1. What FB catalogues and manuals say about the sector
The documents of four FB series mention the food industry. The FBE 2026 catalogue has a food-industry card ("Alimentícia") listing 14 fluids, and the FBE, FBCN, FBME and FBOT manuals include the sector among their applications. Each document covers a different part, as the table below shows.
FB does not manufacture sanitary pumps. The series below handle the fluids listed in the catalogue.
| Series | Document | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| FBE, external gear | FBE 2026 catalogue (p.3) and manual MTEC-01/01 (p.1) | The food-industry card lists milk, syrups, molasses, butters, jams, gelatin, glucose, BPF oil, vegetable oil, citrus, soft drinks, aromatic essential oils, ferments and yeast. The manual lists the food industry among its applications with viscous fluids. |
| FBCN, normalized centrifugal | Manual MTEC-03/00 (p.1) | Lists the food industry among its applications with clean or turbid liquids. |
| FBME, multistage centrifugal | Manual MTEC-08/01 (p.1) | Lists the food industry among its applications with clean or turbid liquids. |
| FBOT, thermal oil | FBOT 2026 catalogue (p.2) and manual MTEC-16/00 (p.1) | States that the pump can be used in the food industry. It pumps organic thermal oils, not the food. |
2. Viscous fluids in the FBE series: viscosity and speed
The FBE is the FB external gear series, and manual MTEC-01/01 describes it as developed for viscous fluids. Selection starts from the fluid viscosity at pumping temperature, and each size has a limit in Table 2 of the manual.
The catalogue publishes 30 to 100,000 SSU for the series and recommends lower speed as viscosity rises: direct drive up to 7,500 SSU, at 1,750, 1,150 or 850 rpm depending on the range, and a pulley or reducer above that, down to 150 rpm between 50,000 and 100,000 SSU.
The shafts run in bushing bearings. When the process requires keeping the fluid heated, the heating chamber is an accessory for sizes 1.1/2″ to 6″ (manual MTEC-01/01). The series maximums are not simultaneous and do not apply to every model; the proposal confirms the duty point.
| Size | Maximum viscosity |
|---|---|
| 1/8″ to 1/4″ | 2,500 SSU |
| 3/8″ to 1″ | 7,500 SSU |
| 1.1/2″ to 2″ | 50,000 SSU |
| 3″ to 6″ | 100,000 SSU |
Engineering note
State the viscosity at pumping temperature: it is the value used to choose the FBE size and speed.
3. Clean or turbid liquids: FBCN and FBME centrifugal pumps
The FBCN (MTEC-03/00) and FBME (MTEC-08/01) manuals list the food industry among their applications with clean or turbid liquids, alongside the chemical, petrochemical, paper and pulp, steel, mining, textile and pharmaceutical industries and sanitation.
The FBCN is the FB normalized centrifugal pump, and the FBME is the horizontal multistage centrifugal pump, in 3 to 6 inch sizes. Selection for both starts from the fluid, flow and head of the process, and the curve of each model confirms the duty point.
For fluids with suspended solids, both manuals require consulting FB before selection. Describe the nature, size and concentration of the solids.
4. FBE materials and sealing per the catalogue
The FBE 2026 catalogue publishes the material options for each component, the sealing and the accessories of the series. None of them is the build of every model: the material of each part is defined for the fluid and the process, and the proposal identifies the selected construction.
Stainless steel appears among the options for the casing and covers, the shafts and gears and the relief valve. It is chosen for the fluid and the process, like the other materials.
| Component | Catalogue options |
|---|---|
| Casing and covers | ASTM A48 CL30 cast iron, ASTM A536 60-40-18 ductile iron, ASTM A216 WCB carbon steel or ASTM A743 CF8M stainless steel. |
| Shafts and gears | SAE 1045 steel or AISI 316L stainless steel. Special treatments on request. |
| Bushings | Self-lubricating bronze, cast iron, PTFE (Teflon), graphite or white metal. |
| Relief valve | Brass or AISI 304 stainless steel. |
| Sealing | Packing, mechanical seal or lip seal, according to the selected configuration. |
| Accessories | Motor-pump assembly, heating chamber, internal relief valve and external bearing support, according to the configuration. |
5. Thermal oil for heating: FBOT series
The FBOT pumps organic thermal oils. The FBOT 2026 catalogue (p.2) and manual MTEC-16/00 state that it can be used in the food industry. In that use, the pump circulates the thermal oil of the heating circuit, not the food.
The manual requires that the fluid contain no abrasive particles or substances that chemically attack the pump components. Selection starts from the thermal oil data and the circuit duty point.
6. Data for the quotation
With this data, FB engineering assesses the series and size for your process fluid.
- Fluid, pumping temperature and viscosity at that temperature
- Flow, discharge pressure and suction conditions
- Material required by the process
- Suspended solids, if any: nature, size and concentration
- For replacement: nameplate and code of the existing pump
Note
The FBE, FBCN and FBME manuals require consulting FB for fluids with suspended solids. Some FBE models are kept in stock; availability for each configuration is confirmed in the quotation.