Hey all.
I’m going to be in need of a 6” wiped film soon and was wanting to gauge customer satisfaction among the big brands. Customer service has to be solid.
I have quotes from the following:
Prospiant/Delta Separations (RFD-27)
Pope (6” and Propass 600)
Helderpad (KDT 6)
ChemTech (KDT 6 and mini-5/KDT 6)
ETS (VKL 70)
Beaker and Wrench (WFE gen3)
Precision (HiVE 30)
Let me know if you have run any of these and what you think both about the hardware and the support.
Thanks in advance.
I prefer Pope’s, chemtech, and VTA…
All 2 have a long, true history of providing distillation equipment for the biopharma markets…
Parts will always be available, whether or not the Cannabis market survives…
I have a KD 10 and a Pope 6" avail if anyone has interest…
Also a VTA if interested in something a bit smaller.
I have worked extensively with a Pope and with a VKL 70-5.
I would argue that a VKL is the best wiper out there… hands down.
Not on the list is HVE, the only system I have experience with but it ran very solid, never had any issues with it that weren’t operator error. So I can’t say it’s better than the options you listed, but if I had to purchase one again, I would.
Precision is their current vendor and I listed it under that.
Also… I have been somewhat reluctant about glass wiped film units, would appreciate some feedback over whether or not that is warranted.
Good catch, my reading comprehension skills are poor! I didn’t go through precision so I didn’t even notice it in parenthesis.
Anyway, solid stainless wipers. Before I left my previous outfit, it was running pretty much 8-12 hours on average 5 days a week for about 2 years. Aside from replacing the actual wiper blades once or twice during that timespan, it had no problems.
I ran a glass VTA for 2 years almost daily. Real workhorse, and the only issue we had with glass was when a new tech put the system back together after cleaning the wipers and failed to adjust them before turning the motor on. Root Sciences had a returned body at the time that they shipped out immediately. Was back up within a week and never broke another glass piece.
I use a Lab1st glass unit now and it’s similar but stripped down to the basics. I miss the circulator heated pathways and discharge pumps, but for 1/3rd the price of the VKL it works just fine.
You can get a stainless body for a 6" pope and it’s quite sturdy. We ran a 2" and a 6" pope in my lab for a number of years, they are workhorses for sure. Not the prettiest, won’t get you to 95% THC in a couple passes unless you have your vac super dialed in, but if you need something to process as much nasty crude as possible in a short period of time and just need 80-90%THC content then the pope will cover your needs.
I will say one of the most important upgrades we got for it was the Beaker and Wrench outlet pumps. When you are pumping big volumes through a 6 inch you can fill a 5L flask alarmingly fast and you end up spending more time cooling down, breaking vac, swapping flasks and re-establishing vac than you do actually wiping. The outlet pumps, while they can be finicky at times, completely remove the need to pause the run so often.
Gear pumps on the output are a must for sure. It needs to be bulletproof and easy to train a wook to operate, and there needs to be support if something goes sideways.
Honestly that’s not too much to ask for a six figure acquisition. I’ve gotten some decent price cuts in quotes for factory refurb units and I’m leaning that way.
I’ve had the HVE 30 unit for a couple years now, we actually got one of, if not the very first unit they sold. If you’re going to make regular production volume, get the supercharged vacuum setup, this will get you proper vacuum for polishing. The rotary vane pump alone will not be enough. I suggest getting the 2 trap setup as well, this will protect your vacuum pump much better, collecting most trash in trap 1 (swap the 1 liter flask for a 2 liter).
Gear pumps on output will be a must have. Idk what they’re offering for the input side nowadays, but the gravity type feed flask isn’t sufficient for high volume. You can use a good peristaltic pump to feed your wiper, but you will still need a heated feed flask and heated feed tubing. I can help you with this if needed. I have both gear pump and peristaltic available for this one. The Cole Parker pump is a bit more detailed in speed adjustment compared to the gear pump. There’s a big difference in price for the tubing. The standard Cole Parmer silicone tubing works good but you will likely need to replace the section each day and it only handles oil temps up to about 90C, if you need to move hotter oil you will need their Viton tubing(it’s black, and costs about 500$per roll vs 125$for the silicone).
The customer service has been great with HVE directly. Make sure you get the newer style jacket with the logo on it and heat bands on the inside.
McMaster is a great place to get viton tubing at sub roll lengths. Surprisingly cheaper than other vendors and wicked fast shipping. I got 10ft for 50$ but it gets cheaper by the foot when ordering more.
Fuck a bunch of peristaltic pumps for input feeds. IMO it’s grossly inadequate for crude. Gear pumps all the way.
I mostly agree. As I mentioned, I only have the one , Cole Parmer Easy Load 2 that I use anymore and I’ve made it where only about a 12"section of tubing is needed. I have both gear and peristaltic available. This unit is more than sufficient for crude or any oil , in this particular 6 inch wiper. If I need to go hotter than 90C,I use the Viton tubing, and likewise, Only Cole Parmer brand. All other peristaltic pumps I’ve tried were a hassle.
And to add to this, I would not recommend peristaltic pump for any output for sure. Gear pumps, when properly set up will work best. The Beaker and Wrench pumps are similar to the Summit ones. I prefer the Liquiflo units. Build the kit yourself, or I can get one made for you.
I own and run 2 Delta RFD 27’s and I personally would stay away from them. Customer service is horrible 6 + days for a return call if you can even get them on the phone. Also the vacuum leaks you get on a regular basis are hard to deal with. Kills your throughput as well as the time to chase these every time you fire it up is painful. I ran a Pope at the last lab and it worked great. Not nearly the problems’ that the RFD’s have,
I have a cts kd6 w/ dual cold traps for 55k if interested
just picked up a hve 30, used to running a Prescott 1000 at my lp. hve is for a buddies grey market op. Any solid tips or good sop action on the hve. Starting from scratch on the unit.
Yo, you got the hook-up on a solid wiped film unit? I’m on the lookout for one right now and could use some advice. Appreciate it!