ALUS® Automatic Loading and Unloading Systems increase efficiency and minimize contamination risks
ALUS® Automatic Loading and Unloading Systems minimize the risk of contamination through human intervention in the loading and unloading of the freeze dryer. The amount of product processed by the use of automated loading and unloading processes is increased as the time taken for loading/unloading is much shorter compared to manual loading. Operational costs are reduced as state-of-the-art monitoring systems reduce the number of operators needed to administer the freeze drying process.
Most experienced manufacturer of Automatic Loading and Unlodading Systems for Pharmaceutical Freeze Dryers
Since the 1980s, GEA Lyophil has designed, manufactured and improved the ALUS® system and was one of the
first manufacturers to develop this technology using permanently installed systems (conveyor-pusher systems), as well as flexible transfer cart systems.
GEA Lyophil have the longest experience in the industry, so customers can be assured that each and every system will work reliably for many years to come.
ALUS® as retrofit option
The ALUS® Automatic Loading and Unloading Systems are also available as retrofit option in many existing applications, allowing a new lease of life for the plant for many more years of reliable and safe operation.
Isolator Technology and RABs
One step further in contamination prevention leads the use of ALUS in connection with Isolator technology or RABs, whichever is most appropriate in each case.
ALUS® - efficient, safe and reliable performance with the following key features:
- High throughput, with loading speed of up to 400 vials per minute and unloading speed of up to 700 vials per minute
- High flexibility for different vial formats
- High levels of safety of operation and stability for all vial formats, even small ones with a diameter/height ratio of <3
- Quality sanitary design, with rounded corners for easier cleaning
- Excellent integration of ALUS® and the freeze dryer
- Patented design allows for a smooth transition of vials from ALUS® to Freeze Dryer
- Improved safety as no moving parts above open vials
- Frameless operation
- Design complies to zone concept: no machine drives in vial processing area
- Constant Laminar Air Flow (LAF) when using a transfer cart: the LAF unit moves towards the freeze dryer and covers the vials during the loading process.
Contamination elimination
In pharmaceutical manufacturing it is vitally important to keep contamination out of the product and to protect the workforce from potentially harmful substances – as this is best achieved by removing, as far as possible, the operator from the processing area, the ALUS® Automatic Loading and Unloading System minimizes those risks while increases efficiency at the same time. The system is sufficiently flexible to accept vials of most types at a load rate of up to 400 per minute. Vial sizes from 2 ml up to 100 ml can be processed.
ALUS® Automatic Loading and Unloading System integrates perfectly to provide a smooth transition into and out from the freeze dryer with the minimum of operator monitoring. Vials remain covered by laminar air flow during the loading process and there are no moving parts above the open vials during loading – helping to reduce the risk of contamination even further. A priority of the design was to satisfactory achieving a sanitary design for easy cleaning.
ALUS® advantages:
- 100% utilization of the charging area and of the plant capacity
- Lyophilizers (freeze dryers) can be validated and meet GMP guidelines and Class 100 sterility requirements
- High availability through high quality construction of the fully automatic product handling system
- Greatly reduced risk of product contamination by reducing the clean room personnel down to one operator
- Cost reduction by using isolator and containment technology (reduction of costly clean room area).
- Sterilization of the system with VHP (Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide).
GEA Lyophil war der erste Hersteller von Gefriertrocknungsanlagen, der in den achtziger Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts die Anforderungen der Pharmaindustrie erkannt hat und das erste automatische Be- und Entladesystem (ALUS®) für einen Gefriertrockner gebaut hat. GEA Lyophil hat sowohl fest eingebaute Systeme (Conveyor-Pusher) als auch Transferwagen entwickelt, um die Forderung nach Mitarbeiter- und Produktschutz zu erfüllen. 1997 wuchsen die Anforderungen: GEA Lyophil entwickelte, baute und nahm das erste Produktionssystem bestehend aus einem Gefriertrockner, einem ALUS ® und Isolatoren in Betrieb.
Mit über 50 validierten ALUS® in Zusammenhang mit Gefriertrocknern hat GEA Lyophil die größte Erfahrung bei der Integration solcher Systeme. Kunden können deshalb sicher sein, dass jedes System verläßlich und störungsfrei arbeitet ... weiter lesen