Upgrading saline production systems 

Application 

Ophthalmic manufacturers use saline throughout the manufacturing process, which they obtain by transferring the saline from mixing vats into moveable saline containers.

The Saline is filtered using 0.2 micron dual layer membrane filters to provide protection against contamination from debris and microorganisms.

Previously, the manufacturer used capsule filters were which they flushed, autoclaved, and integrity tested between batches.

Solutions

Noting the capsules weren't suitable for autoclaving and repeated re-use, we suggested converting the capsules to cartridge filters.

We offered a bespoke design of a filter trolley system which integrated a 72 Series housing and SupaPore VPBA membrane cartridge filter. Working in conjunction with the ophthalmic manufacturer, we introduced new work procedures and a system commission programme to prove and validate the new filter system.

Benefits

The Amazon system provides huge cost savings, as the previous capsule could only be autoclaved 3 times (max). By contrast, our filter can be autoclaved 20 times, reducing operational costs by a factor of >4.

This also meant less stock-holding and less waste from used filters. In addition, the lightweight portable trolley system has made processing saline much easier, cleaner, and safer, as operators can move and adjust the trolley height easily as required. Consolidated use of the filter cartridge across multiple applications provided additional benefits.