Italvacuum has manufactured vacuum dryers and industrial vacuum pumps used for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries since its establishment in 1939. Thanks to the know-how developed during more than 70 years of experience, the company today supplies turnkey systems and bespoke equipment, built to suit the customer’s needs.
CRIOX System, rotary vacuum dryer / powderer
At the top of the Italvacuum range is the CRIOX System, an internationally successful patent, that consists of a rotary vacuum dryer capable of totally extracting every kind of solvent from the wet powders coming from filtering or centrifuge: whether they are intermediates, fine chemicals, thermo-sensitive or degradable products, photosensitive or sterile, active pharmaceutical ingredients or chemically reactive.
The central body of the CRIOX System is made of a double cone chamber, characterised by smooth surfaces without sharp corners. During the system rotation, this structure helps the total and continuous revolution of the mass to be dried and allows a homogenous and delicate mixing.
The double cone shape of the rotary chamber would not be effective in itself if it did not contain inside two electric lump-breaker units, which are the peculiar characteristic setting the CRIOX System apart from other double-cone dryers: the lump-breakers permit the increase of the product surface exposed to the evaporation and enhance the agitation efficacy of the system.
They not only break down the eventual pre-existing agglomerates in the wet powders, thus preventing the forming of lumps, but they also allow for grinding and powdering during the last drying phase, limiting the use of the mill. This helps having bulk products ready for bagging or powders with checked final particle size distribution, where the next operation is often limited to a sifting phase.
Biting in the core of the product being dried, the lump-breakers considerably reduce the drying time and ensure very low final moisture contents. They also allow operation with a temperature that – on average – is much lower than in any other dryer. This is an advantage for the purity of thermo-sensitive products, as it avoids their chemical degradation.
CRIOX is multi-product. It can be used with the widest range of possible products with crystalline or amorphous structure. CRIOX is multi-purpose. It can also be used as an effective fast blender or homogeniser.
CRIOX is versatile and profitable: specific solutions have been studied for automatic loading and unloading and also in order to wash, to clean through and to inspect the plant before changing the batch. This means the opportunity to pass quickly from one product campaign to another, as production demands.
CRIOX is completely safe for operators, the product and the environment. It must be underlined that more than 400 Criox System have been sold to date in more than 30 countries.
PLANEX® System, new horizontal paddle vacuum dryer
Representing cutting-edge technology in the field of vacuum drying, this new machine has been designed in order to overcome the peculiar limits of traditional paddle systems equipped with concentric agitator.
PLANEX® System consists of a fixed cylindrical chamber with an eccentric agitator inside with two independent movements, able to rotate on its own axis and tangentially to the cylindrical chamber as well. The double combined rotation allows an optimal mixing of the product, covering all the volume of the vessel. In this way solvents release is facilitated and drying times are significantly reduced compared to conventional systems.
The peculiar configuration of the agitator, characterised by a diameter much smaller than the one of the drying chamber, and the double rotation not only allow the continuous revolution of the product but also limit the mechanical and thermal stress, preventing local overheating due to friction. This enables even more delicate and thermo sensitive products to be treated, as it preserves their purity, avoiding degradation of the dried batch.
Mechanical stress on the product is about three times less than that of traditional dryers provided with concentric agitator. Consequently the unwanted overheating of the product, deriving from mechanical action, is considerably lower (Analysys of “Politecnico di Torino” University – Material Science and Chemical Engineering Department).
MULTISPRAY® Cabinet Dryer, vacuum tray dryer
Italvacuum tray dryers are composed of a heated drying cabinet chamber and of a series of shelves heated through circulation of fluid. They stand out for the following main technical features:
- Perfect mirror polishing of the inside of the cabinet
- Perfect mirror polishing of the heating plates, on both surfaces (upper and lower)
- Airtight door lining
- High operating vacuum ratings thanks to an accurate machining of the door and of the centre of the or-ring gasket, which guarantee the perfect coupling with the rabbet of the cabinet
- ‘Particle-free’ trays for complete recovery of powders
MULTISPRAY® Cabinet Dryers also allow for clean room installation well separated from the machine room, so ensuring a controlled ambient.
The following two models, which are suitable for every type of application and use, are available:
- MULTISPRAY® Cabinet Dryers with fixed plates
- MULTISPRAY® Cabinet Dryers with extractable plates
Both the models allow delicate and valuable products to be processed and both are designed to be equipped with the new patented CIP MULTISPRAY® Fast Washing System, which is a specific technology developed by Italvacuum, covered by international patents, consisting of:
- MULTISPRAY® diffuser placed inside the dryer
- Mobile CIP pneumatic washing unit
This innovation allows for the carrying out of the washing and cleaning operations of the drying chamber and of the inner shelves in a few minutes, preventing the operator from coming into direct contact with possible residuals of product aor solvent that could remain inside the dryer.
Italvacuum, always committed to optimising and expanding its product range, recently introduced on the market the new range of tray vacuum dryers studied for laboratory scale. These, manufactured with separated cells and auxiliary fittings mounted on skid, are designed for the assembly in glove box.
SAURUS939, vacuum piston pump
The simple design of the Italvacuum vacuum pump together with innovative technical solutions, such as the new LubriZero® system, that has almost set to zero the non-reusable oil consumption, allowing also the use of synthetic FDA approved oils, make SAURUS939 particularly suitable for the main chemical and pharmaceutical processes, such as drying, distillation, reaction and crystallisation.
In case of common solvents (Methylalcohol, Ethylalcohol, Chloroform, Acetone, Ethylacette, Methylchloride, Benzol, Toluol) and even the most aggressive (HCl, Acrylonytrile, etc.), SAURUS939 guarantees: complete recovery of extracted solvents, also under continuous operation conditions, with an unchanged efficiency over time, absolute safety for the process and the operators, high endurance against powders, high resistance against corrosion, high endurance against condensate solvents and secondary products of distillation, use without limits in all vacuum range, low operation speed (250 RPM), low working temperature, installation in dangerous environment, long life and absolute reliability with high performances, very low operating costs (due to low energy consumption, easy and economic maintenance).
Saurus939 vacuum pumps also ensure a complete separation between the process and mechanical side, thus avoiding any possibility of contamination by lubricating oil and ensuring the absolute purity of the treated product: uncontaminated vacuum. This result has been certified by a recent analysis of the Polytechnic of Turin – Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering.
SAURUS939 complies to ATEX norms. Its standard model, CE ex II 2 G T4, is suitable for an area classified as Zone 1 Gas and Temperature Class T4 (135°C). In special models the vacuum pump is suitable for zone ‘0’ internal-gas, zone ‘1’ external-gas with three different classes of temperature T4 (135°C) / T 150°C / T3 (200°C), depending on operation conditions.
Several models of pumps are offered: three of the single stage type and three of the dual stage type. Cooling is by air for all types. Three models feature a root compressor. Special models with dual root compressor are also supplied on request.
Nominal flow rate: from 80m³/hr to 3,800m³/hr. Vacuum: from 7mbar to 0.03mbar.