Deep-frozen pizzas are made by fully automated systems, all the way from the preparation of the dough to the packaging process. The pizzas pass through the same four production steps on a conveyor belt. An industrial oven first bakes and browns the pizzas, which still have no toppings. The bases are then chilled in the cooling area before dispensing systems systematically place the same quantities of tomato sauce, cheese and, for example, frozen peppers and salami on the bases. Production comes to an icy end in the spiral froster: What is known as shock freezing preserves all the main ingredients at minus 30 degrees. "Tuna", "Salami" and "Vegetarian" finally make their way into the supermarket trolley.

LubX® reduces energy consumption in the spiral froster

When it comes to the construction of spiral frosters, one leading manufacturer of industrial freezing systems uses extruded Röchling profiles made of LubX®. A conveyor belt, on which the pizzas are transported, spirals upwards inside the froster. As slide rails on the conveyor belt, the profiles ensure that the process runs extremely smoothly. Thanks to its excellent slide characteristics, LubX® reduces the required conveying power and thus the amount of energy used. With a continuous operating temperature of minus 150 degrees to plus 80 degrees Celsius, it is also possible to use LubX® in a frosty environment on a sustained basis. The material is also suitable for contact with food in compliance with the requirements of EU Directive 10/2011/EU and the American FDA.

Saving energy smartly with LubX®

With LubX® S and LubX® C, Röchling Engineering Plastics offers two new high performance materials, which have outstanding dry-running properties at their disposal. They have been especially developed for applications in materials-handling and automation technologies and are also used in the industrial production of other foods such as pastries, cakes or beverages. Compared with conventional sliding materials, conveying systems equipped with LubX® need considerably less energy. The considerably lower coefficient of friction of LubX® eliminates the possibility of the slip-stick effect (backsliding) almost completely and thus increases process stability.

Holistic view of the tribological systems

In the development of LubX® products, great care has not only been taken to minimise the coefficient of friction of the sliding materials, but also to consider the tribological system of the sliding partners in an integrated manner and especially aligned to the particular specific requirements concerned. The individual motion and transport segments of different conveying systems were analysed, and the relative movements of the elements and the frictional forces arising at the points of contact examined. These frictional forces have a decisive impact on the performance of the conveying system.