The food processing industry has strict hygiene requirements and gearboxes must also meet these. The requirements differ per country and per location in the food processing process, but the most important factors are the choice of material, aseptic conditions and finally the lubricant. The latter is often overlooked, while it is an essential element. The American USNSF developed a standard that is now accepted in the market (H1 to H3), but an ISO certification has also been added. In this article we will discuss both.
In order to standardize lubricants for the food industry, the NSF (or USNSF: the American National Sanitation Foundation) developed a classification for this group under the name H1, H2 and H3. This classification, although originally American, is very widespread and widely used in the food sector. The application of the class depends on the extent to which products may come into contact with food. The names NSF and USDA are used as common terms for lubricants for the food industry.
Lubricants, Stainless steel gearboxes and applications in the food industry, read more here…