Prepared Foods Limited, a subsidiary of Moana New Zealand, is a respected New Zealand company whose positive influence extends across the globe.
Established in the 1960s, Prepared Foods Ltd. produce unique and innovative meals ready to eat for global retail, humanitarian, and food service channels.
The Challenging Autoclave Environment for Bushes
Prepared Foods use Steriflow autoclaves in which heat is produced by direct-steam-injection. Up to 6 filled retort baskets, weighing between 300 kg and 400 kg each are inserted into the enclosures on trolleys which have stainless steel wheels running on stainless pins.
The plated steel bushes that were in use did not hold up well in the operating environment. With the bearings rusting and not holding up under the heavy load, they needed regular replacement and then often was not available. Prepared Foods engaged Kormax to help find a suitable solution.
The Solution
With years of experience in engineering materials, Kormax’s expert team considered the challenges created by the operating environment (heavy load, hot temperatures, steam, and the fact that the bearings cannot be lubricated) and proposed a custom solution, supplying corrosion-free phosphor bronze bushes with a PTFE coating for low operating friction which does not require lubrication.
The Engineering Victory
The positive outcome is that the much improved bushes have lasted a year and are still in service, vastly reducing downtime and maintenance costs for Prepared Foods.
“The previous bearings we had weren’t lasting, they were rusting out quite quickly. The new bushings from Kormax have served us well for a year now.”
— Sonny Ohlson, Prepared Foods Ltd
Watch the video below to see the operating environment and hear more from Sonny Ohlson at Prepared Foods.
If your project can benefit from expert material selection advice, contact the trusted Kormax team to help enable your engineering victory.
