Pressed cheese moulds over 20 years old: How can you extend their lifespan or optimize your fleet?

In the dairy industry, moulds for pressed cheeses are true long-term investments. Whether it’s a large-format Emmental cheese mould, a Comté cheese mould designed to meet the strict requirements of this prestigious AOP designation, a Morbier cheese mould with its distinctive central groove, or a Raclette cheese mould designed for rectangular or round shapes, this high-quality equipment frequently reaches or exceeds 20 years of service today.

While this longevity attests to the robustness of your equipment, a fleet of this age requires special attention to maintain the consistency of your production, the quality of the pressing, and the efficiency of the draining process. So, what should you do with your moulds that are over 20 years old? Should you replace, repair, or adjust them?

At Servi Doryl, we work with you to inspect, modernize, or recycle your used equipment in order to maximize the performance and durability of your industrial assets.

1. Mould Audit: Identifying Which Moulds to Keep, Repair, or Recycle

Over time and after thousands of pressing cycles, not all moulds in the same batch age in the same way. A raclette cheese mould subjected to intense automated production cycles will not age quite the same way as an Emmental or Comté cheese mould subjected to massive pressures. Before deciding to replace an entire fleet of moulds, an on-site technical audit by our teams is the most cost-effective and responsible solution.

This rigorous audit allows us to classify your equipment into three categories:

Moulds in good condition: These can be returned to production at no additional cost.

Moulds requiring repair: Thanks to our high-precision plastic welding service, we can repair cracks, restore corners, or reinforce the structure to extend their service life by several years.

Moulds that are out of service (OOS): For parts that have definitively reached the end of their useful life, Servi Doryl offers a comprehensive recycling service. We collect your used moulds so they can be properly recycled within a circular economy system, thereby preventing waste and reducing your cheese factory’s carbon footprint.

💡 To understand how this process works and learn how it has saved the herds of many cheese producers, check out our full article on the benefits of a herd audit.

Read the article

2. Dimensional Monitoring: Protecting the Inner Liner of Your Moulds

Over the decades, due to thermal and mechanical stress, the diameter of your lids may undergo slight changes (ovalization or expansion). If your lids no longer fit perfectly, the risk of damage increases dramatically.

A poorly calibrated lids will rub aggressively against the mould walls or create stress points, which will eventually damage the mould’s inner surface.

Our solution: We perform comprehensive dimensional monitoring of your equipment. Our technicians precisely measure the current condition of your moulds to readjust the diameter of your lids to the nearest millimeter, ensuring a smooth pressing process free of destructive friction.

💡 To learn more about this expertise, check out our article on insert refurbishment and dimensional monitoring.

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3. Modernize your cheese moulds: switch to all-plastic or optimize the lids

Twenty years of technological innovation separate your current moulds from modern standards. This is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your pressing accessories, whether you use a fleet of cheese moulds for Morbier or other pressed cheeses:

Optimize the pins configuration: Historically, our lids were equipped with 12 polypropylene pins. In recent years, we’ve switched to 24 pins: the plastic material in the 12-pin configuration tended to deform (expand) prematurely, which could damage the mould frames due to friction. Today, as part of our repair service, we offer to upgrade your moulds from 12 to 24 pins. This upgrade remains fully compatible with and suited to your current production lines.

Replacing Stainless Steel with All-Plastic: In some cases, it is entirely possible to replace your stainless steel moulds with all-plastic models. This transition offers major advantages: reduced equipment weight, minimized premature mould wear, and simplified cleaning and recycling. Furthermore, thanks to an innovative screw- and nut-free design, these next-generation lids enhance food safety by eliminating any risk of contamination from foreign objects.

💡 To get a better idea of this innovation and learn about all its technical features, read our illustrated article on the benefits of all-plastic flooring.

Read the article

4. Monitoring Drainage: Checking for Hidden Clogging in Your Perforations

Even with a rigorous cleaning protocol, the micro-perforations in a 20-year-old mould can become gradually clogged (with milk scale, fat residues, or minerals) in a way that is invisible to the naked eye. Slowed drainage directly affects whey drainage and the quality of the cheese rind.

To measure the effectiveness of your drainage system, Servi Doryl offers a laboratory drainage monitoring test:

Sending the sample: You send us a sample of moulds representative of your entire fleet.

Flow simulation: In our lab, we pass a precise volume of water through the mesh to simulate whey flow.

Performance results: We measure the time it takes for the liquid to drain. If the time is too long, this confirms that the perforations are clogged. We will then work with our partners to recommend solutions for adjusting your washing parameters.

💡 If the test reveals fouling, specific cleaning protocols must be followed. To optimize your CIP cycles, download our White Paper: The Keys to Successful Cleaning of Your Cheese Moulds.

White paper

Summary of Actions for Your Fleet of Vehicles Over 20 Years Old

Symptom observed	Industrial Risk	Servi Doryl Solution
Scratched or worn inner surface	Mould breakage, cheese appearance defect	Dimensional monitoring and adjustment of the diameter of the lids.
Heavy or deformed lid steel bottom plates	Mechanical wear on the mould surface	Replacement with all-plastic lids.
Slower drainage	Lack of acidification, heterogeneity	Monitoring drainage through sampling.
Deformed or broken moulds (out of service)	Loss of productivity, unnecessary waste	Recycling service for the proper recovery of plastic materials.
Overall Aging of the Fleet	Loss of visibility into investments	Comprehensive technical audit (Good condition / Repair / Recycling).

Are your pressed-cheese moulds approaching or past 20 years old? Don’t leave it to chance. Contact the experts at Servi Doryl to schedule an audit and optimize your cheese-making operation’s performance.🔗 Link to contact page.

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What is the average lifespan of an Emmental cheese mould or a Comté cheese mould?

Thanks to the high-quality materials used by Servi Doryl, an Emmental or Comté cheese mould can last between 20 and 30 years. However, the intense mechanical pressing forces inherent in these large cheese wheels require regular dimensional monitoring after two decades to prevent any warping.

What happens to my old moulds if they are declared out of service (OOS)?

Thanks to Servi Doryl’s recycling service, your used moulds do not end up in a landfill. They are collected and then shredded by our partner facilities to ensure they are properly recycled. This turnkey solution aligns with your cheese factory’s CSR and ecological transition initiatives.

How can I tell if the inner lining of my old moulds is at risk?

Wear on the inner lining is often caused by inserts that have become too large or warped over the years. By performing dimensional monitoring, we analyze the exact dimensions of your moulds to perfectly realign the diameter of your inserts and immediately stop the abrasion.

Is it possible to test the effectiveness of the cleaning process on 20-year-old moulds?

Yes, thanks to our drainage monitoring. By measuring the time it takes for a test liquid to pass through the perforations of a sample from your mould fleet, we can verify whether your cleaning cycles effectively remove milk scale or if a drain-clearing treatment is necessary.