Epoxy resins are well known for their difficulty in pumping. This can be down to several factors ranging from their high viscosity, and sensitivity to shear wot the speed at which they can set when mixed leading to pump clogging or seal failures.
North Ridge were contacted by a company planning to fill small moulds to manufacture test pieces before going into production, using a process known as resin transfer moulding or RTM.
What is resin transfer moulding?
This is a highly effective low-pressure moulding process used to produce fibre plastic composite parts with high levels of strength and durability. The method involves injecting a mixture of resin and catalyst into a closed mould containing dry, semi-finished fibre parts in a preform or fibre pack.
They were looking to fill moulds at a low, predictable flow rate at a controlled pressure which was kept within a tight tolerance and ensure that any fibres pumped within the resin were not pumped at high pressures leading to distortion within the mould leading to premature failure of the test piece.
We selected and specified our DS-M/Lab pump – a small low flow peristaltic metering pump. It’s the ideal option for a low flow, small scale application like this and many other laboratory and pharmaceutical uses including:
- Processing
Precise drug flow control, chemical engineering and injection, corrosive liquid transfer, laboratory reagent and buffer distribution, and sampling
- Microbiology laboratories
Distribution of culture media, buffers, diluents and a variety of sterile solutions
- Medical and biotech
Infusion, dialysis, extracorporeal circulation and high-purity liquid analysis
Featuring a quick hose replacement pump head, it has been specially designed for applications where easy and quick hose replacement is vital, without operators needing any tools or training.
To replace the hose simply:
- Close the valve of the feeding chemical
- Push the grey hose holding clips apart and release the pump head
- Pull out the hose and replace
- Press the clips together on the pump head
It’s also self-priming, works on a single-phase power supply and can run dry without damage.
The DS-M/Lab pharmaceutical peristaltic pump enables users to ensure full traceability and guaranteed results, as one tube is used per chemical, mixture, flavour or dye. As there are no seals present in the pump head, there is zero chance of leakage and should the tubing require replacing, it can be in minutes.
In addition, the client requested that the pump could be reversed if necessary. So this pump has a built-in inverter which allows operators to speed up, slow down or reverse the unit if required.
If you have an application requiring the transfer, circulation or injection of fluids and are looking for an easy-to-maintain solution, speak to North Ridge Pumps to see how we can help.
