New sterile filling line for Immucor

The US-based company Immucor specialises in pre-transfusion diagnostics and distributes products which transfusion centres, blood banks and clinical laboratories use to test blood components prior to patient transfusion. The products, therefore, require particular treatment and have specific packaging requirements.

The liquids line installed at the Immucor factory in Georgia, packages reagents into 5 and 10 ml vials at a line speed is 200 vials/min.

In the sterile zone the vials – either glass or plastic – are filled and closed with a cap equipped with a dropper by an ML661 system. This filling system uses an automatic washing and sanitising unit (Clean in Place / Steam in Place). The washing process comprises a sequence of washing cycles using liquid detergents and water or using steam or sterilised air.

At the end of the washing cycle, sensors check if the water is clean, to assess the level of cleanness of the machine and establish whether or not another sanitising cycle is required.

The vials then exit the sterile zone via a screw feeder and go to the Neri SL400, a balcony-structure continuous automatic labelling machine that applies self-adhesive labels on the lateral surface of the vials, controlled by a stepping motor.

The ergonomics of this machine ensure that all adjustments, changes of label reels, of print tapes and size parts are possible from the operator side, making the operator’s work easier.

This new Marchesini liquids line has double the production speed of the company’s other lines.