As medicines and therapies become more specialized for individuals, the requirements of biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes are dramatically changing, especially in the transition from large-scale to single-use production processes.
In a Processing magazine article, Process Control Automation Systems Maximize Biomanufacturing Agility in Single-Use Applications, Emerson’s Mukta Sharma highlights important technologies for single-use production processes.
Mukta opens by defining single use technologies and their benefits. They:
…use disposable bioprocessing equipment in place of traditional stainless steel. By eliminating the time-consuming clean-in-place (CIP) and steam-in-place (SIP) processes between batches, single-use technologies cut down on the costs of labor, materials and utilities — all while shortening time to market.
Batch cycle times also can be reduced from many hours, days or even weeks to a few hours, since:
…single-use products eliminate the need to clean between batches and have a short changeover period compared to stainless-steel equipment.
Fluidic systems suppliers can help biomanufacturers with their single-use processing requirements by combining and providing:
…valve automation solutions, air preparation equipment, instrumentation and integrated solutions — with industry expertise to provide you with reliable service.
ASCO Series 273 pneumatic pinch valve
She shares an example of a single-use pinch valve, an ASCO Series 273 pneumatic pinch valve. These pinch valves:
…achieve process control automation in areas like bioreactor and fermentation tanks, chromatography, tangential flow filter (TFF) skids and other drug discovery lab applications. Look for valves with innovative designs, in which the pinch mechanism holds the soft tubing in place, minimizing any disturbances to process media and preventing tube damage over repeated use.
Read the article for other examples Mukta shares to support single-use bioprocessing including angle body valves, high-performing, modular valve manifolds, pneumatic valve manifolds with fieldbus and Ethernet connectivity, air-preparation devices such as filter regulator lubricators (FRLs), and advanced distributed control systems (DCSs).
Visit the ASCO fluid automation solutions section on Emerson.com for more on fluid-handling solutions for single-use biomanufacturing applications. You can also connect and interact with other fluid-handling and biopharmaceutical industry experts in the Fluid Control & Pneumatics and Life Sciences groups in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.
