Latest News from Axium

 Complex regulations and compliance requirements for high pressure pipework are driving demand for specialist services from hygienic fabricators, says Axium Process.

The company reports that a growing number of manufacturers are turning to its team to help them modify, maintain and commission high pressure pipework. The nature of this work, and associated risks, means it must comply with Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER), be carried out by tradesmen with appropriate qualifications, and will often be subject to third-party inspections and approvals.

Sean Crowley, Technical Services Manager at Axium, explained: “During remedial work, we may find that existing processes don’t comply with current PER or hygienic engineering standards. These regulations cover a vast range of requirements, such as the compatibility of the materials used to prevent potential corrosion issues, weld procedures and qualifications, to name just a few.

“This means that appropriate risk and technical assessments must be carried out to control, authorise and manage any proposed changes. The welding procedures that follow should relate specifically to the type of joint, material, and specification of the job in hand, which is why the engineer responsible is legally required to have the correct qualifications.

“As there are so many factors to consider, companies are now recognising the importance of partnering with specialist fabricators with the required expertise, qualifications and experience to ensure full compliance.”

Axium Process specialises in high-quality hygienic pipework fabrications in non-ferrous material.  Welders and weld procedures are  approved to ASME IX, BS EN ISO 9606-1 and BS EN 15614-1.

Axium Process is offering manufacturers a unique ‘pick and mix’ liquid filtration solution ensuring consistent product quality and minimal downtime.

The company has developed a universal stainless steel filter housing which can be used with three distinct filter screens.  Each screen has specialist capabilities making them suitable for multiple applications across industries including pharmaceutical, food, beverage, dairy, confectionery and chemical.

The universal housing is fixed in-place, but the element can be rapidly switched to change filtration levels or to install another type of screen.

The three screen options include Axium’s wedge-wire filter screen, a sintered mesh screen, and a basic perforated filter screen.  The comprehensive range covers the separation of particulates, fibres, flakes and glass shard protection, as well as offering a wide choice of filtration levels between 5µm and 6,000µm.

Axium’s wedge wire-screen is widely used for powder dispersing applications and where product consistency and smoothness are essential. It enables solids and particles such as grits and seeds to be separated, while simultaneously breaking down and dispersing agglomerates.

The sintered mesh screen is used in mains water, pharmaceutical, food and beverage applications to remove suspended solids, micro-flakes, hair and fibres; it can also prevent glass contamination. The company’s perforated tube screen is designed for general purpose filtration at high or low temperatures, separating larger particles from liquid streams.

Derek Davies, Business Development Director at Axium Process, said: “In response to our customers’ changing needs, we have continued to evolve our filters to provide a comprehensive range of options for almost every application.

“The pick and mix solutions can result in significant cost savings for manufacturers with variable filtration requirements as they only need to purchase and install one filter body. They can then choose any filter screen option from Axium’s comprehensive range.

“Whether a customer requires high-security filtration or a consistently smooth filtered product, the interchangeable screens and wide range of filtration levels cover a vast array of applications and multiple filtration requirements in a single installation.”

Axium’s stainless steel filters are simple and easy to maintain and have built-in safety features to protect the operator. All elements can be safely removed for cleaning without specialist tooling, ensuring a rapid return to service without unnecessary downtime.

For Further information: Filter Ranges

Stringent discharge rules for trade effluents are fuelling enquiries into the benefits of the latest wastewater processing technology, says Axium Process. The filtration specialist has seen a rise in demand for customised membrane systems as environmental responsibility, operational costs, and discharge limitations put increasing pressure on companies to find improved solutions for trade effluents.

Derek Davies, Business Development Director at Axium Process, said “A growing number of industrial companies need to balance their discharge consent against increased levels of production and spikes in output linked to manufacturing processes.  Failure to do so can result in hefty fines, snap inspections, and reputational damage.

“Even similar industries have very different filtration requirements, so the ideal solution is a purpose-designed treatment process for each application. To identify and optimise the best solution, our engineers first conduct investigative pilot trials on the feed material either at our test facility in Swansea or the manufacturer’s premises. The trial results will clearly identify the main requirements for the project and associated benefits.”

Advances in effluent processing techniques mean that crossflow membrane filtration can filter raw effluent and recover high quality water. It allows highly customised solutions to be developed that can meet ambitious sustainability goals.  As it is a physical process no chemicals are required to separate suspended or dissolved materials.  The technology has the potential to significantly reduce effluent disposal costs while recovering up to 95 per cent clean reusable water.

Water recycling systems from Axium Process can be used in almost any industry, including pharmaceutical, food, drink, textiles, chemical and automotive.  They can also be used to complement other waste treatment processes such as anaerobic digestion.

For Further Information: Water Recycling Systems

Swansea based hygienic engineering company, Axium Process have invested in a further two new Doosan CNC machines to meet increased demand for high quality precision manufacturing. This capital investment means the pharmaceutical manufacturing specialist can support the sector with higher volumes of precision engineered components in-house, including one-off designs and batch requirements.

The two new additions to the factory floor include a Doosan 220lynx twin spindle CNC lathe and a Doosan DNM5700S CNC vertical milling machine both offering 2D and 3D designprototyping, animation and simulation using fusion 360 software.

This significant investment ensures increased capacity in-house, shortening lead times, increasing design flexibility and enabling quick recall for repeatable machining. The CNC processes are fully integrated with the business’s other services, including design, product development, fabrication and surface finishing — all with full traceability.

Axium Process’s skilled engineers face the demands of multi-sector activities daily, producing complex shaped parts and super-precision components in stainless steel, duplex, hastelloy, titanium, and aluminium. The Doosan CNC machines were selected on the basis of quality, performance and reliability.
“The new CNC machines support an increased demand for precision manufacturing and complex components” explained Derek Davies, Business Development Director, at Axium
Process. “We are proud to offer a complete engineering service under one roof, with extensive experience in hygienic and highly certified applications in compliance with industry
standards and traceability requirements. Continuous investment into the latest technology significantly reinforces our commitment to getting it right first time and within budget.”

Axium’s new “Good to Go” packaged water treatment system is designed for water purifying applications and delivers commercially sterile, sustainable, high-quality water, bypassing the need for ion exchange beds and chemical treatment processes.

The system, which utilises Reverse Osmosis technology, is being used for applications where low conductivity (salt removed) water is required and can be used in conjunction with complementary processes such as carbon filtration and ultraviolet (UV) treatment, providing a robust and versatile solution to tackle almost every water purification application.

Delivered as a packaged solution, requiring only minimal operator intervention and very low maintenance, Axium’s  “Good to Go” system is supplied with high rejection low energy membranes, stainless steel housings and pipework throughout, cartridge filter, multiple sample points, conductivity monitor, feed pressure switches, variable area flow meters and an inverter-controlled pump as standard.

The company, which specialises in the design and build of membrane filtration systems, can provide “off the shelf” or “custom solutions” to suit specific requirements.