In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, the very highest standards apply to process stability, hygiene and dosing accuracy. Biopolymers such as PLA and PLGA play a key role in the manufacture of innovative medical applications – such as biodegradable implants, controlled drug delivery systems and advanced adhesives.
However, the precise dosing of these often viscous and temperature-sensitive liquids is a challenging task.
Biopolymers such as polylactide (PLA) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) are known for their excellent biocompatibility. They degrade gradually and safely within the human body. To ensure the desired mechanical properties or the precise release rate of drugs, the dosing of these polymers and their additives (such as solvents, active ingredients or catalysts) must be extremely consistent.
Process disturbances or pulsations in the fluid flow can lead to variations in thickness or deviations in the final structure. Conventional dosing solutions, such as diaphragm or piston pumps, regularly suffer from a pulsating flow due to their continuous up-and-down motion. These systems fall short when dealing with extremely small volumes and high precision requirements.
To meet the stringent tolerances in the life sciences sector, Suurmond uses micro-ring gear pumps from HNP Mikrosysteme. This type of positive displacement pump combines the advantages of a continuous, pulsation-free flow with the ability to dispense extremely small volume flows (from microlitres to millilitres per minute) with the utmost precision.
The mechanism is based on a pair of internally and externally toothed rotors that rotate with virtually no dead spaces. This results in significant advantages for the processing of medical polymers:
For the medical polymer industry, Suurmond supplies more than just the HNPM pump on its own. With its customer-specific suurDOS dosing systems, Suurmond builds a fully bespoke unit.
Depending on the process requirements – such as high pressure, elevated process temperatures to keep the polymer melt fluid, or the integration of flowmeters and pressure sensors – the system is precisely tailored to the application. Thanks to the freedom to choose from a range of high-quality materials (such as stainless steel, Hastelloy, ceramics and tungsten carbide), the pumps are resistant to aggressive chemicals and easy to clean.
Conclusion
The integration of HNP Mikrosysteme micro-ring gear pumps into customer-specific dosing systems enables manufacturers to take their quality control of medical polymers to the next level. By opting for pulsation-free, highly accurate and hermetically sealed dosing, product defects are minimised, and the valuable raw material is preserved to the full.
