DSO SELECTS MILLIKEN’S ELASTOGUARD® ANTIMICROBIAL RUBBER FOR USE IN REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR CRITICAL FOOD AND DAIRY MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT

IRVINGTON, N.J. – (Apr. 29, 2004) – DSO Fluid Handling Co., Inc. announced today that the company will now offer Elastoguard® rubber compounds from the Speciality Elastomers Business of Milliken Chemical, a division of Milliken & Company (Spartanburg, S.C.), to maximize antimicrobial protection in rubber parts for food processing equipment such as rubber rotors for pumps, rubber air valve stems, balls for ball check valves, sanitary pipeline gaskets, and O-rings. DSO is a manufacturer of high-volume replacement and maintenance parts for processing plants in the ready-to-eat food and dairy industries, as well as the cosmetic and pharmaceutical markets.

DSO has selected Elastoguard antimicrobial heat-cured rubber compounds because they offer a new level of protection to rubber parts against the growth of bacteria and fungi in many application areas, including those in the food industry. Elastoguard compounds overcome the disadvantages of traditionally used chemicals by using a new, powerful biocide that is effective against a greater variety of bacteria and fungi. The new biocide – Alphasan® silver-NZP ion-exchange resin – permeates the entire rubber matrix after vulcanization and, offering a low rate of migration, maintains a higher and longer level of protection. It processes easier because it is not sensitive to heat or shear; therefore, it can also be used in elastomers formulated for a variety of processes.

Every product that DSO offers meets FDA and 3A standards including the company’s pipeline gaskets which also meet Class VI standards. “By using Elastoguard grades that have attained numerous regulatory registrations around the world for food-contact applications into our Buna rubber, EPDM, and fluoroelastomer products, we preserve DSO’s commitment to our customers to quickly deliver the safest, highest quality products,” said Michael Glaser, DSO president. “Now we can offer rubber replacement parts with the ultimate in antibacterial as well as antifungal protection. This is a great benefit to sanitary processing plants where microbial growth on rubber parts can damage processing equipment and cause expensive downtime and clean-up costs,” Glaser said.

DSO Fluid Handling Co., Inc., a precision manufacturer of alloy and rubber products for the sanitary process industry, provides food, dairy, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industry distributors the most extensive and diversified line of maintenance parts and products worldwide. DSO’s product portfolio includes air valve stems and related components, positive displacement pump components, centrifugal pump components, sanitary pipeline gaskets and O-rings, parts for APV Gaulin homogonizers, ice cream freezer parts, and seal kits for Fristam pumps.

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