Chillers feature oil-free, mini-centrifugal compressor technology, which guarantees exceptional low energy operation and reliability with low noise operation, whilst optimising product quality.

Process cooling specialist Powermaster Products has launched the revolutionary new TECS range of chillers from Climaveneta, featuring oil-free, mini-centrifugal compressor technology. By incorporating this major design innovation, TECS chillers guarantee exceptional low energy operation and reliability with low noise operation whilst optimising product quality and boosting manufacturing plant efficiency. Ideally suited for cooling a diverse range of pharmaceutical manufacturing and processing operations, Powermaster TECS chillers are available as air-cooled units with capacities ranging from 210 to 1780kW and as water-cooled chillers with capacities from 220 to 2400kW.

All chillers feature multiple (two, three, four, six or eight) refrigeration circuits.

The mini-centrifugal, oil-free compressor incorporates a high efficiency, inverter-driven motor and magnetic bearings.

Combined with precise control of the water temperature leaving the evaporator and an optimized cooling circuit, these features allow the TECS chiller to achieve 40% higher efficiency (at part load) and 10% higher efficiency (at full load) when compared to chillers with scroll or screw compressors.

At a time of rising energy costs for industry, the installation of a Powermaster TECS chiller will significantly reduce fuel consumption, helping to minimise the effect of the Climate Change Levy.

It also brings environmental advantages by reducing CO2 emissions to atmosphere whilst the chiller's asymmetric evaporator is specially designed to generate optimum cooling performance using the minimum amount of the green R134a refrigerant.

Powermaster's TECS chillers are designed for high reliability and minimal maintenance.

The compressor design features only one moving component - the compressor shaft.

Magnetic bearings keep this high-speed shaft suspended in the air and frictionless, reducing wear and extending the chiller's lifetime and cut maintenance to an absolute minimum.

Oil-free compressors also help keep maintenance costs down, and enhance sustainability by improving heat exchanger performance through the elimination of oil film between the coolant and heat exchange surfaces.

The new mini-centrifugal compressor provides unequalled quietness of operation.

The especially low noise frequency is possible thanks to zero-vibration, (even at start-up) and the elimination of the tonal problems typically found in screw compressor chillers.

Under standard Eurovent conditions, a Powermaster TECS 900kW air-cooled water chiller operates at a sound pressure of 68dBA at 1.0m distance.

All Climaveneta chillers are manufactured at the company's hi-tech production facilities in Northern Italy.

Units are built strictly in accordance with ISO 9001 / EN 29001 and every unit is rigorously and independently tested to the highest standards in purpose-built, climatic test chambers.

With a Head Office in Stirling and a dedicated network of offices in London, the Midlands and the North, Powermaster is a major nationwide distributor of chillers.

The company has built its reputation on the supply of high quality chiller systems, extensive technical and applications expertise, and prompt after sales back up service.

It offers customers access to a considerable bank of knowledge on the Climaveneta product range, following 12 years acting as the exclusive UK distributor in the building services sector.

Measuring just 1100mm wide, 500mm deep and 1050mm high, an SS vacuum mixer with heating/cooling facilities is designed for small-scale production units and pharmaceutical testing rooms.

The UK's leading supplier of small-scale equipment to the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, Isopak, has recently launched what is believed to be the smallest stainless steel vacuum mixer with heating/cooling facilities available in Europe - the Lilliput. Measuring just 1100mm wide, 500mm deep and 1050mm high, Lilliput is especially designed for research laboratories, small-scale production units and pharmaceutical testing rooms, where space is limited. Lilliput is ideal for mixing dry powder, cream, ointments, paste and lotions, and is capable of handling batches between 0.8ml and 5ml.

Manufactured by Dott Bonapace, Lilliput is equipped with an advanced turbo-emulsifier, featuring counter-rotating blades designed to provide a very high shearing action.

A special injection system transfers powders and liquids directly into the emulsifier's shearing zone.

The angle of the blades ensures radial mixing for excellent product quality and lower operation costs.

One of the reasons the Lilliput handles viscous products so easily is due to its design, which incorporates coaxial shafts and bearings.

