Latest News
Here you will find the latest news from our company as well as from our products. Visit our page regularly and stay up-to-date on new systems and modern technologies.
Nordhausen/Germany, 07. June 2021 | Hydrogen as the new and clean energy carrier of the future is becoming increasingly important.
Especially technical solutions for compression and storage, but also for testing and for the qualification of products with high pressure are particularly in focus.
As a specialist for compression of gases, our products are successfully used for hydrogen applications for decades. With our new special brochure, we are presenting all products from our Components division that are particularly suitable for hydrogen service in one catalog for the first time.
In addition to the gas boosters of the DLE series, valves, fittings and tubing of the Medium Pressure series, we also present our newly developed, air operated hydrogen valves in detail. Another highlight are our new fittings with variable connections - this allows users to reduce the required number of components and connection points.
The catalog is available for download here:
Nordhausen / Zurich, 29. September 2017 | In conjunction with the Biochemistry Department of the University of Zurich (UZH), Maximator GmbH, Nordhausen, has developed an innovative high-pressure system for the production or amplification of organic material like DNA, RNA or viruses. Maximator's HPL6 working principal is based on the principle of the "French press" and is used for particularly gentle high-pressure cell lysis.
High-pressure cell lysis including four-zone cooling
The system has been designed to the latest standards for laboratory operations and specially optimized with regard to temperature control and cleaning. Now that the prototype has been thoroughly tested by UZH's Biochemistry Department and achieved positive results throughout, Maximator is taking on production and global sales of the HPL6 high-pressure cell lysis unit.
High-pressure systems for physical cell lysis are used in medical technology, biotechnology, chemistry, biology and the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in research, to "break" cell walls. It is usually not crucial to adhere exactly to a specific low temperature in this process; that is why only the sample vessel in the final step of the process is cooled in most of the commercially available systems.
This type of cooling, however, was not sufficient for a project of UZH's Biochemistry Department, the aim of which was to capture and analyze intact cell membranes. On this subject, Prof. Raimund Dutzler, from the University of Zurich, says: "In order to preserve the cell membranes undamaged, the temperature range in our case needs to be below 8 °C throughout. Commercially available systems were unable to achieve this. What we needed, therefore, was a new device that keeps the temperature constantly cool across every individual step of the process." At the same time, the device was to be easier to clean than currently available systems.
The HPL6 high-pressure system is delivered to the University of Zurich. From left to right:
Prof. Raimund Dutzler, Sascha Weidner (both from the Biochemistry Department, University of Zurich), René Himmelstein (Maximator GmbH Deutschland), Peter Brülhart (Maximator Schweiz AG). Picture: Maximator GmbH
UZH designed a prototype according to its own high requirements, which Maximator GmbH, one of the leading suppliers of systems and components for the high-pressure technology sector, transformed into a reproducible system and is now bringing to market. The HPL6 (High Pressure Lyser, 60,000 psi) achieved consistently positive results in UZH's tests, setting new performance standards.
Four-zone cooling for even temperature
The HPL 6 has a four-zone cooling system, which means that the temperature is constantly kept at > 2° C over the entire process, i.e. also in those areas in which heat is generated.
The cooling zones are located on the high-pressure pump head (pump cooling), on the piping between pump and needle valve (T-piece cooling), on the lysis nozzle (nozzle cooling) and on the sample vessel containing the finished product (outlet cooling).
Simple handling, problem-free cleaning
It was very important to Maximator and UZH's Biochemistry Department that the system should be suitable for everyday use. By using high-quality quick-lock couplings made of stainless steel, switching between sample vessel and flushing head is carried out quickly. The cleaning effort is significantly reduced - a huge advantage over comparable systems. Whereas cleaning and disinfection took around 15 to 20 minutes in comparable systems, they take no more than 5 minutes with Maximator's HPL6.
A further plus point is that simple handling and fast cleaning speed up the entire process flow, thereby also contributing to cost reduction.
Convincing benchmark data confirm best performance for high-pressure cell lysis
Maximator's quiet and low-maintenance HPL6 can already be operated with a sample volume upwards of 20 ml. The dead volume is significantly minimized, at less than 6 ml.
Apart from the extremely high cooling capacity of approx. 2 °C for even the most difficult use cases, the system impresses by virtue of good flow rates at very high pressures (maximum pressure: 4,200 bar / 60,000 psi). The flow rate of E.coli, for example, is 120 - 330 ml/min at 1,400 bar / 20,000 psi while, for yeast, it is 80 - 150 ml/min at 3,200 bar / 45,000 psi.
