GFD®Lab
LAB-SCALE AGITATED NUTSCHE FILTER-DRYER
AT A GLANCE
The GFD®Lab is a benchtop Agitated Nutsche Filter-Dryer (ANFD) that efficiently performs laboratory solid-liquid separation processes. It is a miniature version of a production filter-dryer, allowing effective filtration and drying with the same reliability and benefits as full size PSL filter-dryers.
It was developed to overcome well-known production challenges faced by manufacturers when using traditional production methods such as Büchner filtration and oven tray-drying. It is the ideal technology to successfully complete scale-up and scale-down activities and obtain predictive performance results.
The GFD®Lab consists of an agitated vessel designed to work under vacuum and under pressure. Its vessel can be made of either glass, stainless steel or Alloy-22, and has a heated jacket for efficient drying. Solid-liquid separation is performed within its unique filtration basket, which can be removed to ease and maximise product collection.
Everyday this technology is assisting hundreds of scientists and process engineers around the world to innovate and optimise their unique processes. The GFD®Lab is serving research institutes, laboratories, universities and companies from a wide range of industries globally.
AT A GLANCE
The GFD®Lab is a benchtop Agitated Nutsche Filter-Dryer (ANFD) that efficiently performs laboratory solid-liquid separation processes. It is a miniature version of a production filter-dryer, allowing effective filtration and drying with the same reliability and benefits as full size PSL filter-dryers.
It was developed to overcome well-known production challenges faced by manufacturers when using traditional production methods such as Büchner filtration and oven tray-drying. It is the ideal technology to successfully complete scale-up and scale-down activities and obtain predictive performance results.
The GFD®Lab consists of an agitated vessel designed to work under vacuum and under pressure. Its vessel can be made of either glass, stainless steel or Alloy-22, and has a heated jacket for efficient drying. Solid-liquid separation is performed within its unique filtration basket, which can be removed to ease and maximise product collection.
Everyday this technology is assisting hundreds of scientists and process engineers around the world to innovate and optimise their unique processes. The GFD®Lab is serving research institutes, laboratories, universities and companies from a wide range of industries globally.
INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS
| INDUSTRIES | PRODUCTION SCALE | PROCESSES | PRODUCT FORM | INGREDIENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | R&D activities | Filtration | Suspension | API drugs |
| Chemicals | Feasibility trials | Separation | Slurry | Intermediates |
| Food | Process prototypes | De-watering | Wet cake | Raw materials |
| Material sciences | Process optimisation | Re-slurry | Powder | Excipients |
| Academia | GLP batch | Washing | Semi-solids | Reagents |
| Synthesis | Kilo lab | Mixing | Catalysts | |
| Drug substance | Pre-clinical | Sampling | Microspheres | |
| Formulation | Pilot development | Drying | Microparticles | |
| Drug Product | Scale-up | Nanoparticles | ||
| Applied Industries | Scale-down | Lipids, Peptides | ||
| Special processes | Precious metals | |||
| Graphene, Lithium |
INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS
| INDUSTRIES | PRODUCTION SCALE | PROCESSES | PRODUCT FORM | INGREDIENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | R&D activities | Filtration | Suspension | API drugs |
| Chemicals | Feasibility trials | Separation | Slurry | Intermediates |
| Food | Process prototypes | De-watering | Wet cake | Raw materials |
| Material sciences | Process optimisation | Re-slurry | Powder | Excipients |
| Academia | GLP batch | Washing | Semi-solids | Reagents |
| Synthesis | Kilo lab | Mixing | Catalysts | |
| Drug substance | Pre-clinical | Sampling | Microspheres | |
| Formulation | Pilot development | Drying | Microparticles | |
| Drug Product | Scale-up | Nanoparticles | ||
| Applied Industries | Scale-down | Lipids, Peptides | ||
| Special processes | Precious metals | |||
| Graphene, Lithium |
VESSEL SIZES
| GFD®Lab VESSEL SIZES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 010 Series |
 050 Series |
 500 Series |
|
| Typical Product Cake Volume (process-dependant) | 0.03 – 0.10L | 0.18 – 0.50L | 0.93 – 5.00L |
| Vessel Volume | 0.3L | 2.0L | 10.0L |
| Filtration Area | 0.002m2 | 0.010m2 | 0.050m2 |
| Frame Dimensions (H x W x D) | 980 x 530 x 330 mm | 980 x 530 x 330 mm | 1680 x 780 x 650 mm |
VESSEL SIZES
| GFD®Lab VESSEL SIZES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 010 Series |
050 Series |
500 Series |
|
| Typical Product Cake Volume (process-dependant) | 0.03 – 0.10L | 0.18 – 0.50L | 0.93 – 5.00L |
| Vessel Volume | 0.3L | 2.0L | 10.0L |
| Filtration Area | 0.002m2 | 0.010m2 | 0.050m2 |
| Frame Dimensions (H x W x D) | 980 x 530 x 330 mm | 980 x 530 x 330 mm | 1680 x 780 x 650 mm |
UPGRADE OPTIONS
| GFD FEATURES |  GFDLab |
 GFDLab PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Filtration & Drying |
✔ |
✔ |
| Removable Filter Basket |
✔ |
✔ |
