CSI Invents New Swickle Design for Brewery Samples
A multinational brewery came to Central States Industrial (CSI) with safety and cleanability issues concerning their swickle connector and assembly. The threaded connector was welded to the valve, leaving cracks and crevices in the thread where bacteria gathered and festered, contaminating the brewery's samples. The old swickle designs were also a safety hazard. The old versions were made of uneven cast iron, causing the swickles to misalign and spray everywhere. The 45° angle of the swickle caused hot, caustic liquid to squirt into the face of personnel.
CSI recognized the severity of this industry issue and began inventing a new product to solve the problem, enlisting the help of engineers, designers, and craftspeople. The team was shortly able to produce and patent a new swickle connector and assembly. The improved swickle was made of stainless steel and was crafted to be precise and consistent. The CSI swickle was 90°, instead of 45°, causing the samples to pour straight down, instead of out. This helped create a safer environment for workers. The body of the new swickle adapter was shaped differently, so it acted as a guide. This made it easier to align the swickle with the spout. The outer diameter (OD) matched the inner diameter (ID) exactly, so that it was flush, with a tight seal; this helped avoid liquid spraying out in all directions.
The new design is clean-in-place (CIP) capable, sanitary, safe, efficient, and easy to use. To read more about the swickle that CSI’s Vice President of Operations, Bryan Billmyer, invented, check out the patent.
ABOUT CSI
Central States Industrial Equipment (CSI) is a leader in distribution of hygienic pipe, valves, fittings, pumps, heat exchangers, and MRO supplies for hygienic industrial processors, with four distribution facilities across the U.S. CSI also provides detail design and execution for hygienic process systems in the food, dairy, beverage, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and personal care industries. Specializing in process piping, system start-ups, and cleaning systems, CSI leverages technology, intellectual property, and industry expertise to deliver solutions to processing problems. More information can be found at www.csidesigns.com.