Case Study: Reduce Re-Greasing in Wafer Baking Oven

Challenges

A wafer baking company in Malaysia was experiencing costly production downtimes due to daily regreasing of wafer baking plate bearings. The bearings had high grease consumption rates, thus leading to high failure rates. When the machines were in operation, the bearings were extremely noisy. The daily regreasing was a tedious manual operation, so the company wanted our affiliate's assistance in replacing the existing grease with a high temperature, NSF H1 & Halal certified lubricant that would reduce grease consumption rates and operational noise. 

Solution 

The customer ultimately selected UNIFLOR 4622R-FG, a PTFE-thickened, fully fluorinated grease designed for demanding applications requiring high performance and regulatory compliance. With excellent thermal stability across a wide temperature range (-20 to 260°C), it is well-suited for severe service bearing use where heavy viscosity is essential. Additionally, it meets NSF H1 requirements for incidental food contact and holds both Kosher and Halal certification.

Results

The company’s internal test determined that UNIFLOR 4622R-FG lasted a full eight weeks, a significant increase over the daily failure rate experienced with the competitor lubricant. The customer is now regreasing every four weeks, opposed to daily. The ovens are experiencing a smoother, quieter operation with no bearing failure. The lubricant reduced grease consumption, resulting in reduction in labor for regreasing and downtimes, ultimately leading to cost reduction for the company.