22/4/2015
NEW YORK, USA, April 21-23, 2015 - SPX has a rich heritage within the pharmaceutical sector through leading brands such as Anhydro, Lightnin, APV, Pneumatic Products and Waukesha Cherry-Burrell, and that tradition and culture of innovation will be on display at Interphex in April. Amongst the highlights are the new EcoPure magnetically driven centrifugal pump, the new SanStar SSi (Stainless Steel inline) sanitary mixer from its Lightnin brand, the Anhydro aseptic spray drying and spin flash dryer and homogenizer products from APV.
The use of mixing technology in pharmaceutical industries is critical to a broad spectrum of applications including preparation of APIs, methods of fermentation and cell culture, downstream processing of biological and pharmaceutical operations including suspension handling, and emulsification. For the pharmaceutical sector the SanStar SSi (Stainless Steel inline) sanitary mixers provide long life and flexible options.
The mixers are specifically designed to meet the required standards of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and are provided with an SPX quality assurance documentation package to demonstrate current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP). The SSi is designed to reduce power loss through the use of high-efficiency planetary gears. It offers a smaller footprint than alternate technologies making it a good choice where space is limited. Constructed with stainless steel housings and motors, the mixer complies with the latest ASME BPE guidelines and has CE certification.
SPX pharmaceutical processing innovation is best exemplified by the Anhydro aseptic spray drying processor line. These new processors are gaining industry acceptance in processing vaccines, biologics, antibodies or any drug product to be injected or implanted. Anhydro has multiple units built and successfully operating in the field.
When it comes to drying, the Anhydro spin flash dryer can provide great evaporation in a smaller space than other drying technologies and has superior control of resulting powder properties. It can handle higher inlet moisture content than a standard flash dryer, which often means there is no need for the undesirable external recycling loop as used on other dryers to gain the product characteristics required. It consists of a feed system with a vat agitator and feed screw for buffering and consistently feeding the product. The drying chamber has a rotor in its conical base, which creates an efficient drying air flow pattern.
Hot air enters at a tangent into the chamber to create turbulent, whirling air flow to further assist with this efficiency. Once small enough, particles pass through a classifier at the top of the chamber and are finally collected in a bag filter. Air flow passes out at the top of the system drawn by an exhaust fan. The powder density of the outlet product is affected by drying temperature and air velocity. The design of the dryer ensures efficient, direct drying without feed pre-treatment, and flow patterns which quickly disintegrate wet lumps.
SPX Pneumatic Products manufactures compressed air and gas purification equipment for the pharmaceutical market for a variety of applications. Included but not limited are process air applications where clean dry air is required when coming in contact with pharmaceuticals such as material handling, moving, cleaning and aeration. In addition, clean dry air is required for instrumentation such as control valves, pneumatic actuators and instruments requiring ISO quality air. These applications typically require ISO 12500 standards for -40 F dewpoints
In the pharmaceutical industry homogenisation is the process of reducing the particle sizes of pharmaceutical products, under very high pressures, sheer, turbulence, acceleration and impact, to make them more stable and clinically effective. The bioavailability of the product increases and the tolerance of some otherwise borderline drugs can improve. A homogenizer is not a complicated piece of equipment, but correctly designing and applying it requires skill and understanding. Understanding the products involved, their compositions, structures and abrasiveness ensures correct selection of the type of homogenization valve required.
SPX has a long history of homogenization through its APV Rannie and Gaulin series and vast experience of applying homogenization solutions. It offers the widest range of homogenizers suitable for applications from laboratory to pilot plant to large scale production, and supports its solutions with expertise which ensures the best results even for the most sophisticated emulsions.
The EcoPure Pump is designed to increase production efficiency and final product safety. It has been engineered with an in-depth understanding of pumping technology to specifically address modern challenges in hygienic applications within the pharmaceutical industry. It provides increased efficiency, reliability and safety in traditional hygienic centrifugal pump applications through the use of high-powered drive magnets and extremely efficient impellers in a design that does not require mechanical seals.
With no need for seal maintenance or risk of product contamination through seal failure, the pump delivers significant benefits in enhanced product safety, reduced maintenance requirements, improved reliability and increased pump availability. It further helps a plant’s ability to reduce waste water streams associated with seal flushing.