our LE lube consultants​.”

The product is claimed to perform well under mild acid or alkali conditions and has a wide operating temperature range of -20°F to 400°F. “That means that Sheerplex has great low-temperature mobility for use in the refrigerated areas of food plants as well as exceptional oxidation resistance at the elevated temperatures used in food processing​,” says the company.

Maintenance personnel​

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Its odor-neutral, non-pigmented, non-tacky formulation is said to make Sheerplex lubricant pleasant for maintenance personnel to use.

All Lubrication Engineers’ lubricants are manufactured in an ISO 9001:2000 certified quality system at the company’s plant in Wichita, Kansas. All its products are available worldwide.