Food Equipment

FDA Gasket Materials for Food Contact Applications

FDA Gasket MaterialsFDA gasket materials are used in food contact applications such as commercial kitchens. They meet strict standards from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory agency that’s responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety and quality of many food products. The FDA’s jurisdiction is limited to the United States, but FDA standards are followed worldwide.

FDA gasket materials for food contact applications are subjected to rigorous testing. They are non-toxic, non-marking, non-allergenic, and reliable over a wide range of temperatures. These compounds are also tasteless, odorless, and resistant to the natural growth of bacteria. Not all food-grade rubber is FDA approved, however, so it’s important to choose gasket materials with care. (more…)

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NSF Gasket Materials for Food Equipment and Drinking Water Systems

NSF Gasket MaterialsNSF gasket materials are used in commercial food service equipment, water treatment or distribution systems, and other applications that can affect human health and safety. Rubber compounds that are registered with NSF International (formerly the National Sanitary Foundation) must pass rigorous tests to ensure that potentially harmful substances won’t migrate from the gasket material when in contact with food or drinking water.

NSF standards aren’t regulatory requirements, but failing to use NSF gasket materials can put larger product designs at risk. Conversely, using NSF certified compounds can increase the likelihood of regulatory acceptance. In some jurisdictions, public authorities such as health departments require food service equipment and drinking water systems to meet a specific NSF standard. Buyers also expect to see an NSF mark on products such as commercial ovens or water filtration systems. (more…)

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How Elasto Proxy Supports the Stainless Steel and Food Equipment Industries

Learn how Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates seals and insulation for the stainless steel and food equipment industries. Our value-added solutions strengthen your manufacturing supply chain.

Stainless Steel and Food EquipmentElasto Proxy, an experienced provider of sealing and insulation solutions, strengthens supply chains in the stainless steel and food equipment industries. Through design assistance, compound selection, and custom-fabrication, we support projects from prototyping to production. Elasto Proxy also offers value-added solutions that speed installation and optimize inventory management. Our rubber and plastic parts arrive ready-to-install, and we can ship them on-demand or according to your sales forecast. (more…)

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Silicone Food Prep Table Seals

Silicone Seals for Food Service Equipment
Silicone Seals for Food Service Equipment

Learn how Elasto Proxy helped a manufacturer of food service equipment solve a sealing and insulation challenge with food prep tables.

Food prep tables and other food service equipment generally features stainless steel construction. Strong, durable, and corrosion-resistant, stainless steel is easy-to-clean and ideal as a food contact surface. Surface finishing treatments such electropolishing inhibit bacterial attachment and biofilm formation, which helps to prevent foodborne illness. Food prep tables with refrigeration systems also help keep ingredients at the proper temperatures for freshness and taste.

By following proper procedures, stainless steel surfaces can be kept shiny and clean. That includes metal surfaces where items like sandwiches and salads are assembled, as well as the pans and shelves that hold the ingredients. Yet food prep tables are built with non-metallic materials, too. Silicone seals fill slots and surround metal edges in food storage areas. They cover sharp surfaces, seal gaps, and support refrigeration. All silicone rubber is not the same, however, so it’s important to choose the right compound. (more…)

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Rubber Gate Seals for Water Filtration Systems

Rubber Gate Seals from Elasto Proxy
Rubber Gate Seals from Elasto Proxy

In this case study, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy provides complete sealing solutions to manufacturers of water filtration systems. Rubber gate seals start with seal design and compound selection, are crafted with water jet cutting and infrared splicing, and add value with inventory management and shipping.

In wastewater treatment plants, metal gates are bolted to concrete frames to control flow and channel the effluent for disinfection. To prevent leakage, a rubber seal is fitted to the bottom of the frame. This seal attaches to the gate with bolts, and must withstand prolonged exposure to water and contact with a concrete base. In water filtration systems that use ultraviolet (UV) light, UV resistance is essential.

