Johannesburg, South Africa-based Technikon Laboratories, a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, has installed four Flexicon PD12I peristaltic fillers with an MC12 controller from Flexicon Liquid Filling, part of the Watson-Marlow Pumps Group. The fillers are used to put a liquid vitamin energy supplement into stick-packs.
With a 60-year history and employing more than 200 people at its 14,000m2 facility, Technikon Laboratories is fully MCC (Medicine Control Council) and SAPC (South African Pharmaceutical Council) licensed and has more than 40 clients, including several multinationals.
A recent client request to change to stick-type sachet packs for an energy supplement product led to a production dilemma.
'Our machine for this type of pack was geared for powder filling only,' explained Technikon Laboratories’ Managing Director, Robert Verseput. 'We needed to acquire fillers/pumps that would allow us to convert this machine to fill liquids as well.'
The four Flexicon PD12I peristaltic fillers with MC controller have provided a solution. Purchased from Flexicon Liquid Filling in October 2013, they service the eight-lane machine by splitting the dosing into two on each pumphead; instead of filling powder, liquid vitamins are pumped into the sticks before the pack is sealed by the machine.
We needed to acquire fillers/pumps that would allow us to convert this machine to fill liquids as well
The MC12 controller is triggered by a 4-20mA signal which actions the machine to fill 10ml of liquid vitamins into each stick simultaneously.
The pumphead works with a double tube element with a Y connector to combine two channels of flow into one, thereby providing a higher flow but removing nearly all pulsation. When required, the two channels of flow can be used individually, which adds versatility to the way the pumps can be used.
Flexicon says the peristaltic filling principle is the fastest-growing filling technology in the pharmaceutical industry due to well-established advantages such as sterility, guarantee against cross-contamination and easy cleaning. These benefits are achieved because the product is only in contact with USP Class VI tubing and a filling nozzle.
The modified machine at Technikon is now one of two automatic high speed GMP lines located in the pharmaceutical production area. Operating at 50 cycles per minute, the machine produces sticks (sachets) filled with liquid at a rate which is required in a high-capacity filling line. With a slight modification in the standard design of the fluid path, 400 fills per minute have been achieved. Stick fill volumes vary between four and 25ml, in typical batch sizes of around 1,000 litres.
The Flexicon PD12I can fill volumes from less than 0.2ml to more than 250ml with accuracy better than ±1% in the range from 0.2ml to 0.5ml and better than ±0.5% in the range from 0.5ml upwards. This flexibility and accuracy is achieved without having to change anything except the bore size of the tubing.
The PD12 peristalitic filler also features an anti-drip function.
Verseput said speed of fill and ease of cleaning were important to the company.
'High standards, reliability and service levels, including the ability to meet deadlines, is vital to the success of Technikon,' he added.
'That is why ongoing investment in the latest technologies is so important.'
