I like to think of pumps as the heart of any sanitary processing system. After all, the human heart is a vital organ that essentially works as a pump for the body. But over the years, Holland Applied Technologies has noticed a recurring issue: many of our customers with pumping applications will not replace their pump components when necessary. Instead of following recommended maintenance cycles, they often wait until something breaks or fails and now a common spare part that is needed yesterday!
It is important to always have a replacement pump part readily available for your
Is your pump leaking? It may be time to replace seals & elastomers
maintenance personnel. Having replacement pump parts avoids putting major stress on maintenance personnel trying to solve the problem. It also avoids production halts which is a waste of both time and money. Pumping systems can account for a large portion of a plant’s energy usage, so the added downtime and expenditures can be significant. We all know the phrase “time is money”. Simply keeping a spare seal kit around can save major bucks.
One of the first steps we recommend when installing a new pump into a system is getting to know the recommended maintenance cycles for your specific pumps and pump parts. These maintenance cycles are most likely found in your pump’s operation and maintenance manuals.
Let us take a look at the WCB Universal 3 Series PD Pump instruction manual as an example. Waukesha recommends changing the grease and oil for the gears and bearings every 750 hours as well as a fully detailed maintenance inspection to be performed at least annually. These preventative maintenance inspections include inspection of the rotors, gears and bearings. The WCB Universal 3 Instruction Manual also contains a Maintenance Inspection Chart which details maintenance intervals for various parts of the WCB PD pump. You can quickly find a copy of this manual along with many of our other product manuals and resources within our Engineering Toolbox .
We get calls and emails regularly requesting pump parts for many of our sanitary pumps .While some customers know exactly what parts they need, others do not. If you fall into the latter category, we recommend having your pump serial number ready. The serial numbers can tell us all the information we need to get you spare parts. Can’t find a serial number? A model number, pictures, or knowing whether you bought your pump from us will certainly help our sales engineers get you the correct parts.
Today’s blog is about stressing the importance of keeping a stock of spare parts. Having a stock of spare parts is paramount to proactive maintenance. If you are wondering how often you should replace your pump components, contact a Holland Sales Engineer today to address any pump maintenance questions you may have.
Passivation and electropolishing are two widely used finishing operations within our industry. Not knowing their differences often leads to confusion between specification callouts and a true understanding of each process. In this blog we will briefly explain some of the differences between the two.
Holland Applied Technologies offers a broad range of sanitary fabrication capabilities, including electropolishing and passivation services.
Passivation is a chemical process designed to increase the corrosion resistance of stainless steel parts. It is a non-electrolytic process typically using nitric or citric acid which removes free iron from the surface and forms an inert, protective oxide layer that in turn renders the stainless steel more rust-resistant due to the lack of iron to react with the atmosphere. During a machining processes, stainless steel parts may have imperfections from iron embedded onto the surface from the machining tool ends. These free irons on the surface should be removed to prevent a corrosive reaction between the different metals.
Parts are placed in a basket and submerged in the nitric or citric acid bath. Depending on the stainless steel alloy, the acid concentration, temperature, and time are set to effectively remove free iron and other foreign materials on the part’s surface. Passivation ultimately leaves the part clean and more corrosion resistant due to the passive oxide “film” layer but does not change the aesthetics of the part.
Passivation processes in the pharmaceutical industry are generally regulated by the ASTM, specifically ASTM guideline ASTM A967. The most common type of passivation used throughout the biotech industry is citric acid passivation because it is a low hazard cleaning agent and is biodegradable.
Electropolishing is an electrochemical process that provides a variety of benefits, including deburring, micro finish improvement, and improved corrosion resistance by eliminating embedded contaminants and surface imperfections. Through the electropolishing process, surface material is removed by anodic dissolution using electrical current passing through electrolytic solution.
In the electropolishing process, a part is submerged in a chemical bath treated with electricity, making it shed a uniform layer of surface material. This strips away contaminants and burrs while smoothing out imperfections like microscopic cracks and jagged edges. The part is left visibly bright and shiny, and it retains these characteristics even in highly corrosive environments.
Electropolishing is used in the pharmaceutical industry to improve surface uniformity, cleanability, and prevents attack from aggressive chemicals by rendering parts passive. While small surface finish improvements are achieved, electropolishing is meant to complement, not replace, mechanical polishing. At Holland, we work with subcontractors for our electropolishing that polish in accordance with ASTM B912 and ASME BPE specifications.
So what is the difference between electropolishing and passivation? Both are methods for increasing corrosion resistance, but their similarities end there. Passivation does not change the surface appearance nor does it offer a microfinish improvement. Additionally, passivation is not an effective method for removing surfaces that have been welded with oxide heat effect scale or heat treated.
