With the new disposable bioreactor iCELLis 1000 from Artelís, the BUSSE competence network demonstrates