New Products & Services
April 2018
SPX Flow
The MBE Series MagMixer (photo) has been specifically designed for reliable operation and regulatory compliance in life science applications. The unit has no shaft penetrating the tank and so requires no mechanical seals, which significantly reduces the risk of leakage or microbial contamination. It provides high torque capacity with optimum cleanability and, with bottom-mounted magnetic agitators, is ideal for low-viscosity blending, dissolving solids and solid suspension in sterile applications. The MagMixer MBE utilizes Lightnin A281 3-blade hybrid axial/radial impellers in an open construction that maximizes flow while facilitating easy cleaning and sterilization. Alongside optimizing product flow, the impellers contain strong magnets that produce high levels of torque capacity in a compact form. The magnetic impeller removes the need for shaft and seals. Strong, oversized ceramic bearings reduce the risk of breakage, are product lubricated and produce exceptional mixer stability, reliability and performance. The mixer is controlled by a variable frequency drive (VFD) with operating speeds between 200 and 1,000 rpm. — SPX Flow, Inc., Charlotte, N.C.
BinMaster
Operations challenged with managing inventory in covered storage bunkers or flat warehouses have a new option that combines leading-edge software and the 3DLevelScanner acoustic sensor (photo) to measure the level of materials piled under structures. Multiple sensors measure and map levels across the material surface, while MultiVision software separates the piled material into virtual sections. Minimum, maximum and average levels per section are reported for up to 99 unique sections. The data is aggregated to output a visual showing the topography of the entire storage bunker. — BinMaster, Lincoln, Neb.
Acromag
The new SP230 series of isolated signal splitters/duplicators (photo) are designed for easier installation and setup. Four models, covering a broad range of sensor signals, provide dual 4–20-mA outputs proportional to a single current, voltage or temperature input. A USB connection to a Windows PC or Android device enables simple, precise configuration of I/O ranges and a variety of operational settings with free software. The two-wire instruments include plug-in terminal blocks for quick installation and can acquire power from either output loop. Sink or source output wiring connections are supported. A ruggedized design operates reliably from –40 to 80°C with high immunity to electrical noise and surge protection. UL/cUL Class 1 Division 2, ATEX Zone 2 and IECex hazardous location approvals are pending. — Acromag, Inc., Wixom, Mich.
De Dietrich
Hygienic drying in a vacuum requires many attributes. The innovative spherical dryer design (photo) provides the highest performance, according process control and the latest GMP standards. This company is currently delivering several units for hygienic drying. The spherical dryer in Rosenmund design delivers fast drying, mixing and granulation; is easy to clean; has total product discharge; and short drying time due to its high heat-transfer design. The lower half of the sphere is removeable either by pivoting or dropping. This allows total and full visual and manual access to the process area. The accessibility, cleanability and a fast and residue-free discharge are the most important prerequisites for the production of high-quality products. Effective trouble-free washing and cleaning (WIP/CIP) are required to maintain the systems in order to meet strict hygienic standards. — De Dietrich SAS, Strasbourg, France
Sartorius
Last month, this company launched the ambr 250 high-throughput (ht) perfusion (photo), a new automated parallel bioreactor system. It has been specially designed for rapid cell-culture-perfusion process development to optimize production of therapeutic antibodies. The ambr 250ht perfusion system was developed in collaboration with major biopharmaceutical companies. It combines 12 or 24 single-use perfusion mini bioreactors (100–250 mL working volume) with associated single-use perfusion components, all controlled by one automated workstation. The combination of this multi-parallel processing capacity and fully single-use perfusion vessel enables scientists to perform more perfusion culture experiments in a fraction of the time and cost of using traditional perfusion-enabled benchtop bioreactors. This new innovation supports a range of hollow-fiber perfusion applications, enabling design of experiments (DoE) studies for high-cell-density process development in a quality by design (QbD) approach. — Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Göttingen, Germany
Krüss GmbH
Touch displays are currently gaining ground in the laboratory environment, since they save on space and are easy to clean — keyboards are generally unsuitable for the laboratory bench. Therefore, the new version of ADVANCE software for interfacial analysis (photo) features all the contact angle measurement, tensiometry and foam analysis methods adjusted to touch-sensitive monitors. The new ADVANCE version works with two alternative user interfaces that are optimized for both touch or mouse and keyboard operation. The company is now also offering licenses for ADVANCE with Software Assurance. — Krüss GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
Baumer Electric
