NL Technologies, Ltd. Debuts Pharmenta™ Equipment Line With Two Valves That Bring New Flexibility to Pharmaceutical Sampling, Feeding and Inoculation.

 New York, NY, April 15, 2002: Today NL Technologies, Ltd introduces the first two products in the Pharmenta™ line of equipment for the pharmaceutical industry.  The Pharmenta AptiPort™ sampling valve installs in seconds in practically any port, including inclined sensor ports.  The valve design offers a space-saving combination of orifice and drain passage arrangements that permits positive drainage of sample material, so that fluid drains down and out of the valve, whether it is installed in a downward, horizontal or even upward oriented porthole.  The Pharmenta SIPTube™ valve enables inoculating, feeding and sampling deep within the heart of a process, while it permits repeated cleaning and sterilizing in place without pause in processing activities. 

 “These valves address real problems users face,” said Douglas Newberg, President of NL Technologies, Ltd.  “We saw clients who were frustrated with welded-in sampling valve designs that became discontinued, for which they were unable to get spare parts.  They also wanted flexibility in sampling site selection.  There are some removable sampling valve designs, but they can’t be used in the majority of ports – for example sensor ports that are angled up and make up the largest number of ports on the average tank.  We came up with a way for the AptiPort sampling valve to drain even in these upward sloped ports. 

 “The SIPTube valve was developed in response to client problems with dip tube and feed-line dead space. These devices are intended to reach through the tank wall and sometimes into the process.  The issue with such equipment today is that, if re-cleaning and re-sterilization is possible at all, it is limited to the space up to the boundary of the tank wall.  If used more than once during a run, or if the runs are long in duration, stagnation and grow-back are real threats.  With both AptiPort and SIPTube valves, we provide an internal loop that allows flow through of cleaning and sterilizing and agents while the valves are in service.  While the AptiPort sampling valve is designed to sample at the margins of the process, the SIPTube valve is designed to reach deep into the process to deliver or capture material.”

 Both the Pharmenta AptiPort™ sampling valve and the Pharmenta SIPTube™ valve offer unique features like optional body insulation, which protects the process from heat transfer during steam sterilization. Both can be configured with a choice of actuators, diaphragm materials and connections.  They are constructed of 316L Stainless Steel, and designed for easy installation and maintenance.  They are suitable for pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage and fine chemical applications.

 The Pharmenta AptiPort™ sampling valve and the Pharmenta SIPTube™ valve are available immediately from NL Technologies, Ltd. (Phone: 888-765-7838 or 609-750-1251.)  Additional information on the products and the company can be found at www.pharmenta.com.

 Pharmenta's mission is to improve the safety, quality, efficiency and consistency of pharmaceutical products and processes through innovative equipment design. Pharmenta is a product division of N. L. Technologies, Ltd.  Since 1989, N. L. Technologies has provided regulatory and facility design expertise to pharmaceutical, food and beverage manufacturers around the world. 

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