Accuracy depends primarily on the nature of the polymer being dispensed. Typically a low-viscosity material without fillers can achieve a ratio accuracy and shot amount repeatability of better than 2%. Flow rate accuracy can be as good as 0.5%, with virtually no pulsation. Temperature control can be maintained with 1 deg C, and vacuum levels down to 5 torr.
Xingyu Product Page
Products such as our standard configuration are provided with casters for mobility. Any other system can be customized with wheels to suit the customer’s needs.
Yes, we evaluate your specific needs and provide a solution created for your specific application. If your product needs to be dispensed at a specific temperature, or if it needs degassing, we will provide a solution.
Continuous flow is possible with virtually every Fluid Research® dispensing system. The user can vary the flow over a broad range; using customer initiated pre-set programs selectable from a solid-state user interface. The practical maximum and minimum values for each system depend upon the size of the pumps installed, viscosity of the material and amount of filler.
Shot size is virtually unlimited, with the smallest practical amount being approximately 0.3 cc. Any combination of shot amount and flow rate above that is within the Fluid Research® operating envelope, up to continuous flow. For instance, 10 cc of a two-part epoxy could be dispensed in 1 second, or 60 seconds. During the design stage, optimum range of shot amount and flow rate are determined before the pump size is specified for the system. This ensures wider latitude of possibilities for the user, providing maximum flexibility for the system after installation.
A progressing cavity pump consists of a long round rod, formed into a helix, which is called a rotor. The rotor, rotates about its’ long axis in an elastomeric double helix, called a stator. Cavities are formed at equal intervals along the internal body of the stator, which progress from one end of the stator when the rotor is turned on its central axis. The cavities are sealed from each other, each two opposing cavities being called a stage. Any rotation of the rotor will cause the cavity on the output end to force material out. The amount of material delivered per complete rotation, or portion of a rotation is exact and repeatable. By controlling the rotation of the rotor with a proper computer algorithm, any desired amount of material can be delivered, in either small quantities singly, repeatedly, or continuous.
Conditions on the factory floor vary from hour to hour, and day to day. Liquid polymeric engineering fluids can change characteristics unpredictably due to changing temperature, humidity, gas absorption and settling, among other things. Therefore temperature, agitation, gas absorption, and isolation must be closely controlled at constant values to ensure predictable results. This is done with a material management unit, which exercises continuous automatic control of conditions, ensuring that the material performs in exactly the way it was engineered. Parts produced under these conditions are extremely uniform in physical characteristics and appearance, virtually eliminating scrap and rejects to rework.
Fillers serve many purposes, from decreasing the amount of expensive liquid component in a compound, to providing additional physical properties to the mix. For instance, some fillers are added to increase thermal conductivity of encapsulating materials, or electrical properties, or to reduce density. Other fillers increase density for radiation shielding, or are fibrous to increase strength or durability. Fillers tend to damage pumping systems with sliding seals or check valves. FR’s systems use primarily Progressing Cavity Pumps, which exhibits many times higher wear resistance than other pumping systems.
Thixotropic materials reduce in viscosity when stirred or put under pressure. An example of Thixotropic is ketchup. When static, it is generally thick and reluctant to pour out of the bottle. However, if stirred, it becomes much more fluid and will pour easily. Polymeric engineering fluids exhibit this same characteristic to varying degrees, and systems designed to manage them must be engineered on a case-by-case basis for optimum results.
Encapsulation, also known as potting is the process of enclosing a product, such as an electronic circuit in a reactive material such as epoxy, silicone, or polyurethane, to environmentally protect it from moisture, oxidation and shock. In addition, encapsulation can provide electrical insulation and thermal management, vastly improving an electronic device’s reliability and durability.
MMD is the process of precisely measuring, blending and controlling the movement of reactive materials in such a way that they combine chemically to form a specified chemical structure. Generally used to describe the process of dispensing such polymeric engineering fluids as epoxies, polyurethanes, and other engineering fluids, the end result is uniform mixing and hardening of the dispensed material for some useful purpose. Automated Meter Mix and Dispensing systems provide the qualities you need-consistency, repeatability and accuracy.
For small quantities, a few per day or week of small parts, your method may be just fine. However, as quantities rise, there are too many variables to control consistently to ensure uniform results from part to part and from day to day. Mechanical MMD ensures that the dispensed material will perform at the manufacturer’s specification and to the specifications needed in the final design of the component.
Waste is virtually eliminated, human contact is virtually eliminated, material utilization is close to 100% and environmental standards are easily met. All of these together mean maximum efficiency and minimum cost. Generally as quantities rise, MMD can ensure rising quality and maximum benefit from efficiencies of scale.
We have yet to install a system that did not save the user money. In some cases, the payback was in as little as two months. From labor savings, to elimination of scrap, cleanup, and repair costs, to safety and reduction of waste material, the savings are generally immediate. Often MMD can make the difference between offshore production and production in the US at lower cost, a significant advantage in logistics and control.
