Rotary Seals Bring Sweet Success to the Chocolate Industry

Rotary shaft seals, with their ability to prevent leaks and contamination in manufacturing equipment, offer significant benefits to industrial chocolate making. Producing this sweet confection involves holding and melting tanks, conches, cocoa refiners, sugar screw conveyors, industrial mixers, and more. When these devices suffer from leaky chocolate seals and wasted product as a result, manufacturers rely on rotary shaft seals to remedy the issue.

As with all kinds of food processing, the focus is always on two vital issues:

• Efficiency: Saving time and money
• Safety: Keeping product safe, preventing expensive recalls, shutdowns, and threats to consumer health

The CinchSeal solution to efficiency and safety

Prior to rotary shaft seals that spin with the shaft, the chocolate industry relied on mechanical seals that left much to be desired. Mechanical seals wear out quickly and are difficult to replace and maintain. Chocolate factories had to deal with product leaking from around the rotating shafts of their mixing equipment. CinchSeal rotary shaft seals prevent leaks before they start, thereby alleviating this headache for manufacturers and promoting a cleaner, safer, and more productive operating environment.

Before / After

The below photos illustrate the stark difference between chocolate buildup and spillage caused by inefficient mechanical seals, versus the clean, zero-waste result of using rotary shaft seals in the same machines.

What big changes have CinchSeal rotary seals introduced?

Safety and productivity are built into CinchSeal rotary seals by design. Our seals:

• Prevent leaks with an FDA-approved silicone elastomer that moves with the shaft. This action avoids damage to the shaft, which can result in leakage. It also means less maintenance and fewer replacements
• Further prevent leaks by using rotary cups that provide the optimal amount of lead space from stationary faces
• Offer superior performance through air purging
• Reduce the chance of batch contamination and leakage with a large shaft-seal interface surface

Keeping costs down and improving productivity and efficiency are what differentiate CinchSeal rotary seals from alternative technologies. CinchSeal offers:

• Faster, easier repairs thanks to split rotary shaft seals eliminating the need for unbolting the housing
• Simple installation without the need for outside installation expertise
• Quick seal renewal with repair kits that do the job by replacing only the elastomer and stator plates

All these factors, plus the fact that the seals have been designed in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture, have contributed to CinchSeal rotary shaft seals earning USDA certification for poultry and dairy. They also meet strict U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements, earning the “USDA accepted” designation.

What are the alternatives to a CinchSeal rotary shaft seal?

Industry attempts to create a truly effective seals for bulk handling and mixing equipment using prior technologies fell short, creating the need for a modern solution. As demand rises and competition stiffens in the chocolate industry, there is less room than ever for wasted time and wasted product in manufacturing operations.

Alternatives like lip seals, O-rings, and mechanical packing simply don’t stack up and can’t promote the highest level of success for chocolate businesses. The situation calls for innovation, and CinchSeal rotary shaft seals have proven they’re up to the challenge.

CinchSeal products are the only sealing solution that provides a) the highest level of safety by preventing leakage and contamination, b) maximum productivity with the fewest interruptions for repairs or replacements, and c) the best cost savings as a result.

Innovative & Experienced Rotary Shaft Seal Manufacturers

Since 1994, CinchSeal has been a major manufacturer of rotary shaft seals for screw conveyors, ribbon blenders and all kinds of bulk handling equipment. CinchSeal products serve as replacements and upgrades that make the need for machine replacement less likely.

More information on our industrial seal solutions is available by contacting CinchSeal. Quotes and drawings are guaranteed to be available in 24 hours. Custom engineering usually takes 10 days.