L.J. Star Announces Stainless Sanitary Fittings, Sight Glasses and Sight Flow Indicators for the Special Demands of the Pharmaceutical Industry

TWINSBURG, Ohio, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- L.J. Star, Inc., a major supplier of sight glasses, stainless sanitary fittings, and sight flow indicators, announced that it has a suite of solutions for the special demands of process observation in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

This product line is used to connect and visually monitor fluid flows, and thereby help maintain strict control of critical processes. The product line was developed over many years of experience with customers at the top 50 pharmaceutical companies and proven in installations around the globe. The line includes sanitary fittings, sight port lighting, cameras, sight indicators, sight glasses, bubble traps, sight glasses, and hygienic clamps.

Pharmaceutical applications require components that come into contact with process fluids not give places for bacteria to hide. For reliable, crevice-free connections, L.J. Star has a full line of precision-made stainless sanitary fittings and hygienic clamps, including clamps with a special safety feature that prevents the clamp from being opened manually if the line is under pressure, as in a steam system.

For these reasons L.J. Star designs use 316 stainless steel materials with electropolished surface finishes that avoid galvanic corrosion and eliminate crevices where harmful bacteria could accumulate. In addition, various products in the line are designed for clean-in-place (CIP) and steam-in-place (SIP) sterilization, which greatly reduce operation costs because process systems do not need to be disassembled for cleaning.

Parenteral applications are those involving the production of injectable drugs, saline, and other solutions. The glass used in sight glasses and sight flow indicators must be of a type that will not leach into the process material. L.J. Star products meet the requirements of USP Type I, making them acceptable for parenteral processes. Many competitor products use soda lime glass, which is not approved for parenteral use by the USP.

The L.J. Star hygienic bubble trap is the first bubble trap made for pharmaceutical applications. It has an electropolish surface and a unique crevice-free self-draining design that allows for CIP and SIP cleaning.

As applicable, these products are tested and certified to various industry standards, which include:

• Cytotoxicity tests to verify safety in hygienic applications
• CE and UL recognition
• DIN 7079 and 7080 quality standards
• ASME-BPE (bio-processing equipment) specification for the biopharmaceutical industry
• USP29-661 defining USP Type 1 pharmaceutical use
• FDA compliance

As part of its rigorous ISO9001-2000 quality control procedure, L.J. Star guarantees it will provide third-party documentation of standards compliance and product performance claims.

To obtain a copy of the L.J. Star Pharmaceutical/Biotech Line Card, call L.J. Star at 330-405-3040, or visit our website at www.ljstar.com/pubs/29.htm.

About L.J. Star

L.J. Star Incorporated provides an extensive line of process observation equipment -- sight glasses, lights, sanitary fittings, and level gage instrumentation. Product lines include Metaglas® Safety Sight Windows, Lumiglas® Explosion Proof Lights and Cameras, Visual Flow Indicators, Sight Ports, Sanitary Clamps, Magnetic Level Gages and Gage Glass. Metaglas is the #1 selling fused sight glass, proven in thousands of installations around the world. Unlike some other sight glasses, it meets stringent DIN 7079 and DIN 7080 quality standards, and it is approved for USP Type I use. For additional information, or to request third-party documentation of standards compliance and product performance claims, contact L.J. Star Incorporated, P.O. Box 1116, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Phone: 330-405-3040. Fax: 330-405-3070. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.ljstar.com.

To download high-resolution image, control-click http://www.ggcomm.com/LJStar/USL.JPG

Media contact: Suzanne Horrigan, 330-405-3040

SOURCE L.J. Star Incorporated