Eruption of new technologies at Interphex 2010
O’Hara premiers new Fastcoat model in NYC
O’Hara Technologies chose the event to introduce the latest model of its Fastcoat tablet production range which, it says, is capable of both batch and continuous coating.
The US firm explained that the new unit, model FC C500, can coat up to 3,200kg of tablets in an eight hour production run which, it claimed, can replace as many as six 48inch pan diameter coating systems.
This, O’Hara suggested, has a number of cost advantages for producers, explaining that: “By minimizing GMP space and maximizing output this design offers an ROI that is irresistible.
“The FC C500 is flexible enough to run in both batch as well as continuous mode with zero wastage. The larger version of continuous coater FC C1200 can coat up to 1200 kg per hour at [only] 3 per cent weight gain.”
This capacity in a single coating run can, according to O’Hara, significantly reduces the time that thermo-sensitive active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) are temperature extremes during production.
Corning showcases new advanced-Flow LF reactor
Corning’s new Advanced-Flow LF glass reactor for continuous chemical processing was the centrepiece of the firm’s presentation.
The unit is designed as a highly flexible, low-flow reaction vessel that enables, according to Corning, “[the] cost-effective transition to higher-volume, continuous-flow chemical processing.”
The firm claims the reactor’s customised glass fluidic modules allow for mixing and heat exchange that is “not possible in batch reactors used today.”
Company spokesman Sergio Pissavini also stressed the system “[has] the mixing and heat exchange performance of our other glass reactors, but at a size suited to those requiring smaller-scale chemical process development,"
"These benefits provide the chemical processing industry with high-performance and cost-effective continuous processing tools that are scalable to industrial levels not previously possible."
PTI launches new Seal-Sensor system
PTI Inspection systems unveiled its new Seal-Sensor offline ultrasound inspection system at the event this year.
The system is designed as a non-destructive, non-invasive means of examining drug and medical device pouches, as well as other types of packaging materials for minute defects that can significantly impact product quality, sterility and shelf-life.
PTI president Tony Stauffer said that: “Most package related product recalls are due to common in-process defects that are not reliably detected by offline or inline visual inspection methods.
“The key is to be able to identify and correct problems before seal integrity gets out of control, and these latest developments with the Seal-Sensor technology offer an economical, cost effective solution.”
Stauffer went on to explain that the system performs a linear scan of the seal in a few seconds and presents the quality of the seal as a pass fail result.
“In lab applications, operators can scan pouch seals automatically with the Seal-Sensor to verify seal quality. Seal-Sensor is also ideal for in-process/100% inline seal inspection for production environments."
