Pharmaceutical applications require hygienic environments. Companies involved in pharmaceutical production must ensure tight controls on product purity through every stage of the development process, from manufacturing and quality control to packaging and shipping. Due to the tight restrictions that the FDA and other
Eliminate threads and gasket compression problems that lead to contamination with this innovative new solution from LJ Star. Designed for hygienic/sterile applications in pharmaceutical, food/beverage, brewery and biotech industries, the new Clamp Type Sterile Visual Flow Indicator, or CT-SVFI, uses a patent-pending design to prevent the o-ring and gasket compression issues that lead to contamination associated with conventional screwed or threaded fittings.
Keeping a Firm Grip on Sanitary Clamp Safety
For pharmaceutical and biotech companies, maintaining sterile process control is an ever-increasing challenge – one that can lead to cross-contamination, short term loss of product, long term drug shortages, lawsuits and even loss of life should sterile process be breached.
In our efforts to continually improve our products we are introducing a change to the Domed Hexagon Nut used to tighten our range of clamps. These nuts are used to replace the Wing Nut in certain applications. The existing Domed Hexagon Nut, we currently supply, will become obsolete to be replaced by the new Hexagon Flat Nut.
For my pharmaceutical and biotech customers, sanitary clamps—also called hygienic clamps—keep systems clean while allowing quick disconnects. However, making reliable process system connections is anything but routine. If it isn’t done just right,
Recently, managers at a major U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturer were reminded of the importance of constant vigilance in their containment systems when they discovered leaks in sanitary clamp connections that forced them to scrap costly process media.
In a pharmaceutical or biotechnology setting, process equipment and piping are connected using a stainless steel sanitary clamp that forces together two ferrules, whose raised lips on the pipe ends facilitate a tight connection. Sanitary fittings are made specifically for pharmaceutical applications, where joint cleanliness and access are of paramount importance. Clamps allow quick disassembly for cleaning and sterilization. To prevent the formation of shelves or pockets that can harbor bacteria the ferrules, gasket and clamp must also provide a non-protruding, recess-less product contact surface.
Any plant operator can tell you that an innocent-looking set of pipes can conceal nasty secrets, some as petrifying as the monster hiding in the plumbing in a Harry Potter movie. A sight flow indicator is a good way to discover what’s lurking within.
These simple, low-cost devices provide a visual means of verifying liquid flow for direction and approximate rate, and also to observe the color and clarity of process fluids. The body of a sight flow indicator is equipped with one or more viewing windows, usually with gaskets, and a way to mount the indicator to the pipeline, such as a flanged, threaded, or sanitary clamp fitting. They are available to fit standard pipe sizes ranging from ¼-inch to 16 inches and carry ANSI pressure ratings.