Executive Overview 

Global PFAS regulations and fierce cost pressures are forcing food manufacturers to rethink surface-protection strategies. Traditional PTFE-based non‑stick rails, scrapers and belt coatings pose contamination risks, burn colossal energy during 300 °C sintering, and still foul quickly with today’s high‑sugar, high‑protein recipes. Nanize’s polysilazane nanocoating cures fully in 30 seconds at 95 °C, delivers a world‑leading coefficient of friction (COF < 0.02) and contains zero PFAS—unlocking radical productivity and sustainability gains. 

1. The Hidden Costs of Sticky Conveyors 

Downtime Driver Typical PTFE System Cost Impact High‑pressure washdown (min/shift) 45 €1,850 lost throughput Water & detergent per wash 1,200 L €0.24/m² product Microbial risk window 30 min warm restart ↑ recall probability 

Plant audits across six EU tomato‑sauce and ready‑meal lines show Nanize reduces unplanned sanitation downtime by 45 % and detergent use by 38 %, immediately improving OEE metrics. 

2. Chemistry that Out‑Slides Teflon® 

Nanize’s siloxane‑rich backbone self‑organises into a low‑energy skin (<20 mN m⁻¹) while embedded nano‑ceramic platelets fill surface asperities, eliminating drag sites. 

• Static COF: 0.017 on 304 stainless vs 0.05 for PTFE. 
• Dynamic COF: Maintains <0.02 from 0.05–1 m s⁻¹ belt speed. 
• Contact angle: 121° water, 66° hexadecane—proof of hydrophobic/oleophobic duality. 3. Ultra‑Rapid, Low‑Energy Cure Workflow

1. Surface prep – alkaline clean & DI rinse. 
2. Slot‑die coat – 6 µm wet film; viscosity 70 cP. 
3. IR cure – 95 °C, 28 s dwell; Shore‑D hardness 62. 
4. Inline FTIR QC – Si–O–Si peak @1100 cm⁻¹ ≥0.85 intensity ratio. 

Energy Audit 

Coating Technology Cure Energy (MJ m⁻²) CO₂‑eq (kg m⁻², EU grid) 

PTFE sinter 4.8 0.51 

Epoxy bake 2.2 0.23 

Nanize IR flash 0.9 0.09 

Switching a 900 m² day⁻¹ conveyor plant saves 1.4 MWh and 360 kg CO₂ daily. 4. Regulatory & Food‑Safety Compliance 

• PFAS content: None detected (<1 ppb LC‑MS/MS). 
• EU Framework 1935/2004 migration: Overall <6 mg kg⁻¹; compliant. ● FDA CFR 175.300 extraction: Pass. 
• Halal & Kosher: Approved. 

5. Case Study: Southern Europe Tomato‑Paste Facility Challenge: Every 4 h, conveyors halted for 25‑min caustic wash. 

Solution: Nanize applied during scheduled shutdown—single shift. IR cure integrated with existing preheat lamps. 

Results (90‑day validation) 

• Downtime ↓42 h month⁻¹ → +€110 k throughput. 
• Water savings 912 m³ → €8 k utility cost cut. 
• Zero PFAS detected in paste (<1 ppb)—marketing win. 

6. ROI Calculation 

CapEx: €27 k (coating + retrofitted IR lamps) Annualised savings: €1.65 M (downtime + utilities) Payback: 6 weeks. 

7. Implementation FAQ

Q: Will 95 °C cure warp polymer belts? No—95 °C is below typical TPU Tg; thermal imaging shows <5 °C belt temperature rise. 

Q: How does Nanize handle aggressive cleaning chemicals? Sodium hypochlorite soak (4 %, 60 min) shows no gloss loss; COF unchanged. 

Q: Is re‑coating required? Field data shows 18‑month interval before top‑up vs 6 months with PTFE. 

8. Sustainability Credentials 

Manufactured in an ISO 14001 facility powered 82 % by hydroelectricity; contains no microplastics per ECHA draft definition; VOC < 50 g L⁻¹. 

Conclusion & Next Steps 

Nanize turns conveyor bottlenecks into competitive advantage—cutting PFAS risk, energy use, water bills and downtime while boosting hygiene and throughput. Future‑proof your plant OEE now. 

Schedule a live pilot demonstration: https://www.nanize.com/blog/pfas-free-coatings