Butterworth Laboratories Ltd is a fully independent UK contract analytical laboratory that has been providing quality control testing, method development & validation and stability study storage & testing to the pharmaceutical and related industries for 40 years. With an extensive knowledge and range of process techniques, the testing of pharmaceutical raw materials to international pharmacopoeia specifications has become a Butterworth specialty.
Butterworth's analysis of numerous metallic and non-metallic elements is highly sensitive so, when testing and determining the particles per billion content of a sample, a pressurised clean air source is required. As Butterworth's Laboratory Support Manager Kevin Fullarton explains, Gast Group's JUN-AIR compressors are perfect for the job. "We approached BCAS Limited with a specification for flow rate and pressure and they recommended JUN-AIR. Their compressors are known throughout the industry for supplying quality, oil-free compressed air and, as a point-of-use source was required, they are also quiet in operation."
With analytical tests being carried out five days a week and using an automated test facility, the reliability of the JUN-AIR compressors has become fundamental in Butterworth's Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP) tests.
Clean, oil-free compressed air from the JUN-AIR compressors is used for various analytical techniques. One of the compressors is used for the microwave digester, where gases are used for cooling. The remaining compressors are used for AAS, where air is mixed with acetylene to provide flame combustion, and ICP where it is used as a shear gas to keep the heat of the plasma plume off the optics. It is estimated that compressed air from the JUN-AIR compressors is used on a fifth of the most popular tests carried out at Butterworth Laboratories Ltd.
"We couldn't afford breakdowns or analytical systems tripping out due to overheating, as it wastes too much time and money. Compressed air is one of our biggest user requirements, so we needed very reliable compressors and therefore had no hesitation in specifying JUN-AIR." says Kevin.
Steve Pritchard, sales manager for BCAS Limited says: "We supplied Butterworth with three JUN-AIR oil-free compressors – one OF302-15B and two 2xOF1202-40MQ6 – which replaced existing compressors that were under-sized and unsuitable for the continuous duty requirements of the laboratory's instrumentation systems. Compressed air is critical to this customer, we have every confidence in the JUN-AIR brand and ensure we support the customer with both the supply of a quality product and in providing after care and maintenance for optimum performance."
Commenting for Gast Group, European sales director Andre Goodson says: "This contract with Butterworth is another success that can be attributed to the creation of the partnering agreement with BCAS Limited, which covers the supply and service of GAST and JUN-AIR ranges in London and the south of England."
With decibel ratings starting as low as 47 dB(A) when housed in an attractive soundproof cabinet, models in the oil-less OF range have the lowest noise levels available, making them ideal for installations within laboratory environments and even in or near individual workstations.
To ensure the highest air quality throughout the lifetime of the compressor, receivers are internally powder-coated to avoid corrosion; and adsorption dryers remove moisture to ensure 100% dry, clean oil free compressed air with pressure dewpoints of -40°C. The dryer is located upstream of the receiver so the receiver only stores dry air. Units feature a unique cooling system and wear-resisting piston rings, and are designed for 100% continuous operation up to 10 bar maximum pressure.
For further information call Gast Group on +44 (0)1527 504040, email gastgroup.uk@idexcorp.com or visit www.jun-air.com; or BCAS Limited on +44 (0)1491 821737, email sales@bcaslimited.co.uk or visit www.bcaslimited.co.uk.
Having reviewed and restructured its European distribution network to focus on a more distributor-driven approach to industrial sales, the Gast Group – a leading designer and manufacturer of precision air products and member of IDEX Corporation’s Health, Science & Safety division – has seen numerous successes since the creation of a partnering agreement with BCAS Limited, which covers the supply and service of GAST and JUN-AIR ranges in London and the south east of England.
BCAS Limited’s knowledge of compressed air systems and 25 years of experience with the JUN-AIR range of air compressors provides a unique proposition for end users and OEMs, and one recent and high-profile example of this relationship has seen JUN-AIR compressors supplied to the laboratories of the technical department of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the governing body of the sport of tennis.
Commenting for BCAS Limited, sales and marketing director Christine Peaden says: “BCAS Limited is delighted to be working with such a professional organisation as the International Tennis Federation (ITF). We also have every confidence in JUN-AIR as a premium brand – from quality and performance, through to support and personnel – and are always happy to recommend their products to our customers.”.
As the International Tennis Federation’s sports engineer James Spurr explains, as in any sport, rules have to be established and enforced and the responsibility starts with governing bodies. “The mission of the ITF is to protect the nature of the game of tennis and we do that in a number of ways. One key element is to protect the skills traditionally required to play the game and our interpretation of that is when on court, you want the best player to win, not necessarily the player with the best equipment!
“It may then come as a surprise to many, but the document describing the rules of tennis is fairly small and, while including the familiar rules, it also details the equipment that players can use at official tournaments.”
However, while protecting tennis and ensuring it can be enjoyed by both players and spectators, the governing body also has a responsibility to encourage innovation within the game. The ITF’s technical department and its laboratories are therefore solely focussed on equipment, such as the ball and racquet, and must ensure that regulations are met. At the same time it must also encourage manufacturers to be innovative, as it is in their best interests and those of the sport, to develop new technologies.
“Innovation is encouraged at the International Tennis Federation,” says James: “but we must ensure that evolution does not become revolution because competitors and spectators are generally uncomfortable with that; and there are examples from other sports where such change has occurred and governing bodies have had to step in and retrospectively make changes to the rules.”
The ITF’s laboratories apply a number of fixed and mobile devices to test tennis balls and racquets and take direct measurements such as court speed. The results are used to investigate where performance comes from – how the modern tennis player interacts with the ball using speed and spin; how the ball interacts with the various playing surfaces; and how the player moves around the court. However, the one core objective of the ITF’s laboratory is ball approval.
To ensure that tennis balls can be used at official tournaments such as Wimbledon and the Australian and US Opens, manufacturers submit samples of approximately 300 different ball brands to ensure that each design falls within the ITF’s specification of a tennis ball, and therefore gain the all-important ITF-approved status. Here, tests are pneumatically driven using compressed air from JUN-AIR oil-free and oil-lubricated compressors.
Here, automated machines using oil-lubricated 12-25 JUN-AIR compressors are loaded with up to 12 tennis balls to be tested for stiffness. Pneumatic grippers move tennis balls from a carousel onto two electro-mechanical platens, which stress and measure each ball a number of times on their various axes. Another durability test uses compressed air powered cannons driven by oil-free OF302-4B JUN-AIR compressors to fire six tennis balls 20 times onto a steel surface at 90mph (the typical speed of a forehand return or second serve). This replicates their typical usage over nine games. As the balls degrade with use and become lighter; and as the compound breaks down and the felt wears, a secondary bounce test measures rebound height from a 2.5m-drop, after which the balls are returned to the platen-based deformation machine for additional testing.
The technical department is also responsible for conducting field tests at locations all over the world; and ahead of major tournaments such as the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. Here, the team has access to eight portable oil-free JUN-AIR compressors (including four of the company’s portable i40-4B iSeries models) contained in flight cases.
Court Pace Rating (CPR) – the speed of the court – is measured using a similar cannon-based setup as the laboratory. Using compressed air, tennis balls are fired at approximately 75mph onto eight different locations of the court, which can be grass, clay or acrylic surfaces. The ball is fired between two light-gates to measure the horizontal and vertical components of the ball speed prior to and following impact. After some number crunching, the CPR is a number between 0 and 100 (but preferably between 24 and 50) that determines if the court pace falls within the permitted parameters for a tournament.
“The reason for field testing of court speeds is to prevent the risk of injury or accidents associated with low-friction courts; and to prevent any one nation having too much home advantage by practising on a court that is slower or faster than those of the visiting nations.” says James.
Fortunately, as tests are usually carried out in the days/weeks before a tournament, if the court is deemed too fast or slow and therefore too dangerous to play on, it can be replaced within hours and additional tests carried out. However, in extreme cases the host nation could forfeit the matches, or be penalised financially or through the deduction of team points.
Commenting on the compressors’ performance, James says: “Ball tests are carried out daily during the laboratories’ busy periods so the JUN-AIR compressors are well used. However, apart from routine maintenance and inspections, during which oil levels on the oil-lubricated compressors are checked and topped up if required; air tanks drained of water; and air filters cleaned of debris from the balls’ felt covering, we have never had a failure and the compressors are always running well.”
The JUN-AIR OF range of oil-less air compressors offer an unrivalled combination of low noise levels, reliability, long life and low maintenance. With decibel ratings as low as 47dB(A) when housed in attractive soundproof cabinets, models in the OF oil-less range have the lowest noise levels available, making them ideal for installations within laboratory environments and even in or near individual workstations.
The compact and self-contained JUN-AIR iSeries compressed air package consists of a rocking piston compressor and air receiver and is available with three compressor combinations and two different tank sizes, providing airflow rates from 28 to 56 lpm at 7 bar, a maximum pressure rating of 7 bar and tank sizes from 4 to 25 litres.
With noise levels below 45 dB(A), the JUN-AIR oil-lubricated piston compressor range comprises nine models offered in combination with five different receivers (from 4 litres to 150 litres) to create a wide range of complete compressor offerings.
Commenting for Gast Group, European sales director Andre Goodson says: “We are delighted to be involved with such a high-profile sporting body and grateful to BCAS Limited for providing the International Tennis Federation with expert advice on the JUN-AIR product and its on-going servicing and maintenance. Their 25 years of experience with JUN-AIR puts them in an enviable position and we believe that the combination of BCAS’s knowledge of compressed air systems and Gast Group’s vast range, gives the partnership a unique proposition for end users and OEMs.”
For further information call Gast Group on +44 (0)1527 504040, email gastgroup.uk@idexcorp.com or visit www.jun-air.com.