The measured data of the powerful HPL6 confirm that Maximator has achieved its goal, targeted at the very beginning of the development, of becoming "best in class" in this area. René Himmelstein, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Maximator, adds: "HPL6 has been developed with users for users, which is having a positive impact in physical cell lysis practice. Through this development, our company is also opening up a new area of application for high-pressure technology, which is being marketed exclusively by Maximator. Apart from this biochemical use for organic material, the system may also be of interest in respect of other analysis tasks, e.g. in testing laboratories of the food industry or waste water technology."
Further information
About the University of Zurich and the Biochemistry Department
The University of Zurich (UZH), founded in 1833, is Switzerland's largest university, with over 25,000 students, and nowadays is one of the best universities in the German-speaking world. As a member of the "League of European Research Universities" (LERU), UZH belongs to Europe's leading research institutions. To date, the Nobel Prize has been conferred on twelve UZH scholars, including Albert Einstein and Conrad Röntgen.
Research at UZH's Biochemistry Department focuses on the functional investigation of proteins, using biophysical, biochemical and structural methods. Currently, the department houses six research groups. The department's mission is to be a leader in protein technology and structural biology and to conduct international-level cutting-edge research.
About MAXIMATOR GmbH
Maximator GmbH is one of the leading suppliers in the high-pressure and test technology, hydraulics and pneumatics sector. Its employees develop, design, manufacture and distribute international products that are used in industrial systems across the world. The company manufactures, among other things, systems for gas and water-assisted moulding applications, gas dosing stations, high-pressure pulse test systems, burst pressure test stands, leak test systems, autofrettage machines as well as high-pressure pumps and high-pressure gas boosters, hydraulic units and booster stations, valves, fittings and tubings. Maximator's long-standing experience in the project business for test and production systems makes it a valuable partner for the automotive industry, general mechanical engineering, the chemical and petrochemical industries as well as the oil and gas industry.
For its research, the TUHH Institute for Product Development and Design (PCT) runs a high-pressure center with pressure laboratories. Here, deep-sea simulations, hydrodynamic investigations of natural gas and crude oil, gas hydrate synthesis, as well as pressure and functional tests of tools and machine elements are carried out up to a pressure range of 550 bar. In the future, the fatigue strength of high-performance materials such as technical ceramics or complete components can also be tested within realistic conditions. The new pulse pressure test system offers dynamic pressure tests up to a frequency of 20 Hz at a pressure of up to 4.500 bar.
The PCT and the company Maximator are already cooperating in the field of "Development of modular product families", which also created a master thesis.
Prof. Dieter Krause, Head of the Institute: "The new system is an important extension of the institute's high-pressure testing technology. I am pleased that Maximator supports our competence and contributes decisively to its development."
Bernd Kampmann, Area Sales Manager MAXIMATOR GmbH: "Related to high pressures, frequencies and accuracy, there is nothing better in the market than the technology offered by Maximator and the donated system. The international automotive industry relies on Maximator, especially in the field of injection technology. As the world's number 1 in technology and quantity of distributed systems we are required and willing to support university research. This innovative technology is closely linked to research.
The interaction of the university with the industry ensures that education, research, development and industrial implementation of technologies ensure the future of engineering and related jobs. This position in the world market has to be consolidated and expanded."
Picture
From left to right: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Krause (Institut Manager PCT), Bernd Kampmann (Area Sales Manager Maximator GmbH), Dr.-Ing. Jens Schmidt (Senior Engineer PCT), Dr. Ralf Grote (Head of the TU Presidium)
Picture: Technical University Hamburg-Harburg
About Maximator GmbH
Maximator GmbH is one of the leading suppliers in high pressure technology and testing equipment, hydraulics and pneumatics. Its employees develop, design, manufacture and distribute international products that are used in industrial systems across the world. The company manufactures, among other things, systems for gas and water-assisted injection moulding applications, gas dosing stations, high-pressure pulse test systems, burst pressure test stands, leak test systems, autofrettage systems as well as high-pressure pumps and high-pressure gas boosters, hydraulic units and gas booster stations, valves, fittings and tubings. Maximator's long-standing experience in the project business for test and production systems makes it a valuable partner for the automotive industry, general mechanical engineering, the chemical and petrochemical industries as well as the oil and gas industry.
read moreThe PLASTINUM© GIM C system, developed by Linde und MAXIMATOR, is being used in series production for the first time. This system enables us to use carbon dioxide for gas assisted injection moulding.
MAXIMATOR has adapted a water assist system for the use of the High-Pressure Resin Transfer Molding procedure to produce weight-reduced components.
Huge car manufacturers use those systems for serial production of structural parts made of fiber composite material.
In many high-tech areas, system components must cope with high pressures. That’s why MAXIMATOR has launched the 15.000-bar series for valves, fittings and tubings.