High-capacity IV bag-making machine has small footprint

Kiefel (Hampton, NH) has developed a high-capacity machine called the IV Express to produce IV (intravenous) bags with integrated filling.

The IV Express is offered in three configurations with capacities of 2400 (2X), 4800 (4X) and 7200 (6X) bags per hour. Small footprint is one of its advantages. Occupying floor space of just 194 sq ft (18 sq m), it can produce approximately 270 articles per square meter per hour.

The stainless-steel design of the IV-Express meets the requirements of GMP Class C for healthcare operations and can be supplied complete with a clean-room cabin permanently attached to it.

The cabin is designed on the principle of turbulent mixed ventilation in accordance with GMP Class C "at rest", corresponding to class 7 in accordance with ISO 14644-1, and class 10,000 in accordance with US Standard 209e, and GMP Class C "in operation", corresponding to Class 8 in accordance with ISO 14644-1. In order to create optimum conditions, the integrated pure-air units are operated at an airflow rate of 0.45 m/s.

The machine is equipped with a built-in station for automatic filling of bags, operating to a filling accuracy of ±-1%, according to Kiefel. Filled infusion bags are robotically sealed. Different sealing systems are available. Kiefel says it can guarantee, with this development phase complete, reductions of between 30% and 50% in terms of floor space requirements.

Kiefel will be at NPE2012 in Orlando, FL next week in booth numbers 3062 and 2763, West Hall Level 2. Operating in the booth will be Kiefel's Thermorunner KTR 6 L SPEED producing drinking cups from polypropylene material using a 50up cup-tool. The machine can make yogurt cups, drinking cups, cups for use with snap-on lids or plant-pots.