Houghton International is now offering food processing plants an environment-friendly alternative to petroleum based lubricants. Cosmolubric FG-46 is a vegetable oil based hydraulic fluid that provides lubrication properties while maintaining a low total acid number (TAN), a high v.i., and high flash and fire points, the company said. It meets the USDA H1 requirements for lubricants for incidental food contact. The biodegradable fluid, intended for hydraulic equipment used in the processing of such foods as fruit, meat and poultry, seafood, baked goods, snack foods and soft drinks, costs less and performs at a comparable or more efficient level than its white mineral oil counter-parts, Houghton said. Web: www.houghtonintl.com

Safely Unload from Bags

Flexicons new weigh batching system discharges material from bulk bags, de-lumps the product, and feeds it gravimetrically into rigid bins. The unloaders bag-to-hopper interface allows an operator to make a high-integrity, sealed connection between the clean side of the bag spout and clean side of the hopper, and to automatically elongate the bag as it empties to promote flow and evacuation. The unloader is also equipped with Flow-Flexer bag activators that raise and lower opposite bottom edges of the bag at timed intervals, loosening compacted materials and promoting material flow into the bag discharge spout. The material next is delumped, and then discharged by weight into rigid totes placed on a scale to ensure batch accuracy. Web: www.flexicon.com

Shell Serves Up Food-grade Fluid

Shell Lubricants introduces a new full synthetic lubricant that is specially designed for the food and beverage canning industry. Odorless, tasteless and non-toxic, Shell Cassida Fluid GLE emulsifies water when used in gear reducers, where contamination from water and juice can cause wear corrosion in machinery. The lubricant is suitable for facilities where vegetarian and nut-free food are produced because it does not contain any natural products from animals, nuts or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The product is endorsed by Angelus Sanitary Can Machine Co., the worlds largest manufacturer of can seamer machines, and is registered H1 (for incidental food contact) by NSF International. Web: www.shell.com/us/lubricants

Citgo Builds 700 Line

Citgo has stratified its Citgard 700 oils for high-performance diesels. Citgard 700 Plus (an SAE 15W-40) is the new name for Citgard 700; this premium synthetic-blend engine oil is for on-road and off-road power units operating under severe conditions, such as commercial trucks, agricultural and construction equipment, stationary engines and others. A new Citgard 700 joins the line, now formulated with premium quality base stocks. Both are designed to deliver optimum soot control, protection from high operating temperatures, and prolonged particulate filter life when combined with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, Citgo says. They also address specific needs of 2007 engines, such as diesel particulate filters. Web: www.citgo.com

Environmentally Safe Lube

For medical equipment requiring machining, drilling and tapping of small diameter holes, lubricants should meet food-grade requirements. So ITW ROCOL North America has launched Accu-Lube LB-2000FM, a metalworking lubricant aimed at the food and medical industries. The oil can be used to saw solids up to 6 inches in diameter, as well as tubing in nearly any size, the company says. It eliminates the need for flood coolant, meaning long-term cost saving and longer tool life. It is also both biodegradable and non-toxic. It comes in 1- and 55-gallon containers and meets FDA guidelines (21 CFR 178.3570) for incidental food contact. Web: www. rocolnorthamerica.com

EZI-action Drum Pumps

Trico offers a new way to dispense with its EZI-action drum pump. With only two moving parts, they dispense fluids – strong acids, alkalis, mild solvents, lubricants, oils and diesel – on both the up and down stroke. The patented zero-friction design can handle viscous fluids up to 8,800 cps, and the safety strap design protects against accidental discharge of liquids when not in use, the company says. Optional color-coding of the safety strap, coordinated with fluid transferring and dispensing containers, can also minimize the risk of fluid cross-contamination and errors. Web: www.tricocorp.com

Unist Mixes Things Up

Unist is producing a new series of mixing stations for blending and dispensing cutting and forming fluids in manufacturing. The Manual Mixing Station and Central Supply Mixing Station are designed to automate the mixing and supply of fluids and lubricants to one or more machining or metal forming stations. The mixing stations can be automatic or manual and can be scaled to supply a single work station or multiple stations. Concentrations from the Central system range from 0.5 to 37 percent, depending on viscosity, and it can deliver up to 3 gals/min. The Manual version has a maximum concentration of 17 percent, and dispenses up to 7 gals/min. Web: www.unist.com

30-day Trial Offer

Sentry Protection Products invites plant managers seeking to protect their investment in facilities, equipment and vehicles to test up to four types of collision-protection products, for a 30-day trial. The four collision-protection products are designed to withstand the wear and collision challenges seen in typical facilities, and the protection trials are conducted so that the products can be assessed under real-world conditions. The products include Column Sentry, a standard for column protectors; Rack Sentry, which attaches to rack uprights; and Concrete Wrap, a foam cushion to protect pillars and posts. Finally, Corner Sentry aims to more effectively minimize the impact of vehicle collisions. Web: www.sentrypro.com

New Coolants on the Block

D.A. Stuart has two new biocide-free, metalworking coolants, Dasco Sol 2106A and Dascool 2357. The first is a water-soluble coolant, and is suitable for moderate-duty machining of both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. Dascool 2357 is a heavier-duty product specially designed for machining cast aluminum. Both are dermally non-toxic and have chlorine-free chemistries with no rancidity. They are operator-friendly with long fluid sump life and simple maintenance (theyre controlled with simple concentration checks), and are suitable for a variety of machining applications including the manufacture of automotive parts (e.g. drivetrain components, alternators), aerospace components and stainless steel pumps. Web: www.dastuart.com

Get Clean in Tough Environments

United Air Specialists (UAS)/Kleentek has a new electrostatic oil cleaning system for use at hazardous sites. The new model features a purge system where inert gas (filtered compressed air or nitrogen) is used to pressurize the enclosure, which prevents explosive gases, vapors or dusts from entering the equipment. Customers with oil conditioning and varnish removal needs in hazardous locations will be better served as the need for repeated oil changes and system downtime is reduced, the company contends. The new system runs 24/7, needs no operator supervision and can be used safely in refineries, natural gas, chemical and petrochemical plants, or other environments where explosive materials may be present. Web: www.kleentek.com

Plastic Grease Cartridge

With plastic grease cartridges being the standard in the United Kingdom and European markets, Fischbach USA has launched a new plastic grease cartridge for North America. The F40RP is an injection-molded polypropylene grease cartridge where the pull-tab is 100 percent sealed until the tab is removed. Requiring no tool, the product can be handled simply by pulling the ring and inserting the grease into the gun and dispensing; the large opening means easy extrusion. The cartridge fits standard grease guns and has a fill volume of 400 grams (14.1 oz.). It can be labeled or screen-printed with up to four colors. Web: www.fischbach-fi.com