We’ve written about pharmaceuticals before in our blog posts, and we’re doing it again because industries involved with processing medications rely on high-purity materials to transport the ingredients that go into medicines people and animals rely on. Here are several points we want to emphasize.

Suitable For A Range Of Related Industries

Silicone hoses can be manufactured to high-purity specifications, making them ideal for a number of industries that are somewhat related. These include biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals in general, and chemical industries. As a side note, high-purity silicone hoses, which can be customized to meet strict requirements, are also excellent choices for food and beverage industries, and for cosmetics.

There are several reasons that high-purity silicone tubing meets the needs of these industries. They include:

• Sanitary silicone hoses can be sterilized in place using steam or other methods.
• Medical-grade silicone tubing is made from materials that have been tested to meet industry and application requirements.
• Silicone hoses are available that meet FDA requirements as well as pharmaceuticals standards.
• They are strong, yet lightweight and flexible.
• Silicone heat hoses can tolerate high temperatures.
• Custom silicone hose solutions can be developed to meet specific needs.

Let’s expand on these concepts further.

Sterilization For Sanitation

Silicone hoses, whether customized or otherwise, need to be sterilized when they’re used in sensitive biopharmaceutical industries. High-performance silicone hoses are suitable for pharmaceutical fluid processing because they can be purchased pre-sterilized, and they hold up well under ongoing sterilization efforts.

Sterilization can be accomplished in one of many different ways, sometimes using a combination of methods. Heat, pressure, gas treatment, or gamma irradiation are some of the commonly used ways to sterilize tubing. Silicone hoses, including customized varieties, can perform well under repeated sterilization efforts through many methods commonly employed in pharmaceuticals processing.

Meets Industry Requirements

It’s important to note here that “one size does not fit all,” and silicone hoses are designed and manufactured to meet a wide range of size and standards requirements. You can’t buy just any silicone hose product off the shelf and expect it to perform well in pharmaceutical processing applications.

Having said that, it’s important to note that specific silicone hoses DO exist that meet the more stringent industry standards set forth by the pharmaceutical industry to maintain high levels of quality throughout the process and in the end products. If you are not sure which specific silicone parts are suitable for processing pharmaceuticals, be sure to ask the hose manufacturer.

Strong, Lightweight, and Flexible

When processing fluids used in biopharmaceutical applications, you need a system that will hold up under pressure. The tubing, whether off-the-shelf or customized, needs to be strong enough to endure high temperatures and elevated pressures. Using hoses that are lightweight helps in the construction and maintenance of these systems. Flexibility is important, especially when space conservation is a key consideration. Flexible silicone tubing can be bent into U’s or other shapes for efficient, compact fluid transport systems.

Can Withstand High (And Low) Temperatures

Temperature extremes are present in some pharmaceuticals processing applications. Depending on what’s being made, high temperatures are present, or low temperatures are needed. Silicone tubing can be manufactured and customized to meet specific temperature requirements.

Custom Silicone Tubing Solutions

As with many industries, including automotive, refrigeration, and water purification, customized solutions are often needed in pharmaceuticals. The good news is that silicone hose solutions can be custom-made to meet a unique set of specifications. If your biopharmaceutical or cosmetics processing applications require custom silicone tubing configurations, reach out to the manufacturer and distributor to learn what can be made for you.

Hybrid Possibilities

Another great thing about customized medical silicone tubing is that hybrid solutions are possible. You can combine a variety of materials into a processing system, where silicone is one of the key materials used, but not the only one. You can also build your system using both off-the-shelf and custom parts, using different parts for different sections of your fluid transfer and processing configuration.

Testing Gives You The Information You Need

How do you know if the custom silicone hoses you’re thinking about using will meet your requirements? A big part of quality control is testing; make sure you purchase your silicone tubing parts, or have them built, by a company that does extensive, ongoing testing on their products. Don’t be afraid to ask to see the results, and to have them explained to you thoroughly. You have to make sure that what you’re purchasing is reliable and truly does meet your industry’s requirements. Testing gives you the data you need to make an informed decision.

Seals Are Important

When you have a custom, hybrid system, you’ll need to create tight, impenetrable seals to keep the contents that are flowing through pure. With custom medical silicone tubing, strong seals are possible. The tubing’s flexibility allows it to be effectively sealed off from the outside world through a range of design possibilities. If you’re not sure what types of materials you can mix and match with silicone hoses in pharmaceutical applications, ask your supplier’s technical team.

Flex Technologies Can Help With Your Custom Solution

At Flex Technologies, we have plenty of experience working with clients in a vast array of industries and helping them come up with custom silicone hose solutions that meet their specifications and exceed their expectations. We can help you with your biopharmaceuticals processing needs.

Start by giving us a call or sending us your specifications. We’ll evaluate your requirements and determine if silicone hose solutions are right for you. Then, we’ll work closely with you to design a fluid transportation system that meets all your needs and conforms with industry requirements. Our capable technical team has the know-how to bring solutions to life. We do all this in a cost-effective manner, supplying quality parts that last and that are economical.

Ready to get started? For your custom pharmaceutical solutions, get in touch with Flex Technologies today. Our clients find our technical expertise to be a huge plus when ordering parts from us. Get in touch with our staff and we’ll get started working on custom silicone tubing solutions for you right away!