The Aseptiquik G Genderless Sterile Connector

Throughout this blog, we’ve highlighted and hit on the corners of every niche in the high purity market. As we’ve hopefully shown, today’s market demand for new, safer, more effective, and cheaper drugs is continually driving process engineers to innovate and develop new ways to make process more flexible, reliable, and robust.
One of the groups pushing the boundaries of conventional high purity processing the furthest are the single-use equipment providers. Innovative single use technologies provide engineers greater flexibility by replacing conventional hard piped systems. The benefits of single-use technologies have been discussed in several of our previous posts. Today’s product-centric post will focus on the Aseptiquik family of sterile connectors and what product offerings are available.

To begin, let’s take a look at the connector that started it all- the original Aseptiquick connector. This gendered fitting creates a sterile flow path through an intuitive three step “click-pull-twist” design. The Aseptiquik’s robust design (including integral lock ring) provides reliable performance and eliminates the need for tube welders or bulky pre-manufactured assemblies. The Aseptiquick connector is made from USP Class VI ADCF Polycarbonate (w/ class VI silicone O Ring) and can be both gamma irradiated (50 kGy) and autoclaved (130 C for 30 minutes). The Aseptiquik connector is available with 3/8” and  ½” barbed terminations as well as 3/4” sanitary TC ends.
Now you may be thinking, “Well, what if my flow path is smaller or larger than ½” or 3/8 and I really don’t like having to match up male and female connectors? Then what do I do?”. Those are the challenges the next three products in the Aseptiquick line will address.
So what if you need to make a sterile connection on your thick walled, ¾” tubing that won’t fit in your tubing welder? Well, then you go with the Aseptiquik X brand of sterile connectors. Available in ¾” and 1” hose barb, as well as 1.5” tri clamp flanges, the Aseptiquik X is ideal for high flow applications. Featuring a “Twist-pull-twist” design, the Aseptiquik X’s integral lock rings allow it for use in applications with up to 60 PSI of process pressure. Again featuring similar MOC’s as the Aseptiquik and Aseptiquik S products, the Aseptiquik X can be both autoclaved and gamma irradiated.

So how do you take the best family of sterile connectors on the market and make it even better? You make it genderless. Rounding out the Aseptiquik product line is the Aseptiquik G line of sterile connectors. Available in ¼”-3/4” barbed and ¾” sanitary terminations, the Aseptiquik G simplifies use by eliminating the need to pair gendered parts. This means the guy selling you your single use bioreactor does not need to coordinate with the guy selling you your single use filling assembly to make sure they are supplying the right gender fitting. This also means fewer components that you need to stock in house. The simple “flip-click-pull” design is quickly making a name for itself as an industry leader, offering a full range of flow solutions with the same quality and market availability the Colder name has become synonymous with.

And finally, what do you do if you need to make a sterile connection outside of a laminar flow hood with a line size smaller than three eighths? Well, you could buy a $20,000 tube welder, which doesn’t always work great on those small fluid paths, or you could use the Aseptiquik S connector. Designed for 1/8”, ¼”, and 3/8” flow paths, the Aseptiquik S is a genderless sterile connector designed specifically for small line applications. Featuring an intuitive “flip-click-pull” design, the Aseptiquik S expands on the proven advantages of the standard Aseptiquik. Available with both barb, sanitary clamp, and MPC terminations, the Aseptiquik S is made from the same materials as the standard Aseptiquik connectors enabling the same robust process performance.

To conclude, there are many ways by which drug manufacturers can create a sterile connection. The right selection depends on the needs and preferences of each facility. Colder has created a robust product portfolio to help address the need for intuitive, simple, and cost effective sterile connections. For more information about Colder’s Aseptiquik product family, contact a Holland Sales Engineer today.