System Plast™ continues to seek innovative solutions in product design and material design to support the global requirement for sustainability in food and beverage production. Today plants have three options for water conservation when managing their conveyor systems: (1) water and soap lubrication, (2) dry lubrication products and (3) running dry.

System Plast drew from their experience and capabilities of being a conveyor components supplier to developing a solution to help conserve water and address maintenance issues with running dry. System Plast created two unique products NEW GENERATION™ (NG)™ chains and belts and Nolu-S guide rail guides and wear strips.

NG material chain and belts increased the possibilities to run dry where similar acetal based products resulted in wear and friction problems. NG plastic chains and belts were also successfully tested in applications where previously only stainless steel chains were possible. Due to its lower coefficient of friction NG material chains and belts provided an operating advantage other materials did not supply.

In addition to the NG chain material, a new wear strip and guide rail material called Nolu-S was also developed. Nolu-S is a UHMW based product with a proprietary solid lubricant. This combination of materials created a composition that reduced the coefficient of friction without sacrificing wear life. When used in conjunction with NG chain/belts, this unique formulation allows the end user opportunities to evaluate how they utilize lubrication. In many cases a reduction or elimination of lubrication has been possible.

While not every application can run dry, the System Plast NG and Nolu-S product lines greatly increase the ability to run production lines dry. A large number of plants have now successfully moved from wet to non lubrication operations.