Case Study

Pizza Dough Mixer Issue Solved by Switching to FPC

The reservoir was located above the open mix area, so adding a non-food-grade oil such as the one recommended by the OEM would not have been good practice.

A pizza manufacturer noticed unusual sounds coming from a Hobart industrial mixer during operation. The cause was an empty planetary gear housing reservoir. Rather than using the OEM-recommended non-food-grade lubricant, the customer switched to an FPC food grade lubricant, since the lubricant application was above the food line. After the switch, the noise immediately stopped and the mixer operated as expected.

Customer Issue

A pizza manufacturer mixing dough with a Hobart M802 Mixer heard an abnormal noise when the mixer was in operation. A technician found the oil reservoir in the planetary gear housing was empty. The OEM recommended EXXON Spartan EP 150 for this severe load application that requires EP performance, but this posed a problem. The reservoir was located above the open mix area, so adding a non-food-grade oil such as the one recommended by the OEM would not have been good practice.

Filter Products Company Solution

Filter Products Company offers a complete line-up of food grade lubricants. For this application, an FPC PAO oil was selected that was designed to handle severe loads and was H-1 compliant as well as Kosher. This FPC lubricant also featured a 50% longer service life than other synthetic H-1 lubricants.

Customer Result

The customer refilled the oil reservoir with the FPC equivalent lubricant. Upon start-up, the Hobart mixer operated as expected and without any unusual noise. Additionally, the mixer is operating more efficiently and safely, and the customer is now in compliance with good manufacturing practices concerning application of food grade lubricants.