In the Spotlight January 2012

Editors' Picks of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology Innovations

Manufacturing efficiency is essential to drugmakers who can't afford to waste expensive ingredients. Flexible and easy-to-use equipment also can help reduce the costs of production, which can be a boon to small and mid-sized firms. This month's products are meant to enable companies to optimize various parts of their manufacturing lines. Rotary airlock valves from ACS Valves help achieve regulatory compliance. MG America's thermoformer facilitates product changeovers. A bioreactor from EMD Millipore lets users configure process monitoring at the point of use.

Rotary airlock valves for regulatory compliance

ACS Valves's Quick-Clean series of rotary airlock valves is designed to aid users in achieving compliance with regulatory standards. The valves feature the ACS RotorRail design that enables full validation access to the rotor and all internal surfaces of the housing without requiring disassembly of the endplate. The stainless-steel housings are machined to precise tolerances. Internal surfaces are polished to a No. 4 finish, and the ACS Valves's clean-in-place-ready design eliminates internal crevices and joints, where contaminants can accumulate.

Quick-Clean series valve ACS Valves www.acsvalves.com

The valves' inlet–outlet seal is produced with an eight-vane rotor design, which eliminates excess pressure loss through the system, ensures cost-efficient upstream- and downstream-material management, and reduces process energy consumption. The valves are available in 304 or 316 stainless steel, and in sizes from 6 to 16 in. with pressure differentials as high as 15 psig and temperature tolerance as high as 500 °F.

Thermoformer offers deep-draw capabilities

MG America's Farmo Res Prima K7 thermoformer is designed for the deep-draw thermoforming of syringes, ampuls, vials, and medical devices. The Prima K7 can run as many as 35 cycles/min, and is operated by a programmable logic controller with transfer on one lane for the production of trays in polystyrene.

Farmo Res Prima K7 thermoformer MG America www.mgamerica.com

The Prima K7's deep-draw capabilities include the ability to form blisters with depths as great as 40 mm. Other features include a syringe buffer system with a capacity of more than 2000 syringes, a loading station for vials and ampuls, and forming and loading capabilities from the operator side that results in a compact forming module and easier changeover procedures.

Single-use bioreactors for mammalian cell-culture applications

EMD Millipore's Mobius CellReady 200-L bioreactor is designed to expedite the process of bringing biological drugs to market. The machine integrates several features that are intended for ease of use, reliability, and operational flexibility. The bioreactor's hardware includes on-board automation, which provides an ergonomic operator interface.

Mobius CellReady 200-L bioreactor EMD Millipore www.millipore.com

The Mobius SensorReady technology offers the flexibility to configure process monitoring at the point of use, thus reducing the need to customize bioreactor process containers and enabling easy integration of new sensor technologies. The rigid base and top panel feature of the bioreactor process container are designed to facilitate installation. The system is available as a complete, turn-key system or as a modular system to integrate with the platform of choice.