Custom stainless steel autoclave for contact lens manufacturing

Astell supplies custom-built 247 litre circular chamber autoclave to be used in contact lens manufacturing. The customer specified our ASB280 ‘Swiftlock’ front loading autoclave which has a capacity of 247 litres. To it were fitted a selection of options to make it suitable for processing sealed blister packs containing contact lenses. These include a stainless steel integral steam generator to provide efficient steam production, external jacket to enhance temperature control, and a specially designed internal fan to maintain a constant steam/air mix throughout the heating and sterilization phase of cycles. These options also have the benefit of providing faster heating and cooling times compared to more basic machines of a similar size. Finally, the unit was equipped with orbitally welded stainless steel pipework, hygienic connections and stainless steel frame and external panels to suit the customers manufacturing environment. Working with our customer, we produced modified sterilization programs able to meet the requirements of a fully loaded chamber of liquid filled blister packs, these concentrate on ramped heating and air flow to avoid bursting the sealed blister packs and progressive cooling after sterilization to avoid distortion of the product through sudden temperature change. Further enhancements were provided in the form of upgraded software for Astell’s colour touchscreen controller, enabling the sterilizer to meet the guidelines of FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for electronic signatures. The software requires any changes made to be authorised by electronic signature which is then stored and can be recalled to provide a clear picture of user input and changes for any given point in time. The autoclave was fully tested before delivery, undergoing two days of chamber mapping and factory acceptance testing to the customer's specification, and we are pleased to report the machine is operating to its design requirements. For more information on the Swiftlock range of front loading autoclaves or how we can build a machine to meet your requirements, please visit astell.com.

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