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Industrial Pilot Plant Solutions
Scaling food & pharma R&D in Canada with the Armfield FT range.
Bench- and pilot-scale process equipment for Canadian food, dairy, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, oils, and fragrance R&D teams. Hoskin Scientific is the Canadian distribution and service partner for Armfield, supplying the FT-range equipment that lets product-development teams validate new formulations and processes before committing to a production line.
Why Canadian R&D Teams Choose Armfield Pilot Plants
Armfield has spent six decades building bench- and pilot-scale process equipment whose unit operations mirror the equipment used in commercial production. The hallmarks of an Armfield pilot plant are the same ones R&D directors care about: stainless wetted parts that meet food and pharma cleanability standards, modular topology so a single base platform supports many formulations, and instrumentation traceability that translates from R&D into a downstream production environment.
Hoskin Scientific supplies and services the Armfield FT range across Canada and works directly with food-science and bioprocess R&D teams in academic, government, and industrial settings.
University of Guelph
Food Science pilot plant facilities supporting dairy and beverage product development.
AAFC Saint-Hyacinthe & Guelph
Federal R&D centres providing pilot-plant access for industry-partnered food and bioprocess work.
Cintech & ITHQ Centres
Quebec-based contract pilot plants serving the food and beverage industry.
NRC Bioprocess R&D
Canadian federal bioprocess research, including bench- and pilot-scale fermentation and downstream work.
Many other Canadian institutions, contract R&D facilities, and in-house industry labs also run Armfield FT-range equipment.
Six Hubs Across the Pilot-Plant Catalogue
The Armfield FT range covers a wide span of food, pharmaceutical, and chemical processing operations. We've grouped the catalogue into six hubs, each one mapped to a Hoskin guide with equipment details, scale-up notes, and Canadian application stories.
Dairy & Beverage Processing Pilot Plants
Pasteurisation, UHT, and cheese-vat technology for Canadian food scientists.
Read the Dairy & Beverage Processing Pilot Plants hubPharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals R&D
Precision processing equipment for Canadian drug and supplement development.
Read the Pharmaceuticals & Nutraceuticals R&D hubEdible & Essential Oils Extraction
Advanced extraction and refining for the cosmetics and nutraceutical sectors.
Read the Edible & Essential Oils Extraction hubFlavours, Fragrances & Cosmetics
Specialised homogenisation and emulsion processing equipment for lab-scale development.
Read the Flavours, Fragrances & Cosmetics hubSpray Drying at the Bench Scale
A complete guide to the Armfield FT30 and FT80 systems for food and pharma applications.
Read the Spray Drying at the Bench Scale hubScaling Up from Lab to Production
How pilot plant equipment reduces risk in Canadian food and chemical development.
Read the Scaling Up from Lab to Production hubSpecifying a Pilot Plant in Canada
The right Armfield pilot plant configuration depends on what you're developing, the floor space and utilities you have available, and how you plan to translate the work into commercial production. Hoskin Scientific provides Canadian-specific support across the full lifecycle:
- Pre-purchase consultation — matching equipment to your process objectives, throughput targets, and downstream production partners.
- Quotation in CAD — including landed cost, duty handling, and trade-compliant documentation for capital-equipment procurement.
- Installation and commissioning — on-site, by Hoskin technicians familiar with Canadian electrical, water, and process service standards.
- Training and process support — for R&D scientists, technicians, and graduate students.
- Service, calibration, and spare parts — held in Canada to keep multi-year R&D programmes running.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Armfield FT range?
The FT (Food Technology) range is Armfield's family of bench- and pilot-scale processing equipment for the food, dairy, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and chemical R&D markets. It includes thermal processors, spray dryers, homogenisers, fermentation tanks, and more.
Can Armfield FT equipment scale up to commercial production?
Yes, the FT range is designed so process parameters translate cleanly from bench to pilot to small-commercial scale. The shared topology and instrumentation conventions reduce risk in scale-up trials.
Where in Canada are Armfield pilot plants typically used?
Canadian users include University of Guelph Food Science, AAFC research centres in Saint-Hyacinthe and Guelph, contract pilot facilities like Cintech and ITHQ, NRC bioprocess R&D, plus in-house industry labs in food, dairy, beverage, and nutraceutical sectors.
Is service available in Canada?
Yes. Hoskin Scientific provides Canadian-side commissioning, training, calibration, and spare parts for the full Armfield FT range.
Get a Quote or Talk to a Specialist
Whether you're scoping a new bench-scale capability, expanding an existing pilot plant, or planning a multi-year R&D infrastructure upgrade, Hoskin Scientific's industrial pilot-plant team can help.
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