Why food products need a hygienic gear pump
Food fluids are rarely thin. Honey, chocolate, nut creams, mayonnaise, jams and fruit pulps are viscous and often sensitive: they must not be whipped, overheated or contaminated, and every part in contact with the product must be cleaned at the end of the batch. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar, by contrast, are relatively fluid but demand gentle handling and a material that does not alter taste or colour.
A self-priming external gear pump suits all of them. It moves a fixed volume per revolution with no pulsation and low shear, draws the product from the tank on its own and keeps a constant flow whatever the back pressure. Built entirely in AISI 316 stainless steel, with no cast parts, the FX series adds the hygiene that food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical lines require. For the full family of thick products see our viscous fluid pumps.
The FX series: food-grade gear pumps in six sizes
The FX series is made entirely of AISI 316 stainless steel machined from solid. It can be completely dismantled for internal cleaning and inspection, and is available in a CIP configuration for lines that are cleaned in place. An optional jacket heats or cools the pump body: warm for chocolate and fats, cool for products that must not rise in temperature.
- Six models from FX 20 to FX 170, with displacements from 20.5 to 170.5 cm³/rev.
- Flows from 9.2 l/min at 450 rpm to 247.1 l/min at 1,450 rpm.
- Self-priming, with constant flow proportional to speed; with an inverter the pump becomes a volumetric dosing unit for filling and recipe lines.
- Full AISI 316 stainless steel construction, machined from solid, with no cast parts.
For industrial molasses and syrups outside food-grade requirements, the cast iron molasses pumps of the NAV and CR series are an economical alternative.
Chocolate, honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and creams
- Chocolate and cocoa mass: FX with heating jacket, or electric cartridge heating with electronic control, which avoids the crystallisation of sugars by producing heat exactly where it is needed.
- Honey and syrups: transfer from maturing tanks to filling machines, with gentle flow that does not incorporate air.
- Balsamic vinegar and cooked must: racking and transfer in vinegar lofts, with stainless steel that resists acidity and preserves the product.
- Olive oil: transfer in mills and bottling plants, self-priming from the decanter or the storage tank.
- Nut and pistachio creams, spreads, mayonnaise: feeding of fillers and dosing with an inverter.
- Milk, whey, yoghurt, lard and melted fats: hygienic transfer with CIP cleaning between batches.
The same pump serves cosmetic creams, lotions and liquid soaps, where cleanliness and the absence of pulsation matter just as much.
Cleaning, heating and dosing with the FX series
Cleaning is the point where many pumps fail in a food plant. The FX series is designed to come apart completely: gears, shafts and covers are removed for washing and inspection and refitted without special tools. Where the line is cleaned in place, the CIP configuration lets the cleaning solution flow through the pump with the product circuit, so the pump does not have to be opened between batches.
The optional jacket keeps chocolate, fats and creams at process temperature or cools products that must not warm up; where no hot water is available, electric cartridges with an electronic controller reach temperature in about two minutes. Flow is proportional to speed, so with an inverter the pump doses accurately, as the ZV series does in the chemical industry, with no separate metering device. A food version of the NAV series is available for chocolate and molasses at higher flows.
How we size your food-grade pump
To propose the right FX model we need the product and its viscosity at the working temperature, the temperature range, the flow required in l/min, the discharge pressure, the suction conditions, whether the pump must be heated or cooled, whether CIP is required and the cleaning products used. Tell us also whether the pump will dose or only transfer, and which drive you prefer.
Write on WhatsApp or fill in the quote form. Our Bologna factory, building self-priming external gear pumps since 1955 under ISO 9001:2015, replies with a technical proposal for your food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical line.
Frequently asked questions
What material are your food-grade gear pumps made of?
The FX series is made entirely of AISI 316 stainless steel machined from solid, with no cast components. It is designed for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products and can be fully dismantled for cleaning.
Can the pump be cleaned in place?
Yes. The FX series is available in CIP configuration, so the cleaning solution circulates through the pump with the product line. Alternatively the pump can be completely dismantled for manual cleaning and inspection.
Is a heated version available for chocolate?
Yes. The FX series can be supplied with a heating or cooling jacket, and electric cartridge heating with electronic control is available for chocolate and cocoa mass, where it avoids the crystallisation of sugars.
Can the same pump handle olive oil and honey?
Yes. Both are handled by the FX series; what changes is the sizing, since honey is much more viscous than olive oil. Tell us flow, temperature and product and we will select the model.
Can I dose creams or sauces with a gear pump?
Yes. Flow is proportional to speed, so an inverter on the motor turns the FX pump into a volumetric dosing unit for fillers, recipe lines and mixers, with no separate metering device.