Client Profile
The client for this project was a start-up pharmaceutical company in the process of scaling up for late stage clinical manufacturing. The client’s manufacturing process involved an aseptic coating step that required very tight control over temperature and dew point of air in a class 100 RABS (Restricted Access Barrier System) enclosure.
Technical Situation
Previous attempts at a solution by the client proved difficult based on the tight dew point control required for the process. In addition, the previous system had a very long stabilization time.
Solution
CKC Automation designed a custom Dew Point Control System to meet our client’s needs. The system utilized multiple technologies, including steam injection, desiccant dehumidification, a cooling coil, capacitive and surface-acoustic-wave dew point sensors, RTDs, pressure transducers and flow sensors. The entire system was controlled by an Allen Bradley PLC running custom software and utilizing PID control for multiple process parameters.
Results
CKC’s system exceeded all client requirements, and provided improved robustness over previous solutions. In addition, dew point control of better than +/- 0.5⁰ C was achieved and stabilization time was reduced by a factor of 8.
