CASE STUDY: Two heads are better than one — combined expertise benefits new production facility
Howorth Air Technology and Russell Finex reveal how combining their expertise allowed them to create multiple customised solutions for a new production facility.
The companies
Howorth Air Technologyengineers a range of powder containment solutions, aseptic systems and ultra-clean air filtration ventilation systems for medical, pharmaceutical and other industries. Based in the UK with offices in the US and representation in Europe and Asia, Howorth delivers equipment to clients throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. The company is customer focused, providing bespoke products and turnkey systems to meet the requirements of cleanrooms, operating theatres or pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Russell Finex is a global manufacturer of pharmaceutical screening and filtration equipment that supplies equipment to over 140 countries worldwide. The company has offices in the UK, USA, Belgium, India and China, in addition to a network of experience agents and distributors from global locations.
The problem
A leading global pharmaceutical company sought multiple customised solutions as part of a new production facilityand hadpreviously held concerns about operator exposure during the processing of APIs, as traditional powder screening machines often do not provide the levels of containment required to ensure operator safety.
The solution
To tackle this issue, Howorth combined its expertise with those of Russell Finex, and deemd that two systems for pneumatic screening and conveying of pharma powders were required to guarantee containment during sieving in two key production areas.
Paul Stanway, business development manager at Howorth Air Technology, revealed: “Firstly, the customer required a DownFlow Containment Booth, incorporating various process operations such as blending, weighing and sieving. Secondly, a containment isolator, also known as a glove box, was required to sieve and weigh APIs in a fully-contained environment.”
Howorth’s WORKSAFEcontainment booths provide operator protection and are ergonomically and hygienically designed to allow multiple process operations to be carried out. For this specific process, pharmaceutical powders would be pre-weighed, transferred into a hopper then vacuum-conveyed into an IBC via a sieving system ensuring the product is screened to guarantee a consistent particle size and remove oversize and foreign contamination.
On this occasion, Howorth combined this containment technology with a Russell Compact Airswept Sieve as the integrated powder screening system of choice. This vacuum conveying sieve combines Russell Compact Sieve technology with vacuum conveying lines, ensuring powders can be check-screened in one dust-tight operation. The sieving unit is also quick and easy to dismantle, reducing downtime between processes.
As well as DownFlow Booths, Howorth engineers high containment isolators to provide fully-contained environments for API handling. These isolator systems combine containment to nanogram levels with integrated equipment to provide maximum production, ergonomic and maintenance efficiency. For the containment isolator process, APIs would be loaded into the isolator using a drum-loading chamber with the product vacuum-conveyed and sieved, then deposited into the same IBC as described previously. For this particular customer, a hybrid sieving system was engineered, combining a Russell Compact Airswept Sieve with the Russell Compact Airlock Sieve clamping system.
The benefits
The custom-built containment powder screener provided all the benefits of vacuum-conveying sieve technology with the patented TLI (twist, lock and inflate) airlock clamping system — designed to provide effortless operation, ideal for pharmaceutical sieving in a glove box. An additional inlet was also incorporated to allow for manual scoop-feeding of powders on a smaller scale. To further improve usability, Howorth’s glove boxes have an integrated clean-in-place system with hygienic spray balls and a wash hose to allow easy wash-down of equipment after use.
The user-friendly Russell Compact Airlock Sieve TLI (twist, lock and inflate) clamping system provides effortless operation whilst maximising screening performance. The system is easy to use, and requires significantly less space than alternative clamping methods. Simply place the component parts into the base and locate them by twisting and locking the lid. An inflatable seal then locks the components in place. This reduces the dust and improves operators’ health and safety, providing OEL 5 containment (less than 1 µg/m3). The system also means these units are quick and easy to dismantle in areas of limited space, such as containment isolators.
“We chose to work with Russell Finex on this project because of the wide range of compact pharmaceutical screening equipment available, including the Russell Compact Airlock Sieve which provides a significant ergonomic advantage when operated and maintained within the constraints of a containment isolator,” continued Stanway. “Support provided by Russell Finex during the design and mock-up phase was also invaluable. When providing premium custom-built solutions such as this, it is imperative the equipment we integrate is of a high quality, operator-friendly and versatile to meet specific functions and environments.”
With a range of sizes and configurations available, this range of pneumatic pharmaceutical sieving equipment is suited to integration inside areas of limited room such as pharmaceutical downflow containment booths and containment isolators. Included in this range is the Russell Compact Airswept Sieve, which features dust-tight operation reducing the risk of product inhalation, and an easy-clean and strip down design to minimise production downtime.