Our Story
Founded in 1989, Constant Systems Limited is now well into our fourth decade of operations and we are still very much dedicated to the design, manufacturing and maintenance of our high pressure cell disruption equipment which has built a reputation on reliability, reproducibility, efficacy and consistency.
Client Services
We take pride in providing the highest level of service to our clients.
Our service starts at the initial enquiry stage. All enquiries are detailed and documented and the client is taken through the enquiry process so that all relevant information is captured.
This ensures that the best fit equipment is recommended via a personalised Cell Disruption Solutions Proposal.
All Constant Systems equipment (and the client) are supported post sale either directly by our service team or through our distributor network. This means that our service and technical teams are ready to assist; whether it be a question on spare parts, technical assistance, a request for new user training or renewing a maintenance agreement.
Maintenance Agreements
We recommend maintenance agreements on all our equipment.
Our experienced, knowledgeable and friendly engineers will carry out an extensive check and ensure the equipment is within calibration and running at optimum levels. During his or her visit the engineer will also take time to review the users log book and liaise with the client to discuss any requirements that the client may have and make recommendations regarding usage, training, cleaning and spare parts.
Our excellent service department pride themselves on the level of customer care and support. We deliver direct to all our clients in the UK, Europe and those a little further away in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Our Products
Use high pressure for cell lysis processes combined with our unique and proprietary hydraulic design and control system; which guarantees a consistent process throughout.
This unique design and control is utilised throughout our range of cell disruption products allowing the client’s process to be both upward and downwardly scalable.
This combination of high pressure and consistent control means that typically 99% of a sample will be processed at the target pressure; which ensures a maximum return and, in most cases avoiding multiple passes.
Our product range offers a complete and scalable solution for highly efficient cell lysis from 0.5mL single sample processing through to 150L/hour continuous fluid processing.
Our products are used by world leading academic, research and industrial facilities around the globe to process common expression systems such as E. coli and S. cerevisiae through to widely considered tough to break organisms P. pastoris, S. aureus and L. lactis.
Technology
What Happens?
Our unique process is based on precise and consistent control of high pressure ensures that our equipment produces efficient cell lysis across a range of expression systems and material types; including bacteria, yeast, algae, and plant/tissue.
There are several conditions (steps) that affect the cells within your sample as set out below:
Instantaneous high pressure – the sample is momentarily trapped in the high pressure cylinder and acting pressures instantly move from ambient to the set pressure.
Shear stresses – the sample rushes across the fixed orifice geometry and starts to enter the fixed orifice.
Acceleration – the sample is accelerated through the orifice up to speeds of 650 metres per second.
Depressurisation – once the sample has left the orifice acting pressures instantly return to ambient.
Impact – the sample now collides with the cooled heat exchange surface (which can be as low as -15 degree Celsius) in less than one second of the process beginning.
How do we control all these effects?
Put simply, we very accurately control the process pressure.
Several equipment suppliers offer high pressure processing but how accurate and consistent is the pressure that is applied to the sample?
The data chart shown opposite, shows recent testing of a well-known high pressure homogenizer. We found that the homogenizer processed < 30% of the sample within 10% of the set pressure. In simple terms that means over two thirds of the sample is being processed outwith 10% of the target pressure.
The same testing indicated that our unique and proprietary hydraulic design and fixed orifice geometry meant that 99% of the sample was processed within 1% of the set pressure. This ensures that the exact same conditions are applied to the sample throughout the process. So whether it’s a 0.5mL single sample or 150L per hour continuous flow processing we give you the control and accuracy that guarantees repeatable, scalable highly efficient cell lysis.
