Laboratory safety cabinet and enclosure manufacturer Bigneat Ltd has installed a custom designed and manufactured controlled environment system to answer the specific needs of a leading transfusion diagnostics company.

The company has developed an innovative diagnostic system that will allow automated blood type testing and disease screening, providing significant clinical benefits - significant savings in testing costs and rapid results. The system utilises highly characterized antigen and antibody panels which require a critical manufacturing process. One step is the precise controlled rate of drying of a liquid solution which provides a solid protective coating.

Bigneat was tasked with coming up with a custom design for a controlled environment drying system made up of multiple drying pods, each with independent controls and constant monitoring of the process parameters. The system would be installed in a clean room environment following the strict guidelines of GMP regulations. The main criteria for the drying phase was to achieve a curing time of 3 – 4 hours per pod.

The system Bigneat designed and manufactured has 12 independently operating pods, each provided with uniform, very dry clean air and with fully automated operation. A regulated dehumidifier and cooling system develops the controlled dry atmosphere and the system features state-of-the-art electronics which constantly monitors the environment parameters and boasts a large MMI touch screen control panel for ease of operator use.

The collated process data is stored in the memory of the PLC controller which has direct connection with the company’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to transfer and store critical data such as manufacturing recipes and alarms.

Commenting on the system development Bigneat’s General Manager of Containment Solutions, Stephen Pratt, said “We worked closely with our client every step of the way to design and supply a fully operational solution, it’s been a challenging and enjoyable process”, he adds “We are increasingly being asked for special designs to solve customer specific process needs and its one of the most enjoyable aspects of what we do.”

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