Fluoroware Demonstrates On-Site Welding System for Cynergy Products at InterPhex
Biotech and pharmaceutical processors can now install their own Cynergy nonmetallic piping systems using patent-pending, weld-in-place technology from Fluoroware Inc. (Chaska, MN). At Fluoroware's InterPhex booth (no. 360), the company is demonstrating how their new weld-in-place equipment makes smooth, beadless welds which are free of bacteria-harboring cracks and crevices.
"Our weld-in-place tool was designed for our line of Cynergy tubing and fittings to comply with requirements for drainability," said Jim Fleming, Cynergy marketing manager. "The welding tool, which was two years in development, represents a huge enhancement for our tubing products by allowing customers to do in-field welding and installation."
The welding tool was designed specifically to fuse Teflon PFA (perfluoroalkoxy) Cynergy components without reducing the material's chemical- and biofilm-resistant properties. Weld equipment includes a hand-held weld head connected via a 25-foot cable to a computer-controlled base unit. The weld head accommodates clamps and heater assemblies needed to weld Cynergy tubing, valves, fittings, and adaptors. Welds are completed with the touch of a button, using Hewlett Packard TouchScreen technology.
"We've tried to incorporate a hands-on, user-friendly format," Fleming said. "Welding is completely microprocessor-based with full control over time and temperature. By removing the human factor, customers can make precision welds exactly the same way each time. Weld parameters are stored in the computer so the system can be validated with full reference to individual welds, user ID, and even project name. Since all welding parameters are stored in PC memory, operators can quickly and easily switch between various-sized piping, speeding up the installation process."
The weld-in-place tool's microprocessor and controller are housed in a large suitcase-sized instrument. Compact and portable, the weld-in-place equipment allows easy welding in tight, hard-to-reach areas, producing strong, high-purity welds without the inert gas purging required for stainless steel orbital welding. "Configuring the tool and heater head for maximum portability provides tremendous flexibility for benchtop or plenum area welding," Fleming said, adding, "This product is very easy to use."
Fluoroware will initially offer the welding tool with the capability to work on 1-inch, 1.5-inch, and 2-inch tubing. "We'll expand that later on with a second piece of equipment," Fleming said, "that will enable welds on half- and three-quarter-inch tubing." Fluoroware is offering the Cynergy weld-in-place equipment through rental, leasing, or purchase.
About Cynergy
Originally developed for pharmaceutical process fluid handling, Cynergy tubing and fittings have been gaining acceptance in pharmaceutical and food applications as well. "Customers use Cynergy tubing for difficult applications where stainless steel can't handle the corrosiveness of the process fluid, or in processes that are highly metal-sensitive," Fleming said. "Even for food processing, high-sodium and acidic preparations such as soy and salsa can eat away at stainless vessels and tubing, requiring end-users to replace their stainless equipment regularly or switch to exotic metal alloys. Both of these alternatives to Cynergy products are very expensive."
Fleming pointed out that in some cases users have seen improvement in flow rates when switching from stainless steel to cynergy, mainly due to the superior surface properties of the PFA resin used to make Cynergy tubing. PFA is a melt-processible Teflon, with temperature and chemical resistance similar to PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) used in cookware. Unlike PTFE, however, Teflon used in cookware, PFA can be melted, worked, and shaped.
Cynergy fluid handling components (0.25-inch to 2-inch diameter) are made from Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved materials. The products also comply with U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) Class VI and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) criteria, as well as 3-A Sanitary Standards for dairy equipment. Cynergy tubing, fittings, valves, and adaptors meet current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) requirements by offering complete drainability, plus steam-in-place/clean-in-place (SIP/CIP) capability.
According to Fleming, the Cynergy product line has been doing extremely well, especially in North America, since its introduction last year. "We've already reached our yearly sales goals for 1999," Fleming told Pharmaceutical Online. Cynergy was just recently introduced in Europe and the United Kingdom, and Fleming recently traveled to Japan to introduce the Cynergy line in that country.
For more information: Jim Fleming, Marketing Manager, Fluoroware, 3500 Lyman Boulevard, Chaska, MN 55318. Tel: 612-448-8196. Fax: 612-368-8022. In Europe: Fluoroware Bureau de liaison, 24 Place Dauphine, 75001, Paris France. Tel: +33-143-26-8964. Fax: +33-143-26-8964.
By Angelo DePalma