The outer part of the mixing shell includes a jacketed bowl for heating and cooling of the products, depending on the application.

Technical features of Lilliput include variable mixer and turbine speeds, automatic lifting and tilting, and it has a voltage of 230V - 50Hz - single phase.

The vacuum controls provide good de-aeration during processing, resulting in short batch times and high productivity.

It allows the feeding of powders through the valve at the bottom of the vessel where they are immediately dispersed by the homogenising turbine, preventing lumps and providing fast and efficient processing.

Planetary mixers with or without a turbo-emulsifier for bigger production capacities, up to 3000 litres, are also available from Dott Bonapace.

* About Isopak - Isopak is firmly established as a leading UK supplier of equipment to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and food packaging industries.

The company offer a range of specialised, small-scale equipment from Dott Bonapace of Milan for the preparation and packaging of pharmaceutical products, particularly for laboratories and clinical trial preparation.

Managing director of Isopak, Robin Davies, commented on the Lilliput: 'Small scale laboratories do not have the space nor the need for heavy duty equipment, but the Lilliput is highly efficient, complete with cleaning in place (CIP), and is the ideal solution for short batch runs.'

The addition of high efficiency particulate air media for absolute filters that meet industry standards of H13 filter class will be welcomed within the pharmaceutical industries.

Donaldson Membranes, worldwide expert in the manufacture of expanded mircoporous PTFE membranes, films and laminates, has announced the launch of its new product - the 6561 HEPA PTFE Laminate. The addition of HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Media for absolute filters will be welcomed within the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where Donaldson Membranes had been providing filtration solutions for over 20 years. As a HEPA-rated synthetic ePTFE laminate, Donaldson's new product meets the industry standards of H13 filter class (EN1822) and is therefore ideal for ultra-clean applications in contamination-free environments, ensuring the purity of products being handled and processed.

HEPA Media has high efficiency, whilst its non-stick surface provides easy dustcake release and eliminates concerns regarding contamination.

It is extremely efficient in combating indoor air pollution such as household dusts, pollens, bacteria and many allergens, and is therefore suitable for bagless vacuums.

Typical HEPA products increase rather than decrease in efficiency during their lifespan, and so traditionally require frequent replacement.

Donaldson HEPA Media, however, is reusable and washable, and therefore offers extended life.

For the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, HEPA Media is yet another development in Donaldson Membrane's portfolio developed to achieve zero emissions of expensive ingredients which could otherwise be lost during manufacturing, whilst protecting the purity of products being processed.

Robin Engineering Services has reached an agreement with the Chamunda Corporation of India to act as their UK marketing representative for their range of pharmaceutical machinery.

Robin Engineering Services, the North Staffordshire, UK-based experts in materials handling and processing systems, has reached an agreement with the Chamunda Corporation of India to act as their UK marketing representative for their range of pharmaceutical machinery. Among the 'jewels' in the Chamunda range is the Alpha Tablet Press for high speed tabletting operations. The Alpha is a high speed, single rotary tablet press, capable of outputs up to 250,000 tablets/h according to tooling, max diameter 16mm, max fill 16mm.

Available in 30, 37 and 47 station versions and designed and manufactured to the highest cGMP standards, the Alpha comes complete with its own integral PLC control system operated through a user friendly touch-screen.

For operations producing small batches, a smaller, single rotary press is available for up to 55,000 tablets/h.

This machine is suitable for tablets from 16mm to 25mm, with 16, 20 and 23 station versions.

A 12 station model can also be applied to produce tablets up to 40mm in diameter at a maximum rate of 15,000 pieces/h.

The Chamunda range also includes a series of state of the art fluidised bed driers and processors with chamber volumes of up to 475 litre, permitting the processing of batches up to 200kg/cycle.

All the Chamunda machines are manufactured to the highest cGMP standards and finished to the highest quality, as is to be expected by the pharmaceutical industry.

Of significant importance also is the fact that the Chamunda range offers recognisable economic benefits when compared to similar machines already available in the UK market.

