Interchangeable technology from Flexicon has helped diagnostic reagent manufacturer Hart Biologicals accommodate business growth with an upgrade to an FF30 tabletop bottle-filling and capping machine.
Some reagents are freeze dried and then capped, while other liquid reagents are capped immediately after filling.
The machine was installed in November 2010 and replaced a Flexicon FF20, which does not feature capping functionality.
The existing PF6 peristaltic dispensing pump could simply be transferred to the new FF30 with minimal effort/downtime, ensuring worry-free continuity of production and significant cost savings for new equipment.
The peristaltic technology of the PF6 permits aseptic filling, suitable for process applications such as pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biological.
The Flexicon FF30 facilitates high-accuracy filling (+/-0.5 per cent) and easy product changeover without any issues of cross-contamination or cleaning validation.
The product only contacts the FDA-approved pump tubing and the filling nozzle.
The modular bottle-handling and tightening system accepts bottles between 12 and 50mm in diameter, with capacity in the region of 1,200 units per hour.
A complete bottle and product changeover can be performed in less than 10min.
Ease of cleaning is another benefit - all format parts are mounted by finger screws and all surfaces in contact with the bottles are made from stainless steel and approved plastics.
