The platinum-cured silicone tubing, which has been launched by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, has applications in a range of biopharmaceutical processes, including sterile fill and transfers, production filtration and cell harvest.
Saint-Gobain believes that “quite simply, it’s a better product” and has published in-house tests against unnamed competitors to support its statement.
The first of these tests compared Sani-Tech Ultra’s lifespan to several of its competitors. Saint-Gobain claims that this found that its product has a pump life of more than 35 hours, which puts it 20 per cent ahead of its nearest competitor.
In its second test Saint-Gobain investigated the comparative extractables concentrations of Sani-Tech Ultra and one of its competitors. This measured total organic carbon concentrations (TOC) after autoclaving and found that levels were significantly lower in Sani-Tech Ultra.
Saint-Gobain believes that the design of its tubing virtually eliminates the potential for contamination by extractables during use.
Furthermore, the product is manufactured and packaged in certified cleanrooms to ensure that it is suitable for use in the processing and manufacture of biologics.
Other features of the tubing include excellent flexibility, laser etching for traceability and non-yellowing properties. The product can be autoclaved, sterilised and can tolerate temperatures ranging from -80ºF to 500ºF.
Sani-Tech Ultra is available in 50 and 65 durometers and 91 different ID/OD combinations. In addition the product can be customised to suit the user’s particular needs.