News & Events

Now Hiring Welders

DCI, Inc is now hiring welders, click here to download and complete an application.

Additional information is also available on the Careers at DCI page of our website.

PharMix® Agitators - Superior Sanitary Mixing

DCI announces the new PharMix® 1000, 3000, 4000 and D-Series top-entering agitators. These mixers are specifically designed for demanding pharmaceutical and biotechnical mixing applications. They have the industry's best performance and clean-ability features including:

  • All stainless steel drives, inverter duty motor, reduction gear and pedestal
  • Versatile drive motor mounting configurations that include direct-drive, in-line parallel or right angle
  • Product contact material is T316LSS (S31600/S31603) standard or available in any higher alloy such as Hastelloy®, Duplex or AL6XN®
  • Unlimited impeller availability including classic turbines, foils, high shear and custom designs
  • Mechanically polished finishes and final electro polishing available to match any product contact specification
  • Wide range of hygienic shaft seals to meet any application--single mechanical through double mechanical gas or liquid charged models
  • Robust shaft designs that can run in free air for CIP and low level mixing; stabilizing rings are eliminated
  • Advanced, patent pending in-vessel hygienic couplings available for use with extended shafts, large diameter impellers and maintenance accessibility
  • Integrated agitation controls in NEMA 4X enclosures that can be on-board or remotely mounted
  • Complete pre-validation documentation package provided with each unit including standard Certificates of Conformance for materials, seals, faces (FDA) and elastomers (FDA & USP VI) - a PharMix® exclusive

These new agitators represent the next generation in quality, performance, clean-ability and value. Bring us your most challenging mixing requirements and DCI's engineers will design a system for your specific application. Let our long experience serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industry work for you!

New PMI quality procedure: We can prove it!

DCI, Inc. - St. Cloud, MN has implemented Positive Material Identification (PMI) to assure material traceability of components built into our product. Our PMI procedure includes checking the materials as received, and also stipulates checks on the shop floor to ensure that the documentation remains intact during the manufacturing process. A customer can also request a final PMI of the finished product.

To do this DCI is utilizing the latest technology, NITON X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) hand-held alloy analyzers, to perform the analysis.

DCI implements use of Duplexes

The most common metallic material of construction for product contact surfaces in BioPharm applications continues to be 316L stainless steel. In more demanding and corrosive environments, higher alloyed Super-Austenitic (6-Moly) stainless steels, such as AL6XN® (N08367) and 254SMO® (S31254) or Nickel-Chrome-Moly alloys such as Hastelloy® C-22® (N06022) have been successfully used. Now, more than ever, the fluctuating costs of these higher alloys, mainly due to surcharges of nickel and molybdenum, have made these choices increasingly difficult.

End users must look at corrosion resistance, product contamination risks, cleanability, etc. when they choose a material of construction. One potential solution currently being used is the use of duplex stainless steels. Generally, duplex alloys have a higher Chrome composition, a lower Nickel content and precise additions of Nitrogen, as compared to conventional 316L. The most common duplex stainless steel is 2205 (see figure 1 for a basic chemistry comparison). Since duplex 2205 contains a much lower nickel content than 316L, one of the main cost drivers is lowered, thereby making it a cost effective alternative to the higher alloys.

The most critical issue in using duplex stainless steels is in the fabrication process. The main issues are maintaining the metallurgy during welding and potential special tooling. Knowledgeable and experienced fabricators who understand duplex stainless steels should be utilized.

Compared to 316L, generally duplex 2205 is more corrosion resistant, especially in chloride containing environments, and is very resistant to chloride pitting and stress corrosion cracking. The material can be finished, polished, electropolished and passivated to the industry’s highest standards. Duplex 2205 and other duplex stainless steels are a viable option for many applications in the BioPharm industry.