The installed base of Fluid Research® MMD equipment speaks volumes about our effectiveness. Extremely high reliability, low cost of ownership, exceptional accuracy, and intuitive ease of operation, all combine to provide exceptional value to the user. Continuously challenged to provide solutions for dispense problems that some manufacturers have been unable to solve for decades, our engineers have provided the highest value in the industry, regardless of price. Although we are sometimes not the first choice, experience has told us that we are generally the final choice.
Fluid Research ensures reliability, accuracy, and dependability in many forms. Whether a stock system, or a specialized custom system, our application engineers work through the specifics of your requirements, ensuring the proper materials and capacities are installed. Upon preparation for delivery, a customer manufacturing engineer is invited to train at our facility, or conversely, at the customer’s facility, when the machine is delivered. At that time the maintenance department of the customer is trained in the proper operation of the machine. Factory support is available by , Skype, or when necessary, a personal visit by one of our Factory Service Technicians. Depending on the nature of the problem, the repairs are handled either as warranty, under our standard terms and conditions, or as a repair or training.
Fluid Research would be glad to demonstrate the reliability and quality of our systems at our factory, or provide references for installations near your factory. Our highly-experienced factory application engineers can provide excellent design assistance for your unique application. Once a system is wetted with a particular material, it is difficult to ensure that it has been complete cleaned for an alternative material. Therefore, we generally do not provide test systems.
The metering/dispensing technology used in most Fluid Research systems employ progressing cavity pumps. These pumps, featuring pulseless, continuous flow, are manufactured by FR in the US to ensure the highest possible quality and reliability. Interior components are specially selected to resist wear, and the specific design of the mating parts work together to provide the highest abrasion resistance of any precision pumping system available. Although it is difficult to predict pump life for every available abrasive material, FR PC pumps have proven their durability in hundreds of demanding abrasive applications worldwide.
The entire line of Fluid Research dispensing systems can dose repeatedly, and all but the simplest of systems in our line can be integrated into an automated production system. Generally manual dose repetition is controlled by a foot pedal or hand dispensing gun trigger, but other control options are available. For automated operations, a start signal is accepted from the motion systems, generally with a verification system to ensure that a part is actually in place. For either one component dispensing, or multiple component dispensing, dose size can vary from less than 0.5cc, to several liters, or continuous flow. In the most advanced robotic systems, dosing dispense rate can be continuously variable, changing under robotic control to accommodate the high demands of robotic manufacturing.
All Fluid Research® systems, can accept inputs from robotic controllers. Depending on the level of error detection and verification required for your application, a more sophisticated control system may be needed. If automation is being considered in your application, please discuss the needs with our application engineers. It is easier to design in the proper automation interfaces initially than after the system has left our factory.
Due to the wide variety of materials available, there is no simple answer to this question. If the change is generally within the same family, and the ratios are reasonably similar, simple re-programming and re-calibration may be all that is necessary. Larger variations of type, such as from epoxy to urethane, or from 50-50 ratio to 100 to 5 ratio, may require new wetted parts or drive components. It is generally recommended to do the former, rather than the latter.
All Fluid Research® MMD systems are designed to accommodate varying shot sizes. Fluid Research® systems come standard with anywhere from 10-250+ programs of a specific shot size and shot rate can be stored in the system’s computer. Simply change programs with a few key strokes, and the system is now dispensing the new shot size and rate.
For more information, please visit Fluid Control Solutions.
In order to ensure the highest quality dispense performance, all Fluid Research® dispense systems are self-contained. All software parameters are tightly controlled, and all quality feedback elements are rigorously tested for performance and reliability. Attaching a PC to a programming port on a Fluid Research® system is not recommended due to the possibility of introducing viruses into the system. However, signature systems, equipped with proper firewall protection, can be installed on a local area ethernet system. In that case, a variety of quality, performance and status data can be monitored on a continuous basis.
The unique design of a progressing cavity pump includes the vital elements of excellent abrasion resistance, continuous low pulse, high precision per pump rotation, inherent pressure maintenance, and high reliability. These qualities are ideally suited to meter mix dispense applications. For some materials, the useful life expectancy can be several years of continuous operation. For highly abrasive materials, the shorter life expectancy greatly exceeds any other known technology by orders of magnitude. Proven in hundreds of exceptionally demanding applications world-wide, no other pump is as reliable or accurate.
RI: Preventing unwanted pump push-through flow has been a topic of discussion recently. Can you explain what that is and how our multi-use and single-use products can help with that?
Ryan: As customers re-evaluate clean room floorspace management, they are relocating buffer storage tanks to a floor level above the clean rooms and installing piping down to the process skid. This increased elevation of the supply tank from the process delivery pump creates head pressure at the pump inlet and can result in uncontrolled push-through flow. The Equilibar® SDO single use back pressure regulator is the industry’s first single use control valve and can prevent push-through flow. Read more about how the SDO can help here.