The new O300 miniature laser sensors with IO-Link (photo) reliably detect very small objects and gaps. With their IO-Link integration, O300 laser sensors are Industry 4.0-ready. IO-Link allows the quick and easy configuration of sensors for all applications using standard network components. Additional data, such as for predictive maintenance processes, are available for evaluation. IO-Link makes these sensors ideal for object detection applications in the assembly, pharmaceutical and process automation industries. Due to a laser beam, which focuses to within 0.1 mm and a high repeat accuracy of 0.1 mm, objects can be positioned with high precision and follow-up processes controlled exactly. With an extremely short response time of less than 0.1 ms, the sensor reliably detects even closely spaced objects, thus allowing fast processes and high throughput rates. Another advantage of the device is the exact alignment of the laser beam to the mounting holes by design (qTarget). qTarget ensures guaranteed detection with pinpoint accuracy over the entire series. Stainless-steel variants in a rugged washdown and hygienic design extend the typical applications of the O300 laser sensors to packaging plants in the food and pharmaceutical industries.— Baumer Electric AG, Fraunfeld, Switzerland
Lauda
This company has extended its PRO portfolio to include two new low-temperature circulation thermostats designed for the specific requirements of test benches, reactors, climatic chambers and distillation plants in the CPI. With a temperature range of –90 to 200°C and a cooling capacity of 0.8 kW, the RP 290 E and RP 290 EC low-temperature circulation thermostats (photo) are ideal as a substitute for dry ice in external low-temperature applications. The new models offer a cooling capacity of 1.5 kW, almost twice the capacity of the RP 245 (0.8 kW), which was previously the most powerful model, with the same space requirements. — Lauda GmbH & Co. KG, Lauda-Königshofen, Germany
CapTemp
With the industrial internet of things (IIoT), it is essential that companies have an intelligent production-management system in order to obtain production information in realtime and store all the history in a database. CapTemp is a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) software for monitoring a wide array of sensors and digital inputs. The application is end-user oriented, providing a user-friendly graphical interface. The software collects information from machines and delivers detailed reporting of all functions and required intervention, providing the data in realtime, and also stores all the information so that it is available in customized reports, listings and graphs. The data are presented so that they are easy to see, and the reporting can be customized to conform to all E.U. and U.S. regulatory agency requirements. — CapTemp, Lda, Pombal, Portugal
Prüftechnik Dieter Busch
Together with the new high-speed data collector Vibscanner 2, this company launched a major new release of the OMNITREND Center software (photo). This is the central PC software for the company’s handheld vibration instruments and online condition monitoring systems. The new version offers intuitive software tools for generating a clear and structured overview of the monitored assets. In the redesigned graphical user interface, engineers can easily create and configure the assets as they are in the field. More highlights, such as easy graphical machine setup, central task configuration, flexible route management and advanced analysis tools, will slash the learning curve for new users and allow experienced analysts to save extra time, says the company. The new interface has advanced diagnostic tools that are easy to use. — Prüftechnik Dieter Busch AG, Ismaning, Germany
The new PX LW-PX300 (photo) is a portable wire-marking, barcode and general-identification printer for creating custom and compliant labels up to 3/4-in. wide. The device can be used to identify wires and equipment, organize tool cribs and storage bins, make safety labels, tag assets and more. The LW-PX300 allows users to quickly print batches of sequenced labels by printing the first label, waiting for the user to cut the label, and then printing the next label in the sequence for faster print-and-apply tasks in the field. — Epson Labelworks PX, Somerset, Wisc.
Siemens AG
The Sirius 3RW5 range (photo) is a new generation of soft starters for simple to demanding drive requirements. This comprehensive range of devices for the soft starting of three-phase asynchronous motors from 5.5 to 1,200 kW enables efficient and future-proof machine concepts to be implemented easily and cost-effectively, says the manufacturer. The new Sirius 3RW5 soft starters are suitable for any drive, they can be easily integrated into the automation system, and they supply data directly to MindSphere, this company’s cloud-based, open IoT operating system. Practice-related functions (such as automatic parameterization with changing startup characteristics) and integrated properties (such as electrical ruggedness in the case of fluctuating line voltages) support smooth operation in a host of applications. — Siemens AG, Munich, Germany
E Instruments International
The new E1500 hand-held combustion emissions analyzer (photo) is a rugged unit with the ability to measure CO and O2 from high-efficiency and condensing boilers, burners, engines, turbines, kilns, furnaces, incinerators and other industrial combustion processes. Featuring a new, large color display and expanded internal memory, the E1500 lets operators easily see and save their sample data without worrying about running out of memory. The E1500 also features pre-calibrated, field-replaceable sensors that allow for easy diagnostics and replacement to reduce downtime and costly repair charges. — E Instruments International, Langhorne, Pa.