Two vacuum hoses, one choice: Air-Food Antistatic vs. Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum

A vacuum hose is not just a vacuum hose. The vacuum pressure is the same, but the medium, process environment and hygiene requirements vary widely. And these differences determine which hose is right for your plant. 

Following on from our latest introduction to vacuum technology, we focused on the three challenges that negative pressure solves across industries: oxidation, heat and contamination. But understanding vacuum is only half the journey; the other half is about choosing the right vacuum hose. 

To help you make the right choice, we compare two of our most trusted vacuum hose solutions: the durable Air Food Antistatic and the high-end silicone hose Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum. 

When selecting hoses for your process, it is crucial to understand that granule hoses and silicone hoses are designed for two fundamentally different worlds. The difference lies in the chemistry of the materials, the construction, and the specific process environment in which they must perform. Vacuum suitability is not, in fact, an isolated concept. It's about whether the hose is mechanically constructed with the correct steel spiral, wall thickness and reinforcement to withstand constant negative pressure without collapsing.  

A granule hose such as the Air Food Antistatic is the obvious choice for mechanically demanding tasks involving dry materials. It is optimised for raw, coarse and angular particles such as grain, malt and heavy powders, where wear resistance, robustness and a stable flow are crucial for your uptime. Here, the hose must withstand constant internal wear and retain its shape under vacuum, so that transport remains reliable hour after hour. 

If, on the other hand, the process involves extreme hygiene requirements or strict documentation requirements, you should choose a silicone hose such as our platinum-cured Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum. Here, you are not choosing the hose for its wear resistance, but for its chemical resistance, absolute purity and temperature tolerance during aggressive CIP and SIP cycles. This makes it the ideal choice for sensitive media such as cosmetics, ingredients and alcoholic liquids.

In breweries and dairies, vacuum transport of dry materials is often an integral part of daily operations. Grain, malt, raw sugar and dried milk powders are sucked through the systems under negative pressure – a process that wears down the inside of the hose. If you are experiencing hoses that wear out prematurely, or if you are struggling with microscopic leaks, it's often a sign that the hose is not designed for that specific type of mechanical stress. It's material fatigue, pressure loss and, in the worst case, a hose collapse in the middle of a production run.  

Air Food Antistatic is designed with a durable, smooth, white NBR rubber inner surface, tailored to withstand the constant, heavy wear from dry materials. The smooth inner surface reduces friction and unwanted build-up, ensuring a continuous flow and making internal cleaning significantly easier between production shifts. 

The operational benefits include: 

• A reliable temperature range from -20°C to +90°C, covering the vast majority of operating conditions in the food industry.  
• Capability for short-term sterilisation and flushing at up to +130°C for 30 minutes, allowing for effective hygiene without unnecessary dismantling. 
• Uncompromising material safety, as the hose is free from phthalates, adipates and animal derivatives, and fully complies with EC 1935/2004, EC 2023/2006 (GMP), EU 2024/1390 and FDA CFR 21-177.2600. 

When dry grain products and powders move through hoses, static electricity can build up. With proper earthing during installation, the static electricity is effectively dissipated before it can create sparks or compromise safety in your production environment. That is why the antistatic function is not just an extra feature on the data sheet, but a crucial safety measure in your process. 

Moving from the food industry’s dry materials into the pharmaceutical industry, the focus shifts entirely. Here, mechanical wear takes a back seat to sterile processes, chemical resistance and the market’s strictest documentation requirements. It's in this uncompromising environment that Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum is well suited for, for example, the safe transport of fine pharmaceutical powders or liquids with a high alcohol content.  

The technical specifications reflect the high standard: 

• Both the inner lining and outer cover are made of grey antistatic silicone rubber. This guarantees completely tasteless and odourless media transport, with nothing being transferred to your product. 
• The hose is free from phthalates, adipates and animal derivatives and complies with FDA CFR 21-177.2600, EC 1935/2004, EC 2023/2006 (GMP). 
• It withstands steam sterilisation at +135°C with 3.5 bar for up to 90 minutes and air sterilisation at +200°C for up to 30 minutes, retaining its properties and integrity after repeated cycles.  
• To eliminate any risk of contamination during the manufacturing process itself, the hose is produced under controlled conditions in a certified ISO 14644-1 Class 8 cleanroom. 

Safety considerations are incorporated into every layer of Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum. The hose is antistatic (R<10⁸ Ω) and ATEX-approved for Zones 0, 1, 2, 20, 21 and 22. Pharmaceutical powders build up an electrostatic charge during vacuum transport, and Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum ensures safe transport even in the most critical classified environments. 

Both hoses are constructed with a built-in steel spiral that keeps the cross-section circular when negative pressure is applied. However, many make the mistake of believing that the spiral alone is a universal guarantee against hose collapse. The truth is that it's only half the equation. Choosing the right base material, whether it is wear-resistant NBR rubber or chemically inert silicone, is essential for the spiral to do its job at all. 

It's also worth considering the antistatic properties, but these are not always a requirement. When transporting dry solids or alcohol-based media, this can be an important safety factor, whereas for wet or non-flammable media it is often not critical to operation. Here, it's instead the material’s chemical and thermal strength that determines whether the hose meets the process requirements. 

The vacuum does not stop working simply because the spiral retains its shape. It constantly draws in the hose material itself between the coils of the spiral, and if the material is not compatible with the process, critical problems will quickly arise. 

When choosing between hoses, it's important to assess the entire application and not just the insulated vacuum. Whilst Air Food Antistatic is the obvious solution for transporting dry materials in breweries and dairies, Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum delivers the cleanliness, documentation and temperature tolerance required by pharmaceutical production. 

Is your company facing the need to choose a vacuum hose for a new application, or would you like a professional assessment of your current setup? Our specialists advise on process components on a daily basis and are happy to share their experience. Contact us by phone on +45 7020 0422 or send an email to inquiry@alfotech.eu. 

The difference lies in the base material itself and, consequently, in the hoses’ specific strengths in day-to-day operation. Air Food Antistatic is a robust rubber hose with a specially developed NBR inner lining, designed for high mechanical wear resistance and the transport of dry materials. Pureway-SD Antistatic Platinum, on the other hand, is a platinum-cured silicone hose designed for absolute purity, chemical resistance, extreme temperatures and strict pharmaceutical requirements. The choice therefore depends on the process environment. 

You should choose this hose when the application involves heavy mechanical wear and the medium consists of dry materials such as grain, malt, sugar or powders. Here, it's important that the hose can withstand the internal wear caused by the particles whilst maintaining its structure under negative pressure. It's therefore an obvious choice in raw production environments such as dairies and breweries. 

Platinum-cured silicone is the absolute best choice when your process demands the highest standards of sterility, full traceability, product neutrality and documentation. The hose has been specifically developed for pharmaceutical production, where even microscopic material contamination or particle release is unacceptable, and where frequent, aggressive CIP/SIP processes and high temperatures are a regular part of daily routines.  

When dry materials, granules and fine powders are sucked through the hose system, intense friction is created, which generates static electricity. If this electrical charge is not dissipated in a controlled and continuous manner, the risk of uncontrolled sparks increases significantly, which in the worst case can lead to dust explosions in ATEX-classified environments or cause serious operational disruptions. The antistatic design is therefore a fundamental safety feature. However, it's not a universal requirement that a vacuum hose must be antistatic. It depends on the specific process environment and the medium you are transporting.