Plastic Products for Food & Beverage Applications

Engineered plastics are an excellent choice when you need to reduce friction or wear. Polymershapes can help you choose the best material depending on the specific details of your application, such as speed, temperature, environmental conditions, and compliance requirements. Acetal, Nylon, PTFE, PEEK, and UHMW-PE are commonly used in these sorts of applications.

Conveyors offer several opportunities for plastics to improve food processing or packaging performance. PTFE is an excellent material for rollers because of its great thermal and chemical resistance, very low coefficient of friction, and FDA and 3-A Dairy compliance. TIVAR® 1000 UHMW-PE by Mitsubishi Chemical Group is an excellent choice for chutes, sprockets, and rail guards because of its wear and corrosion resistance, low friction, and noise reduction properties. TIVAR HPV offers even higher wear resistance, a built-in lubricant, and dual food compliance in the US and EU, making it perfect for corner bends and other applications requiring extreme, long-lasting performance. Transparent LEXAN 9444 Polycarbonate, which is 30x stronger than acrylic and 200x stronger than glass, is often used as a conveyor shield for safety and quality control. 

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is commonly used in cutting boards or countertops used for food preparation because of its balance of strength and toughness. Stocked in natural (off white) with a textured (matte) surface, it can be custom ordered in several additional colors. When you need a higher level of cut resistance, consider Polypropylene (PP).

For parts that come in direct contact with food, Nylon is strong and stiff with good abrasion resistance and comes in several specialized grade. Acetal (POM-C) is commonly used throughout the food industry because it offers better chemical and temperature resistance to withstand frequent cleaning and sterilization. Acetron® Food Grade Blue 50 POM-C offers all the compliances you need in a blue color for easy visual detection. PET thrives in acidic environments and is extremely resistant to staining and temperature damage, making it perfect for components that will be exposed to harsh cleaning solutions. Ketron 1000 PEEK is best when extreme temperature or chemical resistance is required. All four materials are FDA and 3A-Dairy approved. Metal detectable and EU compliant grades are available for most products.

Gaskets form a seal between two surfaces to prevent leakage or contamination. PTFE is the preferred plastic for gaskets used in the food industry because it’s able to withstand aggressive chemicals and is widely available in a food grade with all necessary compliances.

See-through plastics like Acrylic (PMMA), PET-G, or Polycarbonate (PC) work well as machine guards to increase production line safety while maintaining visibility of equipment. For highest impact strength at elevated temperatures, choose LEXAN™ 9444 PC.