Market launch at ACHEMA 2018. Under the slogan “Making science work”, for the first time GEA presented the new generation of separators for pharmaceutical applications with the innovative GEA flexChange concept. The bowls of this separator can be quickly and easily interchanged with the standard-model integrated direct drive, without expensive structural alterations.
The new GEA flexChange concept provides a total of three bowl types. These can also be steam sterilized and can be delivered as a skid. Furthermore, they are specially designed for the production of, for example, insulin, proteins, animal cells and vaccines. This concept includes two self-cleaning bowls as well as a nozzle bowl type, which was fitted for the first time with the ground-breaking GEA flexicon nozzle technology. Additional advantages of this new generation of separators for use in the pharmaceutical sector also include an Integrated Directdrive (IDD) as standard for all three bowl types, which will cover nearly all current volumes and meet the highest pharmaceutical hygiene standards as per ASME BPE 2014. Virtually all pharmaceutical applications are covered.
The GEA flexChange concept of the new line of separators provides for high flexibility, which improves the competitiveness of Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMO) and of pilot plant operators. The client can choose the appropriate bowl variant for the particular production line. If the market requirements change, additional bowls can be used in the same machine without complex time-consuming and cost-intensive modifications.
GEA flexicon-nozzle for infinitely variable product adaptation without reconstruction
The new nozzle type separator scores with a newly-designed nozzle, which can be infinitely adjusted from the outside without reconstruction by changing the inlet and outlet pressure during production. Users may, for example in the application of starter cultures, use just one machine to apply centrifugal force to around 150 different products.
Space and cost saving: the Integrated Directdrive
An additional advantage of the new generation of separators: the standard-construction Integrated Directdrive, which operates without motor shaft, gearbox, belt, coupling or motor bearings. This considerably reduces the footprint of the machine, the noise emissions and the power and maintenance costs. The Integrated Directdrive does not allow for particle emissions into the clean room
and increases the availability of equipment.
Highest international pharmaceutical hygiene standards (ASME BPE 2014)
In the pharmaceutical industry, aseptic process control combined with optimum equipment cleanability form the basis for the safe economic development and manufacturing of the product. In this, the new GEA separators in their execution as self-cleaning and nozzel separators offer the user a high operational standard of security, which complies with the highest international pharmaceutical hygiene standard ASME BPE 2014. All parts product contacting parts have been polished without compound. Moreover, the steam-sterilized separator design can be sterilized with pure steam under pressure with a temperature of more than 121 °C.