Chamunda is already a well-established supplier of repute in the Far Eastern markets and in the USA and views the appointment of Robin Engineering as an important step in achieving similar market penetration in the UK and Europe.

An advanced batch control system supplied to an Irish pharmaceutical plant has been specifically designed to be multipurpose, allowing a large number of products to be manufactured.

Yokogawa has supplied an advanced batch control system to Takeda Pharma Ireland (a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company), at the new Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) plant in Dublin. This is Takeda's first API facility to be constructed outside Japan. The new plant will be used to develop and produce APIs used in clinical trials through to launch and full commercialisation.

In addition, Takeda also plans to produce APIs for products such as the diabetes 'blockbuster' drug Pioglitazone (brand name Actos).

To meet these challenges, the system has been specifically designed to be multipurpose, allowing a large number of products to be manufactured.

This necessitated the use of a comprehensive batch control system, and Takeda decided to use Yokogawa's CS3000 DCS Batch Control system, which is based on the ISA S88.01 Batch Standard.

The CS3000 Batch Control system also complies with the current FDA requirements for the use of electronic records and electronic signatures (as specified in FDA 21 CFR Part 11): an issue of vital importance when supplying control and information systems to the pharmaceuticals industry.

The system comprises a Centum CS3000 R3 with eight operator stations, one audit trail server, five field control stations, 4500 conventional I/O points, and Profibus communications to the packaged equipment.

In addition to the batch control functions, it produces online batch and process reports.

* About Yokogawa Electric Corporation - Yokogawa's global network of 18 manufacturing facilities, 83 affiliate companies, and over 650 sales and engineering offices spans 28 countries.

Since its founding in 1915, the US$4 billion company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 7,000 patents and registrations, including the world's first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement.

Industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems and industry support are the core businesses of Yokogawa.

* About Yokogawa Europe - the European headquarters were founded in Amersfoort, the Netherlands in 1982.

Throughout Europe Yokogawa has its own sales, service and engineering operations.

This dedicated network has been extended to Central and East Europe and Southern Africa to further enhance the coverage and support associated with serving the process control and automation market place.

We develop and produce flowmeters at Rota Yokogawa in Germany, liquid analysers and industrial safety systems in the Netherlands.

In addition to this dedicated network of Yokogawa subsidiaries a select organisation of Test and Measurement (T and M) subsidiaries and distributors is established in certain areas to support the specific customer needs of this continuously developing and specific market of TandM instrumentation.

* About Yokogawa UK - Yokogawa UK, part of the global Yokogawa Corporation, is a supplier of enterprise technology solutions to the process, manufacturing and utility sectors.

The company is a technology and market leader in instrumentation and control, and holds many key patents and national and international approvals.

An ultra compact and durable Ecoflow pump, which provides low-cost, yet highly effective liquids transfer of delicate media in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other similar critical applications.

The latest addition to the Ismatec range of tubing pumps is the ultra compact and durable Ecoflow pump which provides low-cost, yet highly effective liquids transfer of delicate media in OEM, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other similar critical applications. Available through Michael Smith Engineers, the Ecoflow pump can be supplied either as a stand-alone benchtop design for laboratory use, or as a panel-mounted option, the Ecoflow-E (pictured). Both options are capable of delivering flows from 100 mlitre/min up to 3800 mlitre/min, depending on which of four tubing sizes are used.

Among the important features of these new pumps is the inclusion of a safety switch which ensures that the pump can only run when the pumphead is in the closed position.

The benchtop unit has a sturdy stainless steel and PPS housing and features a multi-function control knob which can be used to vary the pumps speed and direction of rotation, in addition to turning the pump on and off.

These pumps offer users the important advantages of peristaltic pumping, for example, the pumped fluid is contained within the tube to ensure zero fluid contamination and they require minimal maintenance with the tubing being the only wearing part.

Other pumps in the Ismatec range can deliver flows from 0.001mlitre/min to 13,000 mlitre/min and are available with a choice of 10 different tubing materials, so they can handle corrosive liquids safely and easily.

They can be supplied with easily calibrated microprocessor controlled drives, making them ideally suited to applications requiring low pressure, low flow accurate pumping or dispensing.

Multi-channel pump head options are available with up to 24 channels, where each channel can deliver independently, yet simultaneously, various liquids at different flow rates.

The pumps are designed for continuous operation and can be dry-run without any problem.

The unique design characteristics of tubing pumps makes them suitable for many different fluid handling applications including sensitive, delicate and difficult media.

Reliable blend measurement analyser offers a new spectroscopic analysis technology, which is designed specifically for the control of blend uniformity in real time.

Thermo Electron Corporation announces a new addition to its portfolio of Antaris near-infrared (NIR) analysers. The innovative Antaris Target Blend Analyser is the most reliable and fit-for-purpose blend measurement solution available, dedicated to the real-time analysis of pharmaceutical blending processes. Offering a new spectroscopic analysis technology designed specifically for the control of blend uniformity in real time, this novel analyzer was developed from the ground up in partnership with one of the world's leading global pharmaceutical companies.

Utilising MEMS technology, Thermo's landmark Antaris Target achieves 'best-of-class' performance, repeatability, and reliability for formulation development, process development, and production scale use in solid dosage form manufacturing.

The analyser provides the potential to improve consistency and yields in pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing lines through real-time measurement, eliminating the need for thieving and laboratory testing.

Thermo's new Antaris Target Series analysers are equipped with the 'RESULT' software platform for process analysis and measurement automation and the ValPro regulatory qualification package.

The Antaris Target Series shares a software, qualification, and data platform with the complete line of Antaris II, Antaris MX and EX near-infrared process analysers.

Extremely user-friendly, the one-piece design of the Antaris Target Series allows it to be easily moved from blender to blender and used on any size pharmaceutical blender bin, from laboratory scale to production scale.

This revolutionary analyser achieves high resolution measurements for accurate endpoint determination and concentration measurements using switch-free automatic data acquisition.

The Antaris Target Blend Analyzer features illumination, a washable NEMA 4X housing, wireless data transmission, fast installation, and rechargeable battery power.

In addition, the instruments are available with the longest warranty available in the industry.

* About molecular spectroscopy - ideal for investigative analysis or quality control applications, spectroscopy systems from Thermo are used to determine the molecular composition of a wide range of complex samples including liquids, solids and gases.

Supported by an expansive range of applications, techniques such as infrared, Raman and UV/Vis provide a molecular fingerprint for both qualitative and quantitative analysis.

* About Thermo Electron Corporation - Thermo Electron Corporation is the world leader in analytical instruments.

Our instrument solutions enable our customers to make the world a healthier, cleaner and safer place.

Thermo's Life and Laboratory Sciences segment provides analytical instruments, scientific equipment, services and software solutions for life science, drug discovery, clinical, environmental and industrial laboratories.

Thermo's Measurement and Control segment is dedicated to providing analytical instruments used in a variety of manufacturing processes and in-the-field applications, including those associated with safety and homeland security.

Designed for pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing, a range of insect exterminators uses ultraviolet and green light to attract flying insects, which are very sensitive to these light sources.

Insectron from Berson is a range of insect exterminators which utilise ultraviolet (UV-A) and green light to attract flying insects, particularly flies, which are very sensitive to these two light sources. It is designed especially for pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing facilities where hygiene is vital. From its inception the Insectron range has combined the highest built quality with far-sighted innovation.

As a result, Berson has been able to anticipate new developments, such as the introduction of HACCP, and been ready with new Insectron technology to meet industry's changing needs.

A key factor in the Insectron's evolution is continuous research, which is carried out in collaboration with universities, research institutes and industry.

Insectron has a number of unique options not offered by other manufacturers of insect-catching devices.

One of these is the Powertrap, a catch mechanism which prevents dead insects from falling out of the collection tray during cleaning.

While mounted, the Powertrap is constantly open so that killed insects fall into the collection tray.

When the tray needs emptying it must be dismounted; when this is done the Powertrap automatically closes, so preventing any dead insects from falling out.

It is designed to fit every Insectron model equipped with a high-tension grid.

The Insectron EX range has been granted ATEX approval for use in explosive, dusty and wet environments.

It has ingress protection to IP65 and is suitable for areas where water is sprayed or where large quantities of dust or powder could cause explosions if a high tension grid was used.

The Insectron EX range is supplied with a certificate from KEMA, the internationally recognised certifying body, which is a member of the European Network for Quality System Assessment and Certification (EQNET).

The Insectron range is designed, manufactured and distributed at Berson's state-of-the-art facility in the Netherlands.

Production line X-ray system 'sees through' blister pack materials and is sensitive enough to detect tablets (and low density pharmaceuticals) moving past at speed on a conveyor belt.
Unitary dose blister packs are produced in their billions. The consequences of a blister compartment without its capsule, tablet or leaflet can not only be a health risk to the patient but is a liability issue for the drug supplier. Fortunately 3DX-RAY has an answer in its X-Line system which, through novel use of advanced line-scan technology is just a fraction of the cost of a conventional X-ray system.

X-Line allows companies to 'see through' a range of blister pack materials and yet is sensitive enough to detect the tablets (and low density pharmaceuticals) even when they are moving past at some speed on a conveyor belt.

It can even detect if the leaflet is present.

A particular advantage of X-rays is their ability to see through aluminium, which is widely used because it is highly inert to medicines and drugs.

This gives it an advantage over many technologies, such as optical, microwave or RF, where the foil appears completely opaque.

X-Line is a fully automated, high speed, in-line inspection tool that is specifically suitable for inspection of smaller items on production lines.

It can resolve details to an accuracy around that of the width of a human hair.

This positional data is fed into a suite of advanced image-processing software that can reliably identify any empty (or part filled) blisters, giving a fully automatic pass / fail decision capability.

Inspection rates of 400 blisters/s are readily achieved.

When used to inspect blister packs in their final packaging, the system is even sensitive enough to check for the presence of the important product instruction leaflet, even when it is packaged and in its box.

Pharmaceutical processors now have a new option for the cleaning in place of liquid/solid separation systems - a skid mounted cleaning module is for standalone operation or process integration.

Skid mounted cleaning module can be integrated Pharmaceutical processors now have a new option for the cleaning in place of liquid/solid separation systems - a skid mounted cleaning module is for standalone operation or process integration. Pharmaceutical and chemical and processors now have a new option for the cleaning in place of liquid/solid separation systems. The PharmaCIP cleaning unit from Westfalia Separator is a skid mounted cleaning module for standalone operation or process integration.

Available as a stationary skid mounted unit or a mobile plug and play wheeled variant, the PharmaCIP is an ideal add on as processing requirements change, to facilitate a single cleaning option on product changeover to prevent product contamination or as a mobile CIP unit which can be utilised for multiple operations with clearly defined cleaning protocols.

With a range of cleaning programs and cycles the PharmaCIP can be used to clean separation machines, vessels components or pipe systems.

For use after separation the cleaning media are circulated through the separator and the connected system automatically with dislodged residuals washed/flushed out of the system.

Dosing of cleaning agents and heating of cleaning agents to ensure thorough and optimum cleaning cycles can easily be controlled and adapted to meet specific requirements.

Acid and caustic cleaners are presented in drums and fed in by means of suction.

A pharmaceutical, healthcare and converting sectors equipment sourcing service has been launched to search for the best available in pharmaceutical and related machinery for its customers.

A new pharmaceutical sourcing service has been launched by Isopak Limited to complement its existing role as a leading UK distributor of equipment to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and converting sectors. The new facility now offered by Isopak has the ability and tenacity to search if necessary the world for the best available in pharmaceutical and related machinery for customers. Isopak only launched the sourcing service in June and already it has benefited two customers.

In each case managing director Robin Davies and his team were set differing challenges by a pair of top companies, both leaders in their respective fields - and for each Isopak came up trumps.

''We are becoming highly proficient in sourcing equipment for our customers and making sure they get the best possible deal,'' said Davies.

The first test was set by one of the world's leading manufacturers and distributors of microbiological culture media and diagnostic products which, because of commercial sensitivity has to remain anonymous.

