Biotech & Life Science

GW Kent supplies biotech and life science operations from the same sanitary stainless range our dairy and brewing customers rely on. In this section you will find tri clamp and butt weld fittings, gaskets, hose and tubing, hose barbs, eccentric and concentric reducers, flow meters, pipe spools and stainless containers, selected for lines that are cleaned in place rather than dismantled. Bioprocess work asks more of every wetted surface than almost any other industry we supply.

Why surface finish and drainability matter

In a process that is cleaned in place rather than dismantled, the geometry of a fitting is a hygiene control. A joint that holds a few millilitres of product after a cycle is a joint that can seed the next batch. That is why sanitary designs use tri clamp connections rather than threads, radiused internal transitions rather than square shoulders, and continuous slopes to a drain point.

The same logic drives material choice. 316L stainless is the usual specification for product contact because of its corrosion resistance and because it takes and holds a smooth internal finish. A smoother bore is not cosmetic. It gives residue less to cling to and makes a cleaning cycle more likely to do what it is meant to do.

What to check before you order

• Connection type and size, so new parts match the existing line
• Gasket material suited to your cleaning chemistry and steam temperature, not just for the product
• Whether the part can be fully drained in its installed orientation
• Whether the fitting matches the connection standard already on your line

Working at pilot and production scale

A great deal of bioprocess work happens at pilot scale before it happens at volume. Wherever possible it is worth specifying pilot equipment in the same connection standards you intend to use in production. It costs slightly more at the bench and saves redeveloping a process on hardware that has no production equivalent.

If you are matching parts to an existing line, send us the connection size and style and we will help you find the equivalent. Our team works with this equipment every day and would rather help you specify it correctly the first time. Call us or send through your requirements and we will help you match the right components to your process.