Italian pharmaceutical company reduces product waste when transferring gel with MasoSine Certa Plus 250 sinusoidal pump

• A MasoSine Certa Plus 250 process pump replaces a piston pump to transfer gel at the production site of a major pharmaceutical company in Italy
• The Certa Plus 250 transfers gel without damage, unlike the piston pump, and in half the time the piston pump managed
• Pharmaceutical company benefits from reduced product waste and quicker process time by using Certa Plus 250

Switching from using a piston pump to a MasoSine Certa Plus 250 process pump to transfer gel (viscosity up to 300, 000 centipoise) in the production of pharmaceutical products has shortened transfer times and reduced product waste for an Italian pharmaceutical company.

The pharmaceutical company provides products to treat selected gastrointestinal disorders, to improve endoscopy quality measures through aiding the detection of colonic lesions, and to treat selected dermatological conditions.
 
It needs to transfer a 530 kg batch of gel from a turbo-emulsifier to the instrument that finalizes the gel production, and then to a tank at its production facility in Italy. In the final stage of the process the gel is transferred from the tank to the packaging machine.
 
The company was using a piston pump to transfer the gel but the piston pump failed to move the product intact and crushed the granules in the gel. The pharmaceutical company was also dissatisfied with the transfer time of the piston pump.

The replacement of the piston pump needed to be able to handle highly viscous products without damage, and with a high suction capability. 

Quicker transfer

After a successful trial, the pharmaceutical company adopted a Certa Plus 250 and the low shear, gentle handling sinusoidal pump action ensured the gel was transferred undamaged, with the granules contained in the gel remaining intact which has reduced production waste. The Certa Plus 250 also achieves the transfer of gel in 30 minutes – half an hour quicker than the piston pump managed it.

Maintenance is also improved now the pharmaceutical company is using Certa Plus 250. Piston pumps had to be taken apart for cleaning, but the Certa Plus 250 is easy to clean pump design certified with EHEDG Type EL Class I, EHEDG Type EL Aseptic Class I.

Marco Burato, sales engineer at WMFTS Italy, said: “The pharmaceutical customer is benefiting from less waste and product consistency since adopting the Certa Plus into its process, resulting in a higher quality finished product. Also, the gel solution exiting the turbo-emulsifier is characterized by lumps that during the transfer process with the Certa pump receives further mixing of the product, which reduces these particles into a thicker fluid, that is appreciated by the final consumer.”

Certa Plus has been developed by MasoSine to meet a broad range of applications for the pharmaceutical industry.

Benefits of the MasoSine Certa Plus in this application at the Italian pharmaceutical company include:

•  Gentle handling preserves high quality of product
• High suction capability to prime the viscous product. Using a pump with less suction capability would lead to a slower and less efficient process
• Almost zero pulsation to continuously pump the product and create less damage to it due to consistent flow
• Outstanding energy efficiency 
• One shaft and one seal system simplifies maintenance. Within a pump the seal system is a critical part which is more likely to fail than other components. By having only one seal system instead of two the likelihood of a seal failure is reduced
• Different port orientations are an offering to meet the customer's needs to install the pump. WMFTS makes the pump fit into the system rather than the customer building a system to fit in the pump 
• The self-draining orientation is important for many pharmaceutical companies to ensure there is no liquid remaining in the pump after cleaning / sterilization
• Reduce compliance burden with traceability back to base materials
• Clean In Place (CIP) without dismantling

Find out more about Certa Sine pumps