At Quantex, we’re proud that our revolutionary pump technology is positively altering the liquid manufacturing process for the food and drink industry. From consumer-facing dispensers in retail environments, hotels, offices and vending machines, to industrial manufacturing lines in factories, our pump technology is saving valuable time and costs. This is because our unique recyclable pumps are saving the time that would typically have been spent on cleaning, maintenance and product replacement. This happens alongside the continuous benefit that our pumps provide an accurate and hygienic dispensing solution for food and beverage liquids.
Our lightweight Quantex pumps connect directly to the product’s primary packaging, similar to that of a wine tap fitted to the bag of wine that’s housed within a box. However, unlike a wine box tap that functions through gravity (opening a valve to allow the product to dribble out), Quantex pumps are connected to a standard, low-cost motor drive facilitating the product to be dosed with precision and at higher speeds. The quantity of product released each time can be pre-set to a wide range of flow rates, and paired with a high-vacuum suction for effective bag evacuation, resulting in minimal wastage.
When the product is finished or empty, the entire bag is then swiftly and easily replaced (with a new pump pre-attached). This swap-out step is quick, efficient and requires no costly pump maintenance or calibration, saving manufacturing lines valuable uptime. The product is housed and dispensed directly from its primary pack, meaning there’s no risk of product cross-contamination.
Because we’ve designed our pumps to be container agnostic, they can be attached in a variety of units from rigid cartridges, pouches, vats, bottles, syringes or even jerry cans. The simple yet effective mechanics of this solution help to reduce the equipment footprint as the machinery required can be smaller than peristaltic or gear pumps.
We’ve created a range of pumps that can accurately dose in a variety of quantities – from micro-volumes of highly concentrated flavours or additives, to complete product solutions. Our smallest product range runs from as little as 24uL to faster flow ingredients up to 75mL/s (or 270L/h) handling very high viscosity products including:
- Honey
- Jams (containing seeds and fruit pieces smaller than 4mm)
- Sauces (like ketchups and mayonnaise)
- Relish
- Highly concentrated fruit juices (such as apple or orange juice)
- Dairy products (up to the high viscosity of sour cream)
- Highly acid and alkaline concentrate
Additional benefits of the Quantex pumps are that they can be programmed with a reverse cycle capacity, making the dispense nozzle virtually drip-free. The pump technology can also provide factory layout flexibility as the solution can be installed below as well as above the outlet (especially useful when space is at a premium).
When using concentrations that need to be mixed at the point of dispense, our ‘Dilution’ pump versions can be connected to a waterline, introducing additional water to the final solution. This means that products can be shipped out at a high concentration rate, reducing shipping costs and carbon footprint for manufacturers.
Quantex pumps work by using a positive displacement rotary action which means that by counting the number of revolutions within the pump, the motor drive can calculate the amount of product dispensed in real-time. As an IoT enabled platform, recorded data on specific product lines, the ingredients, and expiration dates can then be reviewed to analyse how the manufacturing line is performing, – providing a wealth of insight.
It is also possible to use RFID or NFC chips on the pump and bag, so that the machine can identify the product automatically, with pre-set instructions as to the timings and speed at which to run the motor for that specific product. This makes swapping products even quicker, saving more valuable time.
Our pumps are manufactured in a highly controlled environment to ensure that every pump we produce conforms to the same impeccable standard. Some of the features of our manufacturing facilities include:
- White room automated assembly or
- Clean room assembly (sterile)
- Printed batch numbers for traceability
- Air pressure testing
Following feedback from some of our customers, there was a request for an aseptic version of the pumps. Phil Medcalf, our Product Manager explains “the aseptic version of the Bag In Box Pump allows one of our customers to now ship out fresh products at an ambient temperature rather than keeping them frozen in transit”. This aseptic version of the pump works by incorporating a self-piercing foil seal which the customer gamma irradiates (destroying any residue bacteria). By shipping the product at an ambient temperature (rather than frozen) the costs and carbon footprint created during transport are dramatically reduced.
Another application area where Quantex is bringing exciting new promise is in the rapidly increasing refill market. This is where the consumer takes a reusable container to the supermarket to refill their product rather than selecting the item pre-packaged in a single-use plastic bottle. We’re already working closely with several refill machine manufacturers and FMCG brands to provide refillable bottle dispense solutions.
Up until now, there hasn’t been an effective and cost-beneficial solution for global brands and retailers to adopt and roll out liquid refill at scale, because dispensing liquids involves a lot of expensive cleaning, maintenance and product replenishment regimes. But Quantex pumps solve all of these pain-points whilst providing a highly sanitary solution. And because we can pump virtually any fluid you will find in a supermarket, we have the possibility of a standardised, generic platform. The Quantex team is passionate about helping manufacturers meet sustainability goals and enabling a future with far less single-use plastic packaging waste.
So, to summarise – not only can our game-changing recyclable pumps save single-use plastic packaging waste at scale, but they can allow food and drink manufacturers the opportunity to improve their production lines hygienically, accurately and cost-effectively. This is all possible because:
- The machines are less costly and no longer time-consuming or expensive to clean, maintain and replenish
- The technology allows real-time feedback on dispensing volumes to support IoT cloud data systems
- Quantex aseptic pumps can allow fresh products to be shipped at ambient temperatures instead of frozen
- Quantex Dilution pumps enable manufacturers to use higher concentrations and add water later in the supply chain, providing the potential to save significant expenses on shipping costs whilst reducing carbon emissions dramatically – which is a valuable contribution to the sustainability of our planet.
If you would like to explore whether our technology could help your business, please email quantex-info@psgdover.com or call +49 (2065) 89205-0.