Case Study: Extending Seal Life in Hot Dog Processing with Garlock PS-SEAL®

INDUSTRY

Food & Beverage – Meat Processing

OPERATING CONDITIONS

Medium: Raw meat slurry
Pressure: Up to 50 psi
Equipment: Meat grinder/emulsifier with rotating shaft
Environment: High washdown exposure, potential shaft misalignment
Seal Configuration: Tandem and back-to-back lip seals

BACKGROUND

A major meat processor faced persistent downtime and product loss due to premature seal failures on mill cutter heads. The plant was originally using standard off-the-shelf oil seals with FKM elements, which routinely failed under high pressure, allowing product bypass and contamination risk. Attempts with alternate designs, including modified lip seals and metal-cased assemblies, delivered only short term improvements. Given the critical role of these cutter heads in high-volume production, the customer required a sealing solution that could withstand pressure, maintain product integrity, and extend operating intervals without increasing maintenance burden.

CHALLENGES FACED

The cutter head application imposed severe operating conditions, combining high pressures with abrasive media that conventional oil seals could not withstand. Seal failure led to larger equipment issues such as bearing failures, which required much costlier maintenance and unplanned downtime. A solution was needed that could retain the pressurized meat slurry, protect the shaft bearings, and be integrated into the equipment without modification.

SOLUTION AND BENEFITS

Garlock recommended the PS-SEAL® PTFE Rotating Shaft Seal, configured in a dual tandem lip arrangement. Installation trials showed significant improvement, with seals running 30+ days compared to the original seal that was replaced every 6 hours, greatly reducing unplanned downtime and costly product loss. Seal lips retained integrity during inspection, confirming the design’s ability to perform under high pressures even when equipment wear contributed to failures. The improved performance enabled the processor to extend production runs, minimize unscheduled seal changes, and maintain consistent product quality under demanding operating conditions.