Which Peristaltic Pump Tubing Fits? Silicone, PharMed, Tygon?

Three things determine which peristaltic pump tubing is used. It transports fluid. The heat it has to stand. How is it cleaned? Engineers have a simpler question. What grade is the longest and makes the batch clean? 

Jobs mostly fall into four groups. These include platinum-cured silicone, PharMed BPT, Tygon, and Chem-Durance. Each one behaves differently in a roller.

This guide compares nine grades: It talks about hardness, heat range, and cleaning process. It also explains size codes like 14# and 82#. All figures above are based on published grade data.

What Does A Pump Head Do To Peristaltic Pump Tubing?

A pump head squeezes the tube shut using rollers. The tube is then allowed to spring forward. This occurs hundreds of times a minute. So the wall must regain its original shape again.

Three numbers indicate how well a tube copes. Hardness determines the load on the motor. The compression set illustrates the extent of shape loss. Wall thickness determines flow and pressure restrictions.

The Shore A hardness scale has grades from 50 to 72. Most guides will say 50-65 for pump work. The harder wall stresses the motor. Back pressure folds a softer wall.

Three Properties That Decide Tube Life

How Do Nine Grades Compare By Hardness And Heat?

These nine peristaltic pump tubing grades are grouped into three tasks. Sterile job. Chemical work. Fuel work.

First, read the heat column. Read hardness then. Then comes the fluid match. The grade that won’t hold your process heat is out.

Grade Comparison

Rarely is One Number published elsewhere. At 70°C, it is in compression. PharMed BPT +27%. Tygon S3 E-3603 64% recorded. F-4040-A, 65 percent. Lower is preferable. PharMed maintains its bore shape for considerably longer because of this gap.

Why Choose Platinum-Cured Silicone For Sterile Lines?

Where sterile lines are required, platinum-cured silicone tubing is preferred. It takes steam again and again and remains springy. “It is clear; staff can see the flow.

Real gain is found on the inner surface. It’s smooth. It has a very low protein adhesion. In addition, relatively little protein enters. That keeps cells safe. And consistent dosages.

Published values may be checked easily. The minimum tensile strength is 7.0 MPa. Elongation 500% max. Tear strength is not less than 30.0 KN/m. Tubes are supplied in double layer sterile packaging.

Where Silicone Grades Are Used

Work involving the transfer of culture media, waste removal, and cell transfer

Brewing, yeast and additive dosing, as well as clean beer and beverage filling

Reagent transfer in biopharma reactors, carried out in a 100,000-class clean room

Medical devices where the professionals need to watch the fluid moving through the line

Where Does PharMed BPT Earn Its Place?

PharMed BPT deserves its position where tube costs more than downtime. In a pump it lasts up to 30 times longer than normal silicone. So you get fewer line stoppages.

It is resistant to wear. It also needs many CIP and SIP cycles. This is valid for closed systems cleaned in place. The low permeability inhibits the gas exchange during fermentation.

Standards for pharmaceutical pump tubing are lengthy. It is compliant with REACH, RoHS, USP Class VI, FDA, NSF 51, and ISO 10993.

Three fitted clamps are on certain sets. That's two press points on one tube. If the first wears, the second is prepared. This avoids the expense of peristaltic pump replacement tubing for the production run. The clamps are colour coded by bore size.

Which Tygon Grade Suits Which Fluid?

Tygon is not one product. Four grades here solve four different problems. Mixing them up is the most common error.

Four Tygon Grades At A Glance

S3 E-3603 - handles almost all common inorganic lab chemicals. It stays soft down to −43°C. It is marked every 30.4 cm. It has no BPA and no phthalates. This is the workhorse laboratory pump tubing.

2475 - plasticizer-free high purity tubing for careful transfers. Ribs sit inside the wall. Pressure resistance is eight times the plain type.

F-4040-A - made for oil-based fluids. It resists swelling and hardening with petrol, kerosene, cutting oil and glycol coolant.

Chemical - a co-extruded build, close to Norprene Chemical. The bore is inert and free of plasticizer. The Tygon jacket gives long flex life.

Two of these come from Saint-Gobain. One is sold under the Masterflex label. So datasheet wording differs a little.

What Handles 98% Concentrated Sulfuric Acid?

Chem-Durance handles corrosive, strong acids and strong alkalis. This comprises 98% sulfuric acid. That is a much more ambitious promise than the wording for typical chemical resistant pump tubing.

