Retort Racks for Polymeric Trays in 1400 Style Spray Retorts

摘要

The objective of this project was to design a retort rack that would maximize the retort capacity of a 1400 style spray retort and to select a material that would withstand the harsh retort spray environment. The contract consisted of three phases: (1) mold design, (2) mold fabrication, (3) rack production. Test rack samples were produced at the end of phase II using three different materials. A blend of Polyphenylene (PPE) and Polypropolyne (PP) with 15% short glass fiber filling was selected as the preferred material for the production of the final set of racks. Two ration producers were supplied with 100 retort racks each, for testing in a production environment. The racks increased the capacity of the retort with 29-33% and the rack material has withstand the retort environment without any problems after exposure to three- month of production environment.