Game-Changing Recyclable Pump Technology Optimises Manufacturing Efficiency
Quantex, a PSG® brand, offers a unique and patented recyclable pump technology that is revolutionising liquid dispensing across industries. From consumer-facing dispensers in retail environments, hotels, offices, & vending machines, to industrial manufacturing lines in factories, Quantex is saving valuable time spent on cleaning, maintenance, and product replenishment, whilst providing an accurate and hygienic dispensing solution for food and beverage liquids.
These revolutionary, lightweight, plastic pumps form a part of the product’s primary packaging, similar to the way a wine tap is already fitted on a bag in box, except, rather than manually pressing the tap that allows the product to dribble out using gravity, the pump is clipped into a standard, low cost motor drive in the fixed equipment, and the product is dosed with precision, at a wide range of flowrates with high vacuum for effective bag evacuation.
Plastic bag with tap, for Liquid Dispensing
When a product supply is finished you simply replace the bag and pump with a new bag and pump which means that no costly pump maintenance or calibration is required. No fluid travels through the fixed parts of the machine and therefore, products can be swapped in and out of the same channels in seconds, without cross-contamination, providing valuable uptime for manufacturing lines.
The pumps are primary container agnostic, so can be attached to a rigid cartridge, pouch, vat, bottle, syringe, or jerry can for example. The simple mechanics in this system mean that equipment footprint is more compact and low cost compared to other pump systems like peristaltic or gear pumps.
The range of pumps available can accurately dose micro-volumes of highly concentrated flavourings or additives from as little as 24µL, to faster flow ingredients up to 75mL/s (or 270L/h). The pumps can handle very high viscosity fluids from honey, jams (with seeds and fruit pieces smaller than 4mm in diameter), mayonnaise, ketchup and relish, highly concentrated apple or orange juice, all dairy products up to the viscosity of sour cream, as well as high acid and high alkaline concentrates.
A reverse cycle capability combined with a valve on the outlet means dispensing can be completely drip-free if required, and there is flexibility with the configuration because the pump can sit above as well as below the product it is pumping.
Quantex offers ‘Dilution’ versions of its pumps where a filtered waterline can be introduced directly into the pump to mix accurately with concentrates. This is particularly exciting for brands who are interested in saving cost and carbon emissions on shipping by taking water out of the distribution channel.
The positive displacement rotary action of the pumps means that fixed volumes are transferred, and by counting the number of revolutions, the motor drive can calculate the amount dispensed in real-time, providing valuable data to IoT platforms monitoring equipment. RFID or NFC chips can tell the machine how fast to run the pumps for each specific product and can transfer information to the cloud about the product’s ingredients and expiry date, for example. This makes product changeover times even faster since there is no need to programme data into systems.
Quantex is already producing its pumps in high volume for several forward-thinking global customers in lights out, white room automated assembly, with air pressure testing, and printed batch numbers for traceability. Quantex was a privately owned company until it was acquired in the summer of 2021 by PSG, an operating company of Dover Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, US. Having the support of a multi-billion-dollar global business behind it means that Quantex is perfectly positioned for rapid growth. The Quantex team now works collaboratively alongside 13 other PSG pump and flow measurement brands, including Mouvex® and Wilden®.
Quantex strives to help its customers meet their business needs, an example of this led to the development of an aseptic version of its pumps. Phil Medcalf, Quantex’s Product Manager, explains the benefits this brought to the customer: “Due to an aseptic version of the BiB-19 pump, one of our customers is now able to ship fresh products at ambient temperatures rather than keeping them frozen in transit. This aseptic version of the pump uses a self-piercing foil seal, and the customer gamma irradiates the pump and bag. Shipping ambient product has enabled global distribution as well as reducing shipping cost and carbon emissions – it feels very rewarding to have provided such an impactful solution.”
An interesting application area for Quantex is the burgeoning refill market, where the consumer brings a reusable bottle to refill in a supermarket instead of using single-use plastic, pre-packaged bottles. Quantex’ Director – Marketing, Gillian Harding-Moore, recognised that Quantex provides the key to rolling liquid refill out at scale, and is driving this market segment. She explains: “Quantex is exciting many refill equipment manufacturers, global brands, and retailers, who are keen to meet sustainability goals and reduce single-use plastic packaging waste. Up until now, dispensing food & beverages hygienically and accurately has been challenging, and machines are usually too costly and time-consuming to maintain, but Quantex solves these common pain-points, providing a compact and low-cost, scalable platform. We are at the dawn of a historical movement, changing the way we distribute our goods and shop, and Quantex is at its centre, surrounded by innovators with a collaborative mindset. I am thrilled to be contributing to the sustainability of our planet.”
For more information about Quantex, visit www.quantex-arc.com or email quantex-info@psgdover.com.