It’s the build that does it. The fluid encounters an inert liner. The roller load is taken by an elastomer outer layer. No plasticizer is present in the bore. It has very low fluid retention.

Additionally, it involves abrasion and extrusion. Compliant for food contact (FDA). The range is -60°C to +74°C.

How Do You Read Peristaltic Pump Tubing Size Codes?

The tube number is a size designation. It defines the bore, outer size, and wall. It’s not about length or grade.

For a 13# tube, the bore is 0.8 mm. An 82# tube has a 12.5 mm bore. In silicone, PharMed, and Tygon, the same code signifies the same size.

3-stage wall thickness. They are 1.6 mm, 2.4 mm, and 3.2 mm. A thicker wall can withstand greater pressure. It needs more torque as well.

Common Size Codes

Not every grade has every code. Tygon Chemical lists four sizes. Silicone lists fourteen. Check stock before you set one code as standard.

Which Cleaning Method Works For Each Grade?

Autoclave sterilization is published for three grades. These are silicone, PharMed BPT and Tygon S3 E-3603. All three run at 120–121°C for 30 minutes. Gas and gamma routes differ by grade. Check both before you validate a process.

Published Sterilizing Data

Read "not listed" with care. It means no method is published. It does not mean the method fails. If a datasheet is silent, ask the supplier.

How Do You Match A Grade To Your Job?

Work from the fluid first. Then the heat. Then the cleaning method. This list covers most requests:

1. Cell culture and media transfer → platinum-cured silicone

2. Long pharmaceutical filling runs → PharMed BPT

3. General lab reagents → Tygon S3 E-3603

4. Sensitive, high-purity fluids → Tygon 2475

5. Fuel, lubricant and coolant → Tygon F-4040-A

6. Concentrated acid or solvent → Chem-Durance

Pair the choice with the right pump. A laboratory peristaltic pump and a dispensing and filling pump load the same tube in different ways.

What Shortens Tube Life In Daily Use?

Most early failures are caused by three habits. If run over the indicated heat limit, the wall will soften. Clamping the same spot each cycle wears one point of the wall. A flat spot is created by leaving a tube closed overnight.

Two fixes, no cost. Move the tube every now and again. When the pump is not in use, release the head.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature can peristaltic pump tubing handle?

Peristaltic pump tubing handles temperatures from -60°C to +238°C in the grades specified below. Silicone has the broadest range. The smallest is the Tygon 2475 at 52°C.

Silicone grades at the upper end are +238°C

PharMed BPT temperature range: -59°C to +135°C

Can peristaltic pump tubing be autoclaved?

Yes. Silicone, PharMed BPT and Tygon S3 E-3603 are autoclaved at 120-121°C for 30 min. Best routed via steam of silicone.

Gamma has also been published: 50 kGy for PharMed BPT

Gas, gamma, and autoclave methods are listed in Tygon 2475.

Which tubing grade resists strong acids?

Chem-Durance is resistant to aggressive acids like 98% concentrated sulfuric acid. Its inert lining contacts the fluid. The roller load is handled by the elastomer jacket.

Operating range is -60°C to +74°C

Also for aggressive organic solvents

What does the tube number 13#, 17#, or 82# mean?

The number is a size code. A 13# tube has a diameter of 0.8 mm. A 17# is 6.4 mm. 82# has a 3.2 mm wall with 12.5 mm.

Same code, same size for all materials

Codes available by grade

Which grades meet USP Class VI and ISO 10993?

PharMed BPT satisfies USP Class VI and ISO 10993 standards. It also fulfils FDA, NSF 51, REACH, and RoHS standards.

It has a biocompatible fluid contacting surface

Silicone grades are inert and non-toxic to the body

How long does a pump tube last before you change it?

Tube life is all about flex cycles, not months. PharMed BPT has a lifespan up to 30 times longer than ordinary silicone in the same head.

Lower compression set maintains bore roundness longer

Higher speed and pressure reduce the interval

Conclusion

First, match the fluid. Then the heat. Then the cleaning process. That sequence prevents practically any expensive error. Nine grades sound like many. The temperature column rules out half of them fast.

There’s one simple reason Innofluid Co., Ltd. is worth a look. Actual hardness, compression set, and cleaning numbers for peristaltic pump tubing of each grade are provided. Suppliers provide you with a generic sheet. It also has all nine families with matching size codes. They have comparable configurations on their lab and industrial websites. For technical problems, you may contact Innofluid Co., Ltd. via their online chat.