When a manufacturer of water filtration systems wanted a custom gate seal, Elasto Proxy provided more than just a replacement part. First, our solutions providers listened to the manufacturer’s requirements and analyzed all of their needs. Our technical team then applied its expertise in compound selection, and identified a seal design that could solve the manufacturer’s specific sealing challenge.

Next, our skilled production personnel in Boisbriand, Quebec used water jet cutting and infrared (IR) splicing to craft a custom sealing solution. Yet that’s not where this case study ends. Today, Elasto Proxy stocks rubber gate seals for water filtration systems at our warehouse in Newmarket, Ontario. To meet our partner’s business requirements, we ship quantities according to their annual sales forecasts. (more…)

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Commercial Oven Seals

High Temperature SealsIn this case study, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy helped a commercial oven manufacturer solve a sealing and insulation challenge. By applying our technical design, compound selection, and custom fabrication expertise, we provide high temperature seals for bakery and pizza ovens. How can we help you?

Commercial ovens don’t just need to achieve and maintain the proper cooking temperature. In busy environments such as sandwich shops, bakeries, pizzerias, and convenience stores, a commercial oven’s cooking speed and ease-of-use are also important. Oven door seals aren’t as bright and shiny as a brand-new stainless steel oven, but these rubber parts can shine brightly in their own way.

When a popular restaurant chain began toasting its sandwiches, a commercial oven manufacturer faced a challenge with high temperature seals for oven doors. The manufacturer’s oven contained a moveable tray that held sandwiches during cooking, but that caught on the door seal whenever a sandwich was removed. Eventually, the overlap between the rubber seal and the metal tray caused the oven seal to loosen. (more…)

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NSF/ANSI 61 Gaskets for Drinking Water Systems

Video - NSF/ANSI 61 Gaskets for Drinking Water Systems
Video – NSF/ANSI 61 Gaskets for Drinking Water Systems

NSF/ANSI Standard 61 establishes health-related requirements for rubber seals and gaskets used in potable water systems. Learn how NSF/ANSI 61 can affect your project’s costs, how there’s a difference between NSF/ANSI 61 complaint and NSF/ANSI 61 approved materials, and how water jet cutting and infrared splicing create high-quality custom rubber gaskets.

Custom rubber gaskets that are used in drinking water systems need to be free from chemicals that can leach into water supplies and affect human health or cause unpleasant tastes and odors. Additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, and solvents are designed to impart desirable material properties, but can react unfavorably with water treatment chemicals such as chlorine. Leachates from rubber gasket materials can also affect the formation of fungi, algae, and bacteria.

Technical buyers and product designers whose organizations specialize in drinking water systems are familiar with these problems already. Building and construction companies also need to understand the risks – and the requirements for mitigating them. By choosing a gasket fabricator that understands requirements such as NSF/ANSI 61, you can source the right materials and receive high-quality plumbing components that support your projects. (more…)

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High Temperature Thermal Insulation

Learn how to select thermal insulation for ovens, engine bays, and other high-temperature applications.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager of Elasto Proxy

Acoustic and Thermal InsulationThermal insulation is used in high-temperature environments such as ovens and engine compartments. Many different types of materials, including fireproof rubber, are available. Choices include ceramic fiber, fiberglass, mineral fiber, mineral wool, polyurethane, silicone, and various specialty or proprietary materials. As you can see from this list, some thermal insulation is made of polymers. Others, such as metal foils, are not.

Thermal insulation materials come in different forms, too. Choices include boards, blocks, cords, coated fabrics, flexible sheets, foams, paper, and tapes. As a custom fabricator, Elasto Proxy can source thermal protection materials in these and other form factors. We then convert stock items to create specialty thermal insulation that meets all of your application requirements.

For example, using our water jet cutting machine, Elasto Proxy can convert sheets of melamine foam into thermal insulation with specific length and width dimensions. Our skilled production personnel can also convert thin sheets of aluminum foil-faced fiberglass fabric. Sometimes, however, cutting isn’t that all you need. That’s because your application requires more than just thermal insulation.

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