| 316L or Alloy 22 Vessel |
✔ |
✔ |
| Agitator Raise & Lower (R&L) | Manual R&L only | Automated R&L available |
| Digital Display & Touchscreen |
✘ |
✔ |
| Real-time Value & Graph Display |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Sequence Design |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Recipe Optimisation |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Data Recording & Exporting |
✘ |
✔ |
UPGRADE OPTIONS
| GFD FEATURES | GFDLab |
GFDLab PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Filtration & Drying |
✔ |
✔ |
| Removable Filter Basket |
✔ |
✔ |
| 316L or Alloy 22 Vessel |
✔ |
✔ |
| Agitator Raise & Lower (R&L) | Manual R&L only | Automated R&L available |
| Digital Display & Touchscreen |
✘ |
✔ |
| Real-time Value & Graph Display |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Sequence Design |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Recipe Optimisation |
✘ |
✔ |
| Process Data Recording & Exporting |
✘ |
✔ |
FEATURES & BENEFITS
The GFD®Lab is an All-in-One piece of equipment designed to comply with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) for regulated research and development activities. It allows process developers and manufacturers to complete a wide range of processes into one single system:
- Slurry filtration (solid-liquid separation)
- Product washing (removing impurities or collecting filtrate)
- Re-slurry
- Vacuum drying
- Product sampling
- Product discharge
At PSL, we understand that your product is extremely valuable and that you must maximize your product yield in order to remain competitive in your specific market. The core features of our GFD®Lab were designed keeping this crucial requirement in mind.
Upon process completion, your product batch can easily be collected by simply removing the filtration basket from the GFD®Lab vessel.
Additionally, the unique GFD basket was designed to allow quick and easy changeover of filtration meshes with various pore-sizes and materials (Polypropylene, PTFE, 316LSS, Alloy 22, etc.), hence facilitating multi-product applications.
The GFD®Lab is an innovative, easy-to-use, expandable benchtop system. Its modular design enables end-users to interchange vessels sizes from the 010 and 050 series while keeping the very same Base Frame.
To further enhance production flexibility, the Base Frame of each GFD®Lab model is also compatible with all available vessel materials (i.e. borosilicate glass, 316LSS, Alloy 22).
- Digital display (4″ colour HMI touchscreen)
- Enhanced user-interface allowing quick navigation
- Real-time process graph display
- Design process sequences
- Optimise and save process recipes (up to 99)
- Record and export process data
By upgrading your 010 and 050 series to a GFD®Lab PLUS, you will be able to build bespoke process sequences and optimise process recipes to suit your own process application.
Production can start at a touch of a button and pre-designed recipes can be initiated with your preferred process parameters (e.g. pressure/vacuum, agitator speed/torque, temperature, duration), thus maximising batch-after-batch reproduction while minimising human error.
At PSL, we understand that selecting the right process technology at R&D stage is crucial to ensure your ultimate scale-up success. Our GFD®Lab product range was designed to streamline your scale-up development, from early R&D activities to GLP batches and pilot plant production. It is the perfect tool to complete scale-up and scale-down studies as it will help you maintain – at every scale – your key process objectives (e.g. product quality, product yield, batch consistency, etc.) and key production parameters (e.g. filtration time, washing time, drying time, etc.).
Being one of the early pioneers of containment technology, PSL has developed the unique FilterBox isolator range which can successfully accommodate every single GFD®Lab vessel size (010, 050 and 500 series).
By opting for a GFD®Lab FilterBox, you can rest assured that your workforce can be safe-guarded from the most toxic/hazardous compounds and that your product is protected from harmful production environments.
Recently, nanoparticles have gained attention due to their potential application for effective drug delivery. One application is the LNPs (Lipid Nano-Particles), which have received significant attention in recent months due to their use as the preferred delivery technology for several messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccine candidates that are being developed for the prevention of COVID-19.
Are you trying to optimise your nanoparticle process in your lab? At PSL, we can help and partner with you to improve your down-stream purification, classification, filtration and drying processes. Please get in touch!
GFD®Lab SERVICES
At PSL, we provide our industry partners with more than just process hardware. We take your process further by offering a wide range of services to optimise the installation, operation and maintenance of your GFD®Lab.
By opting for our unique COPE and SERVE services, you can rest assured that you will receive and maintain a high-performing GFD®Lab system, fine-tuned to your unique process requirements.
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