Prototype lab speeding medical device packaging to market

Flexible packaging processor Rollprint Packaging Products (Addison, IL) reckons its new prototype laboratory will help its customers mix and match materials more quickly to rapidly determine which packaging meets the needs for their pharmaceutical and medical disposables.

“Our goal in upgrading our prototyping capability is to provide our customers with package performance information that will paint an accurate picture of what would happen in a commercial environment,” explained Doug Dodrill, VP of technology at the company.

Among investments made by the processor in the new lab is a commercial-scale Multivac thermoforming unit which, when coupled with the lab’s tray sealers, will enable it to test a wide variety of thermoformed tray/lidding combinations. The lab also has cold-form foil packaging and pouch-making capability.
The company is also able to seal lidding to preformed rigid-tray prototypes with vacuum and/or gas flushing. Rounding out the lab is a retort/autoclave unit and container-abuse test equipment.

Pharmaceutical and medical disposables manufacturers are frequently looking upstream for assistance in their packaging development efforts and to help speed-to-market, said Dodrill.

Rollprint has made a number of developments recently in high-gas-and vapor-barrier film designs, as related in our January 2009 article here.

MPW’s Yvonne Kloepping visited Multivac at its headquarters in Wolfertschwenden, Germany earlier this year to learn about the company’s plans and developments; her report is available here. —Matt Defosse