GT BUILDS ONE-OF-A-KIND STEAM SKID FOR PHARMACEUTICAL TESTING

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GT BUILDS ONE-OF-A-KIND STEAM SKID FOR PHARMACEUTICAL TESTING
27 January 2004 - Greene Tweed & Co Benelux BV

The pharmaceutical industry can't ignore quality, compliance and safety. Qualified testing is imperative for all products and materials used in pharmaceutical processes.

To help customers test the lifecycle of sealing components in fluid handling applications, Greene Tweed has designed and built a one-of-a-kind steam skid system at its Kulpsville Mechanical Laboratory. This unique testing system evaluates sanitary gaskets, diaphragms and seals for use in the pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical and other hygienic fluid handling industries.

The unique steam skid system features a dedicated steam generator, actuated ball and diaphragm valves, pressure and temperature transducers, and a manifold pipe section for testing up to 28 gaskets at temperatures as high as 325ºF (163ºC). By measuring the retained torque on clamps in the manifold section, Greene, Tweed can determine the amount of force the gasket is imparting against the ferrule face. A PLC controller and recorder monitor and document the tested processes, such as a constant steam soak to simulate a clean steam system or alternating steam and RT water to simulate a steam-in-place process.

The steam skid's flexibility lets Greene, Tweed cycle any desired profile, simulating the customers' in-use processes. Consistent repetition of operational cycles allows seals and gaskets to be tested over several months to establish their service profiles, giving pharmaceutical engineers the needed data to set up accurate maintenance schedules. In addition to testing seals and gaskets, the skid system evaluates alternative diaphragm materials. Repeated cycling of diaphragm materials determines their dynamic performance and service life.

With more than a century of engineering expertise, Greene, Tweed takes compliance and service life seriously. Jonathan Pledger, general manager of Fluid Handling at Greene, Tweed, says, 'Our position is quite simple: providing documented compliance, backed up with solid performance data, is the only way to offer solutions to challenging pharmaceutical sealing and diaphragm applications.'

Greene, Tweed is a leading global manufacturer of high-performance seals and engineered components. The company specializes in developing customized solutions for applications in aerospace, medical and biotechnology, fluid handling, industrial, oilfield and semiconductor industries. Greene, Tweed combines over a century of technical expertise and commercial knowledge to provide customers with engineered solutions for their applications. Greene, Tweed products are sold and distributed worldwide.

http://www.gtweed.com

About: Greene Tweed & Co Benelux BV
Greene, Tweed specialises in the development, manufacture and supply of rings, seals and profiles for industrial applications in which extremely high specifications are set for the material; brand names include Chemraz, WR and AR.

An early product in the portfolio, the G-T Ring, was introduced and approved for use in the landing gear of the F-4 Phantom in 1964. The G-T Ring remains a core product in Aerospace landing gear today.

As the business developed, strategy warranted the establishment of corporate headquarters in Kulpsville, Pa., USA. in the 1970s. With this foothold, the company expanded around the globe. In the early 1980s it introduced several versatile elastomers, such as Fluoraz, and designed pioneering product geometries, such as the first "capped seal." Arlon, a tough, high-temperature, semi-crystalline engineering polymer, also joined the product line, followed shortly by one of Greene, Tweed's most innovative products, Chemraz, a chemical-resistant elastomer, effective in the most extreme temperatures.

Recognizing the race toward a global economy, Greene, Tweed began geographic expansion by opening offices in Germany, England and France. By the mid 1980s, Greene, Tweed had established a presence in the Pacific with a Japanese office. The Asian market has maintained its pattern of growth with additional offices today in Singapore and Korea.

The turn of the century ushered in a new product, Orthtek, a lightweight, thermoplastic composite with high-strength and radiolucent properties, that satisfies the demands of the Medical and Biotechnology industry. Worldwide expansion has continued with new offices in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. A tradition of creative and innovative ideas has also grown with the development of new products, from new composite technologies and vision systems to fibre optic connectors and extreme electrical connectors.

Greene Tweed’s WR and AR product ranges are distributed by Flowserve all over Europe. In Belgium the Greene Tweed & Co products are also distributed by Humitab BVBA in St.Job in ‘t Goor.

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