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DIGMESA AG, a global leader in engineering and electronic control system production for aqueous media, was looking for a high performance, FDA approved material solution for its latest precision flowmeter designed for demanding food processing applications. They chose VICTREX PEEK high-performance polymer for its exceptional mechanical and tribological properties.
Digmesa’s EPI flowmeter measures the fluid volume of highly viscous media such as syrup, oil or concentrated detergents. The EPI flowmeter is extremely precise and enables exact volume dosages over a wide temperature range with very low-pressure loss.
The areas of operation for the VICTREX PEEK enhanced EPI flowmeters are extremely diverse and they must display excellent dimensional stability under mechanical and thermal load as well as a high level of resistance to wear-and-tear which may be caused by contact with the media being measured. Furthermore, in addition to a large flow at low pressure loss, excellent chemical resistance to the different media is also required.
VICTREX PEEK high-performance polymer is the ideal material choice for such applications due to its high dimensional stability, exceptional mechanical properties at high temperature ranges, as well as outstanding sliding-friction and food safety compliance.
In the food and beverage industry, providing a germ-free environment and clean room conditions are non-negotiable. All unfilled VICTREX PEEK polymer grades, as well as some reinforced grades, meet all US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulation 21CFR 177.2415 requirements – polyaryl ether ketones regarding the composition of articles that repeatedly come into contact with food as well as the European Union Guideline (90/128 EEC) relating to plastic materials and articles that are intended for contact with food. Equipment used in food processing must be regularly cleaned and sterilised, VICTREX PEEK offers excellent hydrolysis resistance to aggressive media and hot-steam sterilization. When stored for 2000 h at 200°C at a pressure of 1.4 MPa no significant changes were recorded to the high values of the mechanical properties of the unreinforced VICTREX PEEK. The inherent purity of VICTREX PEEK gives it a very low share of extractible ions, after specimens were stored in deionised water at 55°C for 24 h, mass spectroscopy determined extremely low quantities of ionic constituents.
For this particular application VICTREX PEEK is used without lubricants. However, if conditions demand it, VICTREX PEEK’s high abrasion resistance allows EPI flowmeters to be operated with media lubrication or dry run, enabling aseptic filling. VICTREX PEEK is very stable and requires no flame retardant additive to reach the V-0 classification according to UL94 at 1.45 mm specimen thickness for the fire test.
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