Oftentimes both electropolishing and passivation are called out together on specifications. The proper process then is to electropolish to utilize the surface removal and polishing advantages of electropolishing and then follow it up with passivation to remove any possible free irons on the surface which were exposed during electropolishing.
Holland Applied Technologies has offered electropolishing and passivation services for quite some time. For any questions or guidance with your sanitary surface finish application, please contact a Holland Sales Engineer.
Hand Sanitizer Manufacturing w/ Graco Saniforce 2.0 AODD
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the global demand for hand sanitizer and surface disinfectants. Have you considered converting or increasing your product offering to include such products? Graco’s line of SaniForce 2.0 air and electric double diaphragm pumps are powerful solutions to assist with converting your current processes to sanitizers and disinfectants.
Last year, Graco Inc., a leading manufacturer of fluid handling equipment, launched the SaniForce® 2.0 line of new and redesigned sanitary equipment. The SaniForce 2.0 line includes container unloading equipment for evacuation of medium to high-viscosity materials, and food-grade, high-sanitation, large particle, 3A-certified and pharmaceutical-grade diaphragm pumps in both air and electric models. Systems are configurable to fit each customer’s unique needs. All SaniForce 2.0 equipment is FDA compliant with quick knockdown designs for easy cleaning and sanitizing.
Graco’s Food Grade (FG) pumps offer a 125 Ra fluid section surface finish and is designed for rigorous, continuous use with a quick knockdown design for easy cleanability. The High Sanitation (HS) pumps offers a 32 Ra electropolished finished and increases durability and reduces repair time with fewer moving parts. The HS pumps are ideal for personal care, cosmetics, and high care food ingredients. The Large Particle (LP) pumps are built to handle solids up to 3.8 inches in diameter making it ideal for meat & poultry, fruit filling materials and ice cream variegates. The 3-A approved pumps offer a 32 Ra electropolished finish with a single piece manifold equipped and leak sensors installed with optional control box. Lastly, the Pharmaceutical (PH) pumps is USP Class IV approved with 20 Ra electropolished finish and a single piece manifold.
Graco pumps increase your profitability with reduced operating costs. High energy efficiency air and electric motors reduce energy costs. High quality component parts last longer reducing required maintenance. Factory-tested and field-proven Graco’s professional transfer equipment is designed, manufactured, and assembled in the USA with global components.
As it pertains to current events, the Saniforce line of AODD pumps is perfect for handling a range of personal care and hand sanitizing products that we anticipate will see elevated demand for the foreseeable future. Graco’s FG series of pumps offer exceptional value per volumetric unit pumped and with a simple siphon kit can evacuate viscous hand sanitizing gels for less than $3,500. The Graco FG series offers superior performance to drum length electric pumps and extreme cost competitiveness to other unloading solutions. Additionally, because most Graco pumps are air operated, there are far fewer hazardous location considerations (no XP motors required).
Clearly, Graco’s SaniForce diaphragm pumps are designed to cover the most rigorous food, beverage, personal care, and pharmaceutical transfer applications. Feel free to reach out to a Holland Sales Engineer todayfor help with your application.
For this week’s Holland Happy Hour, we’ll be covering ITT’s new EnviZion, BioviZion, ISP, and PfuZion valve and switch offerings. Since the launch of the EnviZion valves, the first hygienic diaphragm valve to feature tool-less diaphragm change out, ITT has been at the vanguard of product innovation in the engineered valve industry.
So register here, grab your favorite cold beverage, and join Andy Soukup and Randy Smith of ITT this Friday at 3 PM CST to learn more about the newest additions the ITT’s product line- the BioviZion, ISP Switch pack, and PfuZion- and see for yourself how our clients are using these products to reduce downtime, increase reliability and safety, and delivery industry leading ROI.
Holland Happy Hour- Thermaline CCT Testing System
For this week’s Holland Happy Hour,
we’ll be covering Thermaline’s new CCT Testing System. Thermaline has developed an easy to use, comprehensive heat exchanger test system (The CCT) that is operated by your plant personnel and is a must have for every dairy, food and beverage processor worldwide!
• Compliant with new limited visitation protocols
• Saves Thousands of dollars
• Test on your schedule
So register here, grab your favorite beverage and join Leon Sanders of Thermaline along with Andy Soukup of Holland Applied Technologies this Friday at 3 PM CST for a look at how the Thermaline CCT Test system works and a Q&A session answering all your heat exchanger maintenance and testing questions.
