GFD®Pilot – Bridging the gap from lab to production
Agitated Nutsche Filter Drying (ANFD) is a batch filtration technique using vacuum and/or pressure in a closed vessel.
It uses PSL's distinctive agitator design for excellent cake agitation in applications such as dyes, paints, silicon, wastewater treatment and pharmaceutical production.
The GFD® Filter Dryer overcomes the challenges of commonly used methods such as Büchner filtration and oven drying.
The GFD®Pilot, an Agitated Nutsche Filter Dryer (ANFD), performs solid-liquid separation at kilolab and pilot scale, bridging the gap between laboratory research and full-scale production. Compact yet powerful, it is a key tool for feasibility studies and for validating proof-of-concept work from earlier R&D phases. Despite its smaller size, it delivers the same quality, reliability and efficiency as PSL's full-sized ANFD filter dryers.
PSL's GFD® technology was designed to overcome the well-documented challenges manufacturers face with conventional methods such as Büchner filtration and oven tray-drying.
The GFD®Pilot comprises an agitated vessel that operates under both vacuum and pressure. The vessel can be made of borosilicate 3.3 glass, 316L stainless steel or alloy 22, and has a heated jacket for optimal drying. Solid-liquid separation takes place in the unique filtration basket, which can be removed easily to improve product recovery and simplify the process.
Designed as the logical scale-up from the laboratory-based GFD®Lab, the GFD®Pilot is central to evaluating and developing the target end product before scaling up to commercial production. It is the essential link from research to full-scale manufacturing.
Features and benefits
Integrated filtration and drying at pilot scale
The GFD®Pilot is a comprehensive filter dryer for pilot-plant production, compliant with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards. Widely used in pharmaceutical and fine-chemical processing, it gives developers and manufacturers a versatile platform to run many processes within a single, standardized system:
1. Slurry Filtration (solid-liquid separation)
2. Product Washing
3. Re-slurry
4. Vacuum Drying
5. Product Sampling
6. Product Discharge
By integrating these functions, the GFD®Pilot streamlines operations and enables efficient, compliant processes at pilot-plant scale.
Optimizing product recovery at every stage
Maximizing yield is essential during pilot-scale feasibility studies and small-scale production. The GFD®Pilot is engineered with this goal in mind.
At the end of the process, the GFD®Pilot makes batch collection easy, thanks to its filtration basket, which can be fully removed from the GFD® vessel.
The GFD® basket is highly versatile and suits multi-product applications. It allows quick, hassle-free filtration-mesh changeovers across a wide range of pore sizes and materials, including polypropylene, PTFE, 316L stainless steel and alloy 22. This adaptability improves the system's agility and efficiency and optimizes product recovery across production scenarios.
Adaptable modular design for greater production flexibility
Compact and mobile, the GFD®Pilot Filter Dryer offers strong production flexibility thanks to its modular design.
Like the GFD®Lab range, the GFD®Pilot's base frame and motor are compatible with all relevant vessel materials, including borosilicate 3.3 glass, 316L stainless steel and alloy 22. This provides a straightforward, purpose-built solution for a wide range of applications and further improves the system's adaptability and ease of use across production scenarios.
