Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industry

Magnatech’s hygienic welds for the pharmaceutical industry

Orbital tube welding has proven to be a most effective method when it comes to generating crevice-free welds that are essential for controlling growth of microorganisms in hygienic process and fluid delivery systems. The ASME Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) Standard states that welding on tubing shall be performed using automatic (machine) welding techniques, such as orbital tube welding.

High purity industries include pharmaceutical and biotechnology and they have a particular need for both cleanliness and cleanability in their piping systems. This is especially important for CIP (Clean in Place) systems.

Magnatech orbital tube welding systems are used for fusion welding by fabricators of the many high-purity process piping subsystems of pharmaceutical or vaccine production facilities, such as sterile "Water For Injection" (WFI) systems.

Magnatech orbital welding systems are used on high purity process piping due to their repeatability. Because of the impracticality of radiographic and ultrasonic inspection on small diameter tubing, other quality control methods must be employed such as weld coupon examination. The Tubemaster provides weld monitoring/QC data for every weld.

  • Digital control of the orbital tube welding process ensures perfect, repeatable welds required by ASME BPE welding standards.
  • Magnatech orbital welders incorporate weld monitoring and QC reporting for each weld made.
  • Autoprogramming automatically generates weld parameters, simplifying operator training.

Magnatech serves the pharmaceutical and bioprocess industries with a range of models and capabilities. We provide operator training, timely service and technical assistance to our customers worldwide.

Applications

Vaccine Plant Construction


Equipment Used

800 SERIES WELD HEAD

TUBEMASTER 514 POWER SUPPLY

 

Challenge

Aventis Pasteur needed a production facility to product a new meningitis vaccine. The facility was constructed in modular form by a Swedish company, Pharmadule. A typical biopharmaceutical facility requires 15,000 to 40,000 orbital GTAW tube welds. In addition, the 52 modules had to be shipped from Sweden to Swiftwater, PA for final assembly requiring interconnection of all process lines. Tube welding quality control inspection records are an important part of the overall documentation required for validation of the completed facility before operating approval is granted by regulatory agencies. Pharmadule contracted out all tube welding work to qualified specialists.

Solution

Bravida Rörsystem AB had long used orbital welding systems to guarantee hygienic welds. But their original equipment offered nothing in the way of QC documentation. They purchased 8 Tubemaster systems, which incorporate a QC program which logs any deviation beyond the preset weld parameters. With this advanced capability, they were awarded welding projects during module fabrication, and also a contract to perform all interconnection welding in the U.S.