As the sole Quattroflow distributor for the greater Midwest, Holland Applied Technologies is pleased to announce the launch of the newest addition to the single- and multiple-use Quattroflow Quaternary Diaphragm Pumps product line—the Quattroflow QF2500.
With a maximum flow rate of 2,500 lph (660 gph), the QF2500 is ideally suited to meet the needs within demanding biopharma applications. Typical applications for the QF2500 include chromatography, TFF, virus filtration, sterile filtration, and depth filtration. In terms of flow range, the QF2500 fits nicely between the existing QF1200 (max. 1,200 lph) and the QF4400 (max. 5,000 lph) pump sizes.
The QF2500 offers design enhancements for both the multiple-use and single-use pump chambers that provide excellent drainability to maximize product recovery. The QF2500 pump also features a self-draining design, 125:1 turndown ratio, high flow stability even at low flow rates, linear performance, and clean-in-place (CIP) capability. In order to improve the drainability and venting of the pump chamber, the new patent-pending design of the valve plate features two outlet valves per chamber. These valves are located at the highest and lowest position of each chamber and thus allow both full drainability and significantly improves the venting capability.
The QF2500 single-use heads are available in a polypropylene pump chamber which is ideal for high temperature and steam-in-place (SIP) applications. Like many of the other QF single use pump chambers, the QF2500 single use pump chambers are available with gamma irradiation. All soft parts for both the single- and multiple-use heads are fully characterized, made of USP Class VI materials with extractable and leachable reports available.
The standard QF2500 pump is offered with a 3 phase, 230/400V motor with forced cooling-fan. The pump head is connected to the motor via motor flange which significantly simplifies the coupling alignment and also helps to reduce noise and vibration created by the coupling. Customized versions of the QF2500 pump head coupled with different motors, such as a servo motor, is also available.
Quattroflow, part of PSG®, a Dover company is a leading brand of quaternary (four-piston) diaphragm pumps that primarily serve industries such as pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical that require gentle displacement, reliability, product safety, purity and cleanability. The Quattroflow pump is a gentle and low pulsation pump and is available in both stainless steel (multiple-use) and single-use pump chambers. The Quattroflow series of pumps covers a wide range of flow rates from 1 lph to 16,000 lph. Holland Applied Technologies has years of experience working with the Quattroflow pumps. For any inquiries or technical assistance with your next biopharmaceutical application, feel free to reach out to a Holland Sales Engineer today.
This Friday, Holland will be hosting it’s fourth Happy Hour Webinar, Live on Zoom. Andy Soukup of Holland Applied and VNE Special Alloys Product Manger & ASME BPE Chair Ken Kimbrel will provide an overview VNE Corporation’s MaxCore 6Mo line of super alloy fittings and how our customers are using it to combat corrosion where stainless steel has failed. Ken and Andy will provide an overview of what corrosion is, material chemistry, how chlorides attack metals, material selection, and fabrication considerations. So register here, grab your favorite beverage, and join us at 3 PM CST this Friday!
This Friday, Holland will be hosting it’s third Happy Hour Webinar, Live on Zoom. Andy Soukup of Holland Applied and SPXFLOW Global Product Manager Chris Sinutko will provide an overview SPXFLOW’s next generation series of double seat mix proof valve- the D4 series. So grab your favorite beverage and join us Friday afternoon as we provide and overview of how our customers are using the D4 series to increase production flexibility and productivity, while achieving rapid ROI and improved quality! We’ll discuss specific field applications, process challenges, and solutions. So register here, grab your favorite beverage, and join us at 2 PM CST this Friday!
Holland Happy Hour- Beer Pumps
This Friday, Holland will be hosting it’s second Happy Hour Webinar, Live on Zoom & Facebook Live. Andy Soukup & James Moriarty of Urban Renewal Brewery in Chicago, IL will provide a brief history of sanitary pumps, market overview, operating principles, and their application within breweries. We’ll close with some commonly asked questions about craft beer and maybe even some blind taste tests.. We’ll discuss specific field applications, process challenges, and solutions. So register here, grab your favorite craft beer, and join us at 3 PM CST this Friday!
James Moriarty…. hard at work!
Holland Happy Hour- Quattroflow Pump Webinar
This Friday, Holland will be hosting it’s first Happy Hour Webinar, Live on Zoom. Andy Soukup & Derrick Alig of Quattroflow Pumps will be providing an overview of Positive Displacement pump technologies in pharmaceutical process applications, the Quattroflow product line and the underlying technologies that make each of these products work. We’ll discuss specific field applications, process challenges, and solutions. So register here, grab your favorite drink, and join us at 3 PM CST for the latest and greatest Quattroflow products.
The Quattroflow Product Family