Patrick Banes, Northeast Technical Sales Manager for Astro Pak, has  been named chairman of the ASME BPE Surface Finish Subcommittee.

The ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) is a global multidisciplinary professional organization that creates standards and conducts research and development as well as provide training and education. Its BPE (Bioprocessing Equipment) committee aids in the design and construction of new fluid processing equipment that meet the high level of purity required in manufacturing biopharmaceuticals. One of several subcommittees, Surface Finishing is tasked with establishing acceptance criteria for metallic and polymeric surface finishes of process contact surfaces. As subcommittee chair, Mr. Banes also serves as a member on the BPE standards committee.

Mr. Banes has been with Astro Pak since November of 2007, but started in the industry in 1984. In 1989, he was first invited by the ASME to present a talk on passivation, the method of rendering stainless steel chemically non-reactive, or “passive.” The organization published his paper on the topic and he joined the BPE subcommittee years later. Since then, he has made numerous presentations on passivation as well as on rouge for the AICHE, ASTM, IIR, IQPC, ISPE, PDA and ASME BPE organizations in addition to Fortune 500 companies and other technical educational organizations. Mr. Banes’ papers on passivation and rouge have been published in Microcontamination, Pharmaceutical Engineering and Ultrapure Water magazines. He has also contributed to the current ISPE Water and Steam Baseline Guide.

Of his membership in ASME, Mr. Banes says, “Being part of the organization is an incredible learning opportunity and I’m able to meet with top professionals from various companies and industries that participate in BPE. I plan on staying involved to help establish guidelines on the best practices for Passivation and Electropolishing. It’s a privilege to serve the best of the best.”