The company was buying a big new blister line and needed a complementary banding machine and link conveyor system to accompany it.

Enter Isopak with a brief to provide the best available at the most competitive price.

The banding machine, needed to collate cartons into 10s before banding them for easy placement into a shipper, proved no obstacle.

''We found a second hand machine from a reputable dealer, refurbished it and supplied it at a price which was well within the client's budget,'' said Davies, who then turned his attention to the second aspect of the project and, using Isopak's wealth of contacts, quickly came up with a conveyor system which would feed from the blister machine's cartoning discharge point to the bander.

''We specified the whole system, agreed it with the customer, sourced it from a reputable supplier at a competitive price and managed the whole project right through to delivery and commissioning.

We had to find high-friction belts to prevent carton movement at the labelling point with transfer to a low friction belt at a point where a cross-pusher turned cartons through 90-deg on to another conveyor linked to the banding machine.'' Then it was on to the second challenge set by a manufacturer and supplier of homeopathic, herbal and alternative treatments - again commercial sensitivity prevents identification.

''They wanted a compact, hand-fed machine - the installation situation was a bit tricky and needed a little thought because of the small space available next to a tube filler, the difficulty of access along narrow corridors and the need to cope with cartoning three different tube sizes,' said Davies.

The company also wanted to use the machine to pack a range of bottles and had little scope for improving access in an old-type factory.

So it was persuaded to take two refurbished machines instead of one, with Isopak ensuring the system was going to work well before carrying out the remedial work, positioning the machines on site and training the customer's operatives to operate the new system.

Isopak can handle almost any sourcing project and because it works hard to keep overheads to a minimum, customers can be assured of the best possible deal.

* About Isopak - Isopak is firmly established as a leading UK supplier of equipment to the pharmaceutical, healthcare and converting industries.

Isopak's growing reputation is built on its ability to supply an extensive range of quality products for these sectors.

The company is a distributor of Rotomac machines in the UK.

Rotomac, an Italian based manufacturer, is renowned throughout the world for the provision of competitively priced machinery of the highest quality.

The range includes rewinders, complete packaging lines, aluminium container lines, and dies and is successfully used in more than 40 countries worldwide.

The company is the sole UK distributor of the Dott Bonapace range of equipment, a high quality range of machines suitable for a variety of different applications.

Machines offered include tablet presses, blistering units, capsule processing and filling, suitable for a wide range of applications.

The novel properties of ceramic membranes make them ideal across a range of processes in the food and beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industries.

Westfalia Separator can now offer 'absolute separation' from a single source, thanks to their take over of Membraflow, one of the leading producers of ceramic membrane filters. Integrated into the world-wide company structure, Westfalia Separator can provide a wide range of centrifugal separators, decanters and membrane filtration systems from a single, experienced source. The unique properties of ceramic membranes make them ideal across a range of processes in the food and beverage, dairy, pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industries as well as in water and waste water treatment applications.

Delivering a clear filtrate to tight specifications, ceramic membranes, with their almost limitless lifespan, are an ideal supplement to separator and decanter technology.

Ceramic membranes are chemically resistant and tolerant of temperatures in excess of 300 deg C, increasing their flexibility for processing applications and supporting cleaning, through reduced cleaning time and improved efficiancy.

Experience in the production of ceramic membranes means that Westfalia Separator are able to offer a broad spectrum of membranes ranging from 1 to 1400 nanometers pore size.

The unique configuration of the Westfalia Separator ceramic membranes, with their tubular design, provides optimum flow characteristics, even down to the smallest pore size manufactured of one nanometer.

Expertise across a range of industry applications, enables Westfalia Separator to work closely with customers in the selection and production of the suitable channel diameter, element length and pore size and specify module housing, seals and connections.

All elements of all systems are subjected to rigorous quality checks and testing procedures to satisfy even the most stringent demands of the pharmaceutical industry, following a 'made to order' company philosophy.

The filtration options offered by membrane technology are immense and when combined with centrifuge technology offer a limitless and complementary process solution.