Columns

Peak Biotech designs and manufactures chromatography columns for low, medium, and high pressure chromatography. Two design platforms cover the three pressure classes:

• A shared LP and MP platform up to 30 bar

• A dedicated HP platform up to 100 bar

Each column is built around the process it will run, with the documentation, materials, and lifecycle support a GMP facility expects to find on day one and twenty years from now.

Oil-free Internal Hydraulics

20% ethanol replaces hydraulic oil. The compression mechanism sits inside the column body, removing the external hydraulic frame and the contamination risk that comes with oil in a cleanroom.

Controlled Axial Compression

Pressure distributes uniformly across the resin bed. Bed density is reproducible from one pack to the next and stays stable across production campaigns.

Fully Mobile Design

Internal hydraulics remove the overhead compression frame. The column stands on its own, rolls on castors, and moves with standard facility handling equipment. No fixed installation. No dedicated floor space. Retrofit-ready from day one.

External Leak Visibility

The atmospheric cavity between hydraulic and process sides means seal failures become externally visible before they reach the resin bed or the product.

Three operating windows. Two design platforms.

Three Pressure Classes

Pressure class follows the process. LP columns sit at protein capture and intermediate purification. MP columns handle polishing and resin chemistries that require firmer compression. The LP and MP columns share a single design platform: the same body, the same hydraulics, the same handling interfaces.

HP columns run high-resolution separations where bed integrity at elevated pressure determines yield, and the HP platform is a dedicated mechanical design built around that pressure window. The hydraulic principle, the documentation package, and the lifecycle support are consistent across both platforms.

	Low Pressure Columns	Medium Pressure Columns	High Pressure Columns
Design platform	Shared LP & MP platform	Shared LP & MP platform	Dedicated HP platform
Pressure window	Up to 10 bar	Typically 10 to 30 bar	Up to 100 bar depending on configuration
Typical applications	Capture and intermediate purification using agarose based chromatography media for monoclonal antibodies and recombinant biologics	Polishing and intermediate purification using higher pressure agarose and polymer based chromatography media	High resolution preparative HPLC, silica based separations, peptides, oligonucleotides and small molecule APIs
Internal diameter	200 to 1800 mm	200 to 1200 mm	100 to 800 mm
Bed height (packed resin)	100 to 500 mm	150 to 600 mm	200 to 450 mm
Hydraulic principle	Internal hydraulic DAC system using ethanol-water hydraulic fluid	Internal hydraulic DAC system using ethanol-water hydraulic fluid	Internal hydraulic DAC system using ethanol-water hydraulic fluid
Wetted materials	SS 316L	SS 316L	SS 316L as standard, Duplex stainless steel optional
Seal materials	PEHD, PTFE	PEEK, PTFE	PEEK, PTFE

The packing principle behind every column

Dynamic Axial Compression

Every column we build is packed by the same principle: Dynamic Axial Compression.

The resin enters the column as a slurry; a liquid suspension pumped in through the bottom. Once the slurry is in, the piston moves down. Hydraulic pressure drives it at a controlled speed, compressing the resin evenly across the full cross section of the column. The packing buffer drains out through the bottom as the bed forms. When the target bed height and compression are reached, the hydraulic chamber closes and the pressure is maintained.

The hydraulic fluid is 20% ethanol. It sits inside the column body, separated from the process side by an atmospheric cavity. There is no oil and no hydraulic lines running outside the column. If a seal were to fail, the leak would appear on the outside of the column before it could reach the resin or the product.

Flow distribution is handled by a specially designed distributor at both the top and bottom of the column. This ensures that the mobile phase spreads evenly across the bed during both packing and operation.

The result is a bed that is reproducible. The same piston speed, the same flow rate, the same bed height every time the column is packed, whether it is 200 mm or 1800 mm in diameter, and whether it is the first pack or the fiftieth.

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Built for the room it will actually live in

Compact Design and Cleanability

Internal hydraulics remove the overhead compression frame that traditional DAC columns require. The result is a column with significantly reduced overall height, smooth external surfaces, and few wipe areas. Most models are fully mobile on castors. Larger columns are designed to be moved with standard handling equipment.

Cleaning is faster because there are no external hydraulic oil lines, no overhead hoses, and few accumulation points. Visual QA inspection is straightforward. The external geometry was designed with the cleanroom operator in mind.

Reduced Overall Height

No external compression frame, no overhead hydraulic cylinder. Ceiling height becomes a non-issue in retrofit projects.

Designed for Movement

Most models roll on castors. Larger columns include lifting interfaces for forklift or overhead crane. Ergonomic handling accessories available as options.

External Cleanability

Smooth surfaces, minimal external components, no exposed hydraulic fluid lines. Faster wipe down, easier visual inspection, lower operator workload.

Design feature	Peak Biotech column
Hydraulic system	Internal
Hydraulic fluid exposure	No external fluid lines
External components	Minimal
Surface geometry	Smooth
Cleaning access	Easy wipe down
Risk of residues	Very low

Chromatography Columns Engineered for Decades of Production

Columns

Three Pressure Classes

Dynamic Axial Compression

Compact Design and Cleanability

From Column to Full Production Capability

Handling and Packing Equipment

Lifecycle Support

Three Pressure Classes. One Engineering Philosophy. Every Column Built around Your Process