Zühlke developed an innovative filtration and lysing system which is easy to operate and increases the throughput. The robust system can be used in mobile applications and together with a chromatographic sampler.
The task involved increasing the productivity and throughput of a protein production system used in biomedical research. The project team was instructed to streamline the procedures all the way up to the generic processes in the cultivation lab and to employ innovative filtration technologies.
The team successfully conducted filtration in disposable bags in a lab setup with cell cultures and then implemented this concept in a reliable and mobile filtration system. The application processes are broken down into individual functional modules which form the structure of the control system. They can be parameterised from a touch panel and run in automatic mode or can be activated individually.
An integrated weighing system assures the required quality of filtration, buffer feed, and cleanup. Good ergonomics was a major priority in designing user friendly interfaces for the bag, filter and tubes. If the filter becomes clogged, a pressure monitor detects the excess pressure in the tube and stops the process. The team laid the technical groundwork for connecting a chromatographic sampler to the filtration system via a pump line and integrated this connection into the control system. The pump line includes a flushing agent connection and dispenser, a sprayer and a bypass system to the sampler. The line was developed in parallel with the filtration system and installed in an existing climatic chamber.