Megan: Push-through flow has been an accepted occurrence that creates significant buffer waste when those buffers are stored at higher elevations. Flow through a diaphragm pump occurs even when the pump is off due to the head pressure. Our FDO back pressure regulator, when installed downstream of the pump, is perfectly designed to eliminate push-through flow while also allowing operation of the pump at low RPM’s, which leads to reduction of waste and increased efficiency.
RI: Megan, Steriflow Valve recently introduced a sanitary safety relief valve (SSRV) into its portfolio. Please explain how the SSRV is different from what is already available.
Megan: Of course, safety is no less important in a sanitary system than an industrial one, but what often gets overlooked is the need to protect the process from the environment as much as the typical need of protecting the environment from the process. We work with customers who have had to sacrifice batches of product when rupture discs blow. When pressure is exceeded, the disc bursts, as intended, and the pressure is relieved, but the process is exposed. Alternatively, a sanitary safety relief valve can relieve pressure without exposing the process, thereby preserving the batch, and preventing waste. Read more about how to determine if an SSRV is right for your process.
RI: Ryan, you are presenting with colleagues from Endress & Hauser and Arcadis at the Interphex Tech Theater this year. Can you explain more about your topic, Improving WFI Point-of-use with single-use flow control, and give a sneak preview of what attendees can expect to learn?
Ryan: I am looking forward to sharing this presentation with end users. Our discussion will highlight some new technological advancements in the single use space that can improve Water-For-Injection (WFI) dispensing while saving floor space and improving clean room workflow efficiency. If you are at Interphex, please Join us at Tech Theater 1 on Tuesday afternoon at 4pm to learn more. We will also have a live demonstration of this technology at booth for people to stop and see any time during the show.
RI: Biopharmaceutical production facilities continue to expand, and processing techniques are evolving. What are some recent developments in biopharma processing where you have seen our technology offers solutions.
Megan: There are a lot of exciting new medicines coming to the market and many manufacturers have a more critical need to increase their output as demand for their products grows. Interest has grown in our Steriflow Valve solutions for adapting or future-proofing plants to increase output with high turn-down valves that limit the need for upsizing equipment.
Ryan: We are also seeing a lot of innovation in the biopharma market right now in process improvements. Several of our customers are inventing new filtration techniques and process flow paths to support growing interest in continuous manufacturing as well as new modalities like cell & gene therapies. A recent case study we wrote describes how an Equilibar® SDO single-use valve is used in a novel process for single-pass tangential filtration (SP-TFF). In the study, the SDO is automated to maintain precise trans-membrane pressure in a continuous TFF setup.
RI: What are some highlights that this year’s Interphex attendees can expect when they visit your booth?
Megan: This year the Steriflow and Equilibar booth will have more working displays of our products to show how our valves operate in real time and how they respond in different process scenarios. It will be a fantastic opportunity for visitors to speak with our technical experts, watch our demonstrations and look for new ways to improve their process.
Ryan: I think our newest working demo will be very instructive for guests to come and witness. We’ve created a condensed version of a WFI distribution loop to demonstrate key performance advantages our single and multi-use product lines offer. For customers who don’t often dive deep into the fluid mechanics of valve design, it’s a great functional tool that simply presents complex control challenges. It will help scientists and engineers envision how these performance features can translate to system benefits.
RI: Are there any new products, solutions, or services that you have been hearing about in the industry that you are eager to learn more about while at Interphex this year?
Megan: There have been a lot of developments with oligonucleotide production due to the increase in demand. I am looking forward to learning more about new challenges manufacturers are facing and how our products may be helpful in these applications.
Ryan: I am excited to connect with customers to learn what process development is going on at their facility. Customers are constantly coming up with creative solutions to re-imagine bioprocessing. I like to learn how their process solutions synergize with the innovations we are designing in the pharmaceutical fluid control space to create the next generation of bioprocessing equipment.
RI: Three years ago Richards Industrials added Equilibar to our family of fluid technology brands. What have changes have you seen during this time in terms of access to biopharma fluid control options for Steriflow Valve and Equilibar customers?
Megan: The best part of the integration has been improving our capacity to offer customers a wider range of solutions to fit their needs for every application. The Equilibar FDO valve technology brings new capabilities to the Steriflow multi-use portfolio, making it easier to solve even more challenges that our customers are facing. The experienced Steriflow distributors have been able to share the unique FDO technology with many more customers through their network.
Come visit Steriflow Valve and Equilibar at Booth at INTERPHEX – April 16-18. In addition to Megan and Ryan, other experienced engineers will be at the booth to discuss precision fluid control for pharmaceutical systems and show visitors hands-on demonstrations and sample products.
For more Electro Pneumatic Valveinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.