Measurement in Medical applications - Life Sciences

Q: What pump technology should we use for microlitre level reagent dosing?

Fluid Metering valveless rotating piston pumps provide ±1% accuracy with CV ≤0.5% and minimal pulsation—ideal for analyzers and assay prep.

Q: Do Fluid Metering pumps handle aggressive cleaners and sterilants?

Yes - ceramic internals and configurable wetted materials (PVDF/ETFE/PP housings; FKM/FFKM/UHMW PE seals) offer excellent chemical resistance.

Medical Gas & Liquid Measurement and Control - UK & Ireland

Premier Control Technologies (PCT) supports medical device manufacturers, diagnostics OEMs, bioprocess teams and research labs across the UK and Ireland with class‑leading gas and liquid control solutions.

As an authorised UK & Ireland distributor for Alicat Scientific (laminar differential‑pressure mass flow meters and controllers) and Fluid Metering (valveless rotating piston pumps), we help engineering and lab teams achieve faster prototyping, higher accuracy, and simpler compliance from feasibility through scale‑up.

Common challenges in medical gas control - and how Alicat solves them

One device for microflows and full scale testing

Medical prototypes often swing from sccm level flows in feasibility to SLPM level flows in verification. Swapping hardware slows development.

Alicat advantage: 0.01–100% measurement/control range (≈10,000:1) on laminar DP meters/controllers means one instrument spans micro to full scale.

Frequent gas changes without re calibration

R&D cycles require fast changes between Air, O₂, N₂, CO₂, He and blends.

Alicat advantage: 98–130 pre loaded gas calibrations selectable on the device or digitally—no loss of accuracy—reducing SKUs and downtime.

Stable control despite plumbing/back pressure changes

New test articles and valves can destabilise flow.

Alicat advantage: Autotune optimises valve gains in situ; fast control loops (as low as ~30ms on the relevant series) restore stability quickly.

Limited supply pressure on benchtop systems

Small cylinders and compact skids can’t "spend" pressure across the MFC.

Alicat advantage: Whisper™ (MCW) controllers achieve control with very low pressure drop (≈0.07PSID, model dependant)—ideal when pressure loss is an issue.

Vacuum and sub atmospheric processes

Some medical processes, surface treatments and leak back tests need accurate control under vacuum.

Alicat advantage: Vacuum configured laminar DP controllers with SEMI footprints (SFF/MCV/MCES series) deliver accuracy and 10,000:1 range for CVD/ALD/PVD style rigs.

Integration with mixed PLC/SCADA stacks

Brownfield sites and new rigs need quick drop ins.

Alicat advantage: Broad protocol support (RS 232/485, Modbus RTU/TCP, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT, PROFIBUS, and IO Link) speeds commissioning and replacements

Materials, cleanliness and oxygen service

Medical/bioprocess applications demand USP Class VI, 316L, and oxygen cleaning.

Alicat advantage: Bio Series options add USP Class VI elastomers, 316L SS flow bodies, O₂ cleaning, lockable UI, and valve drive % for Preventative Maintenance(PM).

Documentation, traceability and audit readiness

Teams need NIST traceable calibration and logged flow/pressure/temperature.

Alicat advantage: Devices display/log Pressure, Temperature & volumetric and mass flow and ship with NIST traceable calibration certificates—easy hand offs to DAQ/LIMS.

PCT are also able to ship devices with ISO 17025 certification.

Lead time risk near gate reviews

Prototypes cannot wait.

Alicat advantage: fast track programmes can deliver commonly configured devices rapidly, typically ≈5 day. Contact us for current availability.

Popular picks for medical R&D: M/MC (general purpose), Whisper™ MCW (low ∆P), BASIS™ (compact OEM), SFF/MCV/MCES (vacuum/SEMI), IS Max (hazardous locations), Bio Series (materials/compliance).

Why partner with PCT (UK & Ireland)?

Local engineering support & service from our base at Hethel Engineering Centre (Norwich), with UK calibration and application help to shorten cycles.
Authorised UK & Ireland distributor for Alicat (laminar DP mass flow) and FMI (valveless rotating piston)—one partner for gas and liquid control.
Fast track supply options for time critical builds; ask us to check current programme availability for your configuration.

Typical medical & diagnostics applications we support

Bioreactor sparging & aeration (multi gas, O₂ cleaning, USP Class VI.
Analyzer reagent dosing & wash cycles (microlitre accuracy, low pulse/low shear.
Leak testing & closed volume pressurisation (pressure control + flow measurement).
Vacuum coating/surface treatment (SEMI footprint, vacuum rated controllers).