In order to standardize the cleaning processesn the production department of the Abiogen Pharma plant in Pisa the ultrasonic technology is used more and more often to wash the machine elements.

In the Injectables Department the bottling line is used for the production of both water and oil soluble products. This production line is provided with several machine elements most of which have small dimensions such as the dosing systems and the filling needles. Before going through the sterilisation process and be used again, all these elements need to be cleaned very accurately so that no residual materials are left.

SONICA 5300 ETH ultrasonic bath (figure 1) has recently been installed in the washing area of the Injectables Department and it turned out to be very useful in the cleaning process of the machine elements.

Figure 1

Figure 2

The dimensions of the tank and basket (figure 2) allows the cleaning of several items simultaneously, therefore the whole cleaning process takes less time. For example, we manage to clean six dosing units and six filling needles at the same time (figure 3).

Figure 3

The temperature and the time of the ultrasonic cleaning process can be set automatically and this allows the whole process to be standardized. In our case, we clean our machine elements at 40°C for 10 minutes with a validated detergent.

Figure 4

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Figures 4 and 5: details of the dosing elements of the bottling machine before the ultrasonic cleaning process.

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Figures 6, 7, and 8: details of the dosing elements of the bottling machine after the ultrasonic cleaning process with SONICA.

Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 show single elements before and after the cleaning process.

The use of the ultrasounic cleaner allowed us to decrease the cleaning time by 50% and to make the operations automatic. The new equipment and method have brought great benefits since they have improved the cleaning process both from a qualitative and financial point of view.

In this kind of companies,  where the machine elements are cleaned on a daily basis, the costs for the equipment are recovered in a few months.

Alessandra Salvadori Injectables Department Manager and Production Deputy
Chiara Barsotti Production Manager

ABIOGEN PHARMA S.p.A.
Via Meucci, n° 36 - 56121 Pisa - Loc. Ospedaletto - Phone n. +39.050.31.54.101    Fax +39.050.31.54.331

Company subject to management and coordination by MDM HOLDING S.p.A. Pisa

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