Bearings specialist igus UK now offers a range of bearing products that are blue in colour for easier detection in the food and drinks industry. The new iglidur A350 polymer plain bearing material is FDA-approved (Food and Drug Administration USA) and the igubal polymer material can also be recognised by metal detectors; both materials are manufactured completely from tribo-optimised plastic.
In the UK the contamination of food is illegal under The Food Safety Act 1990, that states: ‘It shall be a defence for the person charged to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence by himself or by a person under his control.’
“The use of a visually detectable product with a colour not naturally found very often in nature is a reasonable precaution,” explains Matt Aldridge of igus UK. “For this reason, blue-coloured products have become the de facto standard – blue-coloured items, ranging from plasters to hair nets, are now widely used in food preparation areas and large scale mass produced food lines, which is why we’ve developed a blue range of bearings designed specifically for this industry.”
The igus igubal detectable plastic range includes lubricant and maintenance-free rod end bearings and clevis joints, flange, pivoting and pillow block bearings, which are suitable for dry use at application temperatures ranging from -30 to +80°C. They can run in liquids as well as chemicals, and are corrosion-resistant.
igus
T: 01604 677240
