Molyslip’s leading H1 food-grade silicone spray solution, MSS, excels at an esteemed food packaging manufacturer in the Midlands, UK.  

The customer was looking to utilise a food-grade lubricant on the pallets used during production on their Heidelberg printing machine.

The printing machine produces large sheets of food-product packaging. When the sheets are discharged, they are produced in large quantities and have substantial weight. At the end of the machine, a plastic pallet is positioned to catch the sheets, like how the tray on a regular office printer collects your printed pages, just on a much larger and heavier scale. 

Once the sheets have stacked up on the pallet, operators use a metal rod to help slide and lift them off. However, without lubrication, the sheets can stick to the pallet. 

To prevent this, the plastic pallets need a lubricant that creates a smooth, low-friction coating, ensuring the sheets can be easily removed after printing.

The manufacturer was previously utilising two separate lubricants to fulfil this role, a general-purpose silicone spray paired with a dry PTFE, as well as both products not being food-grade lubricants, they were looking to consolidate to one product for the process. 

With a product trial headed by our Territory Sales Manager – UK & Export, Sam Barnes, we worked with the technical team at their factory to trial MSS over a two-month period.  

Food packaging manufacturing is a vital manufacturing process utilised globally for food products sold in supermarkets and stores across the world. 

Food packaging specifically is the process of producing containers and materials to protect, preserve, and present food products for consumption.  

The process involves using food-grade lubricants for forming materials into different shapes through moulding processes. But thanks to MSS being NSF certified, this meant it was safe for incidental food contact too. Safe and efficient food packaging manufacturing is vital to ensure food safety, extend shelf life, and help with regulatory compliance. 

The Midlands manufacturer that used Molyslip’s products is an expert food packaging company and one of the first factories to boast 100% low migration technology. Having a food-grade product was extremely important as they produced food packaging products for leading UK supermarkets, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op. 

MSS is a clean, multi-function, non-toxic food-grade lubricant and release agent based on high-purity silicone oil. The product provides a light, long-lasting, water and chemical-resistant lubricating film with excellent temperature range capability (-50°C to +200°C).  

MSS is NSF H1 registered, making it suitable for use where there is a possibility of incidental food contact. As a result, it is an ideal choice for lubricating precision mechanisms, hinges, slides, etc, used in clean industries including food, medical and pharmaceutical.  

MSS also provides quick, clean release of plastics, rubbers, etc in complex moulding applications: blow, injection, compression and resins/gel coats used in layup of fibreglass.  

The fine, evenly controlled spray of MSS ensures complete even coverage, allowing release from even the most complex of tooling. The wet film results in mouldings with a gloss finish.  

Within just two months, the manufacturer was able to completely replace the previous two products with MSS, meeting both requirements of the previous two lubricants.  

By adopting MSS, the manufacturer also ensured they were utilising a specially designed H1 registered food-grade lubricant during their manufacturing process, upholding important food safety standards. 

MSS also led to a 20% increase in performance over the previous products, lasting 20% longer and saving on maintenance costs as a result. 

The success of MSS within the manufacturers’ machines led to a repeat order and the trialling of several other Molyslip products within their processes. 

This case study highlights the potential streamlining and cost savings that can be achieved by adopting Molyslip’s leading solutions in your manufacturing. With improved formulations and tested performance, we can offer efficiency improvements and reduced downtime.  

To learn how Molyslip can improve performance in your manufacturing, get in touch with our team today!