Food Processing - January 2008 - (Page 55)

By Dave Fusaro, Editor in Chief LOOK DOWN: WHAT DO YOU SEE? WAY DOWN BELOW your feet is your plant ﬂoor. It’s one of only a handful of ubiquitous elements or components of all food and beverage plants, regardless of the food category you’re in. There are lots of choices. Widely used topping systems include epoxy, polyester, vinyl ester, methylmethacrylate, polyurethane, polyurea and tile technologies. Choosing the right one can prevent serious problems, both structurally and for food safety, later on. “While cementitious urethane technology for ﬂooring applications has been around for quite some time, the characteristics of these systems are not widely known by key decision makers within the food and beverage processing industry outside Europe,” says Jim Ratliff, strategic account manager for SherwinWilliams Industrial and Marine Coatings’ food and beverage market segment (www.sherwin-williams.com). In the process, he gives a hint at Sherwin-Williams’ favorite ﬂoor. Concrete is the best foundation, he says. But concrete alone is not enough. “Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. [But] like any other construction material, concrete has speciﬁc strengths and weaknesses. The wellchosen ﬂooring system provides properties that complement the properties of concrete in a given exposure.” Why urethane? “Urethane cement ﬂoor topping materials have demonstrated excellent comparative performance properties in wet food processing environments and in areas subject to severe thermal cycling, especially within the harsh conditions present in meat processing facilities,” Ratliff continues. “Their resistance to organic acids and alkaline materials provides an effective barrier that protects concrete from attack by the chemicals typically encountered in food plants. Their relaWWW.FOODPROCESSING.COM tive permeability mitigates the effects of moisture vapor transmission- and alkaline-silica reactions-related failures that are commonly experienced with the impermeable topping systems often used in these environments.” They’re also easy to install. “Urethane cement toppings are very low in odor, and they cure to service very quickly,” he continues. “They are ideal for projects with very short installation and cure windows. A properly selected, installed and maintained urethane cement topping system will provide a rugged and dependable wear surface that effectively and economically meets the challenging requirements of the food and beverage processing facility.” Keep the beer ﬂowing Valspar Flooring (www.valsparﬂooring.com) also is a fan of urethane concrete. In North and Central America, Valspar distributes Flowfresh urethane concrete, which has resistance to impact, abrasion, aggressive chemicals/acids and thermal shock. Developed by Flowcrete PLC, Flowfresh RT was used in the 2005 ﬂoor renovation of a Cincinnati brewery acquired by Boston Beer Co., maker of Samuel Adams beer. Flooring contractor E. B. Miller Contracting installed Flowfresh RT on thousands of square feet of fresh (or “green”) concrete poured for the facility expansion’s walkways and base ﬂoor. Flowfresh RT is a non-slip, heavy-duty rake and trowel urethane concrete that is chemical-resistant and includes Polygiene, a built-in antimicrobial that inhibits growth of bacterial odors and guards against degradation from microorganisms. In addition, because it has a comparable coefﬁcient of expansion as concrete, Flowfresh RT withstands extreme therJANUARY 2008 FOOD PROCESSING • 55 PHOTO: SHERWIN-WILLIAMS http://www.sherwin-williams.com http://www.valsparflooring.com http://www.foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - January 2008

Food Processing - January 2008 Contents Editor's Plate NewsBites The Trends Rollout Food Biz Kids Product Spotlight Seventh Annual Manufacturing Trends Surbey Product Development Ingredients Plant Operations Plant Operations & Packaging New Supplier Products Toops Scoops

Food Processing - January 2008

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