Pharma Industrial India Magazine - July - August 2024

Q What challenges did 3P Innovation face in designing the RFF Cell for handling difficult-to-manage powders? Tom Bailey: Our engineers encountered several challenges in the development of the RFF (Robotic Fill-Finish) Cell to manage difficult-to-handle powders. Many new drug entities in powder form exhibit poor flow characteristics, making them prone to clogging and inconsistent dosing during the filling process. Addi - tionally, these powders are often sensi - tive to static electricity, which can cause them to become charged and adhere to surfaces, further complicating handling and accurate filling. Over a decade of research and development, 3P Innova - tion developed advanced Fill-to-Weight technology to address these issues. This technology ensures precise dosing by weighing each fill, compensating for the poor flow properties of the powders. Fur - thermore, they implemented static con - trol techniques to neutralize the static charge on the powders, preventing them from clumping or sticking to equipment. These innovations collectively ensure that the powders are handled and filled accurately and consistently, maintain - ing the integrity and efficacy of the drug products. Q Discuss the role of robotics in im- proving the efficiency and reliability of the filling process and what are the key features of the RFF Cell that differentiate it from traditional fill-finish equipment? Tom Bailey: Robotics plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency and reli - ability of the filling process within the RFF Cell. The RFF robotics provides format flexibility and rapid changeover from vials to syringes or cartridges. The sys - tem takes advantage of drug containers in RTU (ready to use) format and allows changeovers in less than an hour. The 3P system removes individual con - tainers from the RTU nest using ad - vanced robotics. This provides signifi - cant advantages over traditional lines and filling directly into the nest. It allows Tom Bailey Co-Founder and Technical Consultant, 3P innovations The Vacuum Drum Filler improves efficiency in drug packaging by providing a reliable and precise method for filling powders into various containers, states Tom Bailey, Co-Founder and Technical Consultant, 3P innovations in his latest interaction with Pharma Industrial India. PHARMA INDUSTRIALINDIA · JUL-AUG 24 14 INTEEWRSVIEW