Wexmar provides CNC machining for food processing equipment OEMs and plant maintenance departments from our shop in Canastota, New York. As a food equipment machine shop, we produce stainless shafts, bushings, hubs, fittings, nozzles and plastic wear parts for mixers, slicers, conveyors, fillers, pumps and processing lines in dairy, meat, bakery, produce and beverage plants. Most of this work is 304 and 316 stainless steel and food-grade engineered plastics, machined to finishes that clean easily.
What food processing equipment buyers order from a machine shop
Food equipment has many rotating and sliding parts that wear, get damaged in sanitation, or need to be made in stainless when the original part was not. Typical parts include:
- Drive and agitator shafts with keyways, bearing seats and seal surfaces.
- Bushings, bearing housings and take-up blocks for conveyors and mixers.
- Cutter hubs, blade holders and knife spacers for slicing and dicing equipment.
- Sanitary fittings, adapters and nozzles for liquid handling and spray systems.
- Sprockets, idlers and rollers machined from UHMW, acetal or stainless.
- Wear strips, guides and scrapers in food-grade plastics.
- Pump and valve components such as rotors, shafts and seal sleeves.
Materials common to food processing equipment
316 and 316L stainless are the default for product-contact parts because they resist chlorides from cleaning chemicals and brines. 304 stainless is common on frames and non-contact hardware, and 17-4 PH is used where a shaft or pin needs more strength. 303 stainless machines easily but is typically limited to non-contact parts. Engineered plastics such as UHMW, acetal and PEEK are used for wear parts, with FDA-compliant grades sourced with supplier documentation. Bronze appears in some bushings away from product contact. Our materials page has details on each grade.
Tolerances, finishes and documentation
Food equipment tolerances are usually moderate on general features, ±.002 to ±.005 in., and tighter on bearing fits and seal surfaces, where ±.0005 in. is typical. Surface finish matters more than in many industries. Product-contact surfaces commonly call for 32 Ra or finer, sharp internal corners are avoided where the drawing allows, and crevices that could trap product are reviewed at quote. Polishing, electropolish and passivation are performed through qualified outside processors when the drawing specifies them.
Documentation typically includes material certs for stainless parts, supplier documentation for food-grade plastics, dimensional inspection results and a certificate of conformance. CMM reports and first article inspection in AS9102 format are available on request.
Quantity patterns: breakdown, spares and OEM production
Food plants often order 1 to 10 replacement parts after a breakdown, sometimes from a worn sample and a sketch rather than a drawing. Maintenance teams building a spares stock order 5 to 50 of each critical wear part. Equipment OEMs release production lots of 25 to 1,000 pieces aligned with machine builds. We quote all three and keep programs on file so repeat orders ship faster.
When a part is being converted from painted or plated carbon steel to stainless during a sanitation upgrade, we review the drawing for features that are hard to clean or that change behavior in stainless, such as tight press fits and fine threads that can gall. Any suggested change goes back to your engineering or maintenance lead before we cut material, and the released drawing governs the finished part.
How our floor handles CNC machining for food processing equipment
Turning shafts, hubs and fittings
Ten CNC lathes with live tooling and Y-axis turn shafts and hubs, then mill keyways, cross holes and flats without a second setup, which helps with stainless parts that work-harden when handled twice. See our CNC turning page.
Horizontal milling
Six horizontal machining centers with pallet changers run 3- and 4-axis horizontal milling on bearing blocks, manifolds, blade holders and plastic wear parts.
Swiss and grinding
Four Maier MLK-32 Swiss machines produce nozzles, pins and small fittings to 32 mm diameter. Centerless and surface grinders finish shaft seal diameters and flat wear faces.
Typical food processing parts, materials and tolerances
| Part | Common material | Typical tolerance | Primary process |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agitator shaft | 316, 17-4 PH | ±.0005 in. seal diameter, 32 Ra | Lathe, centerless grind |
| Cutter hub | 17-4 PH, 440C | ±.001 in. | Lathe with live tooling |
| Spray nozzle | 316 | ±.001 in. orifice | Swiss |
| Conveyor sprocket | UHMW, acetal | ±.005 in. | Horizontal milling |
| Bearing block | 304, UHMW | ±.0005 in. bore | Horizontal milling |
| Sanitary adapter | 316L | ±.002 in. | Lathe |
Getting a quote
Send a drawing, STEP file or a photo and measurements of the worn part, along with material and quantity. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and a human estimator confirms every quote. For food processing equipment parts, call (315) 400-2654, Monday through Friday, 7 to 4 Eastern, or email ron@backwell.com.