Cerulean, market-leading supplier of quality assurance equipment for the tobacco industry, has added a new product to its paper testing range that assists paper and cigarette manufacturers in meeting the requirements for Fire Standard Compliant cigarettes. The new CDX101 Diffusivity Tester provides a robust tool for determining the properties of the bands and base paper of Low Ignition Propensity (LIP) paper by measuring CO2 diffusivity. 

The rate of CO2 diffusion through a paper is more representative than permeability as a measure of the effectiveness of the bands on LIP papers. The resulting measurement can also be related to the ability of a cigarette to pass the ASTM E2187 test for Fire Standard Compliant cigarettes. 

The specification of Cerulean’s CDX101 Diffusivity Tester was developed in conjunction with a number of users and a series of three beta trials ensured that practical customer feedback and requirements are at the heart of the design. As a result, the machine features a compact footprint to enable it to fit inside a fume cupboard and also offers automatic band detection and paper advance benefits. The industry’s need for both laboratory and production floor versions was also identified and machines developed accordingly.

Other key design elements include a CO2 detector positioned immediately under the head, enabling incredibly fast response times, and single piece construction clamps that are easy to change and clean and are not susceptible to leaks when reassembled. 

In addition, the tester features high stability components, mass flow control and temperature and pressure compensation and is also ergonomically designed, with a foot actuation switch to make routine operation straight forward. A PC user interface enables more complex functions to be accessed for research purposes and calibration is simple, requiring little user intervention as well as being fully traceable for audit purposes. 

 

Also in Cerulean’s paper testing range is the FB10 automated Free Burn Tester which measures the time between burn points and captures individual burn profiles. This enables cigarette manufacturers to ensure that the LIP paper used in Fire Standard Compliant cigarettes does not lead to the cigarette going out unnecessarily whilst still being smoked.

Based on the feedback it received from a recent customer survey, Cerulean, has launched a new website. available at www.cerulean.com, that provides easy access to product information, which now includes product datasheets and videos, as well as offering a brand new service in the form of an online spare parts finder. 

Throughout 2010, Cerulean will be adding further new functionality to the site which will enable customers, via a dedicated log in, to obtain spare parts quotations instantly and even place their orders online. 

 “The new website is designed to make it easier for our customers to navigate and find the precise product information that they require,” commented managing director, Steve Frankham. “The main product lines are accessible from the front page and the site now has full open access to all datasheets, news items and e-newsletters. The new online spare parts quotation and ordering feature we will be adding soon will speed up the spare parts ordering process, and may also enable Cerulean to deliver some efficiencies that we can then pass on to our customers.”

 

Cerulean has appointed Linda Crumpler as business development director. Crumpler has been working with Cerulean on a consultancy basis in a technical marketing role since October, 2008 and has now been appointed to the business development director post on a full-time basis. 

With an AS in medical laboratory technology and a BS in chemistry, Crumpler has worked in the tobacco industry for over 30 years and previously worked for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company where she started out as an assistant laboratory technician in 1979. During her time at RJ Reynolds, she worked her way up through the company holding roles such as manager of standard analytical chemistry and ISO quality system and director of tobacco and smoke chemistry, before becoming senior director regulatory compliance where she managed all regulatory compliance activities for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Reynolds American Inc. affiliates (Global Products, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, SFRTI GmbH, and Lane Limited). 

As a result, Crumpler has extensive experience in analytical chemistry, quality assurance, ISO 9001 and 17025 quality systems and regulatory compliance.

 “In my new role as business development director, my key focus will be preparing Cerulean to work in an FDA regulated environment,” said Crumpler. “I am also looking forward to continuing the development of our customer-oriented approach and expanding market opportunities, as well as developing new product introductions.”

Outside of work, Linda grows orchids and loves to knit and read. Linda was also previously quite an accomplished whitewater kayaker and, along with her husband, has paddled most of the big water in the southeast USA.