In the Spotlight December 2009

The ability to create safe products of consistent quality is the sine qua non of manufacturing equipment in the pharmaceutical industry. After companies are sure that equipment meets this condition, they can look for other features that enhance efficiency or make operators' jobs easier. This month's products offer various benefits for pharmaceutical production lines. Spiroflow's redesigned bulk-bag filler is intended to be convenient for personnel to use. A new induction cap sealer from Enercon Industries is meant to enhance a packaging line's productivity. MKS Instruments's system for sanitizing process water is designed not to require extensive employee training.

Redesigned bulk-bag filler offers convenience

Spiroflow Systems (Monroe, NC) has made several improvements to its Model C1-2 bulk-bag filler. The inflatable neck seal at the machine's fill nozzle and the retracting bag hooks now move so that the operator does not have to reach or stand on the device's roller conveyers to attach the bag to the filling apparatus. When the bag is full, the filler's densification table lowers and safely rests the bag on the roller bed. A controller releases the bag hooks automatically, and the bag indexes off of the filler onto an accumulation conveyor.

Model C1-2 bulk-bag filler Spiroflow Systems www.spiroflowsystems.com

The filler's new control package does not require preprogramming of in-flight compensation. It has an autotuning feature that allows it to learn when to stop filling bags of a given size to prevent overfilling. The unit can store parameters for bags of different heights in its memory, and operators can easily change bag sizes by throwing a switch to adjust the height of the bag-loop support structure.

Sealer enhances productivity

The Super Seal Touch induction cap sealer from Enercon Industries (Menomonee Falls, WI) provides as much as 20% more induction-sealing power than the company's previous devices. This increase in power is designed to boost productivity.

Super Seal Touch induction cap sealer Enercon Industries www.enerconind.com

The unit's redesigned cap-inspection system is integrated electrically and mechanically with the sealer to reduce setup time. The system's recipe-management capabilities let operators store parameters for various products by name and perform product changeover easily. Users also can block other operators from adjusting the system.

The sealer's touchscreen improves operator control and displays faults in descriptive text instead of codes. The sealer also provides network connectivity, thus allowing packagers to control and monitor cap sealing data remotely from a central location.

Sanitization system provides turnkey solution

The Liquozon Ultra from MKS Instruments (Andover, MA) is an automated turnkey system for sanitizing process water. The system generates ozone, injects it into deionized water, degasses the ozone-enriched water, and sends it to the storage tank or process loop. Operators can use a touchscreen control to monitor flow rate, ozone concentration, and quality. The controller can be linked to factory-management systems to collect validation data.

Liquozon Ultra system MKS Instruments www.mksinst.com

The system sounds alarms for high and low concentrations and detects ozone leaks. Operators can break the ozone down into benign components by applying heat. The Liquozon Ultra unit is mounted on a skid and accommodates water flows of 10–30 gal/min with minimal pressure drop. Installation requires few connections and can be completed quickly.

New Product Announcements May be sent to New Products Editor, Pharmaceutical Technology, 485 Route One South, Building F, First Floor, Iselin, NJ 08830, fax 732.596.0005, ptpress@advanstar.com