Foodpro 2017

Flowcrete Australia will be informing attendees at foodpro 2017 about how they can future-proof a food facility’s floor with high performance polyurethane (PU) resin coatings that have been designed to take on the food industry’s challenges.

On stand Q42 of the iconic triennial trade exhibition, Flowcrete Australia’s expert team will be showcasing the benefits that fit-for-purpose, trowel-applied PU resin systems have over roller-applied epoxy coatings when it comes to flooring within intensive food and beverage plants.

In fact, when compared to alternative materials, a thick PU finish will provide a facility with hygienic, functionality and regulatory advantages for an extended period of time!

Whilst a PU resin system will initially cost more than an epoxy, the lifespan of the polyurethane system is roughly double (clocking in at ten years compared to an epoxy’s five), which makes it the cheaper option in the long term. This durability stems from the increased wear, abrasion and impact resistance properties of a thicker PU system.

These hard wearing properties are essential, as busy food plants will inevitably subject the floor to physical impacts, point loading and traffic from equipment such as heavily laden pallet trolleys and forklift trucks. All of these factors could eat into the floor finish and if the coating is too thin then this could result in hard to clean cracks appearing in the finish - an eventuality that increases the risk of unwanted bacteria and microbes multiplying out of the cleaning regime’s reach.

Polyurethanes also boast unrivalled resistance to corrosion, inorganic alkalis, organic alkalis and solvents. In contrast, epoxy resins offer limited resistance to the organic acids that are found in a large quantity of food and drink produce.

Another key factor is the superior heat, cold and thermal shock tolerance of a polyurethane system. Epoxies by nature are more rigid than their flexible PU counterparts and therefore have a significantly reduced ability to move with a concrete substrate when exposed to heat fluctuations. To exemplify this, a standard two-pack, 100% solids epoxy coating has a heat resistance of up to 65°C, whereas some PU systems can tolerate 120°C!

This thermal shock resistance is a great benefit in food and beverage facilities where extreme temperature changes often occur on a daily basis, such as when a room is steam cleaned, if there are hot oven doors being opened or where there is the possibility of boiling substances spilling onto the floor.

Implementing an effective Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management system is a central priority for today’s food and beverage producers, as it is critical to complying with the standards of domestic and international regulatory authorities, governments and consumers.

Getting the floor area right is central to putting in place an effective HACCP plan. Choosing a HACCP International certified flooring solution will lay to rest any doubts as to the suitability of the system – as it guarantees that the floor has been put through its paces in rigorous tests designed to ascertain whether it will maintain a hygienic finish to the standard demanded in the HACCP guidelines.

PU floors can even offer food producers and processors the opportunity to take hygiene to the next level by incorporating antimicrobial additives into the resin build up of the floor itself. Installing a floor with an additive like this means that bacterial growth is inhibited even in-between wash cycles, as dirt, grime and contaminants that fall on the floor will be exposed to the bacteria killing properties of the bactericidal agent.

To learn more about specifying a floor that will put a food industry facility on a firm footing for the future then head to stand Q42 at foodpro 2017, which will be celebrating its 50^th year at the ICC Sydney from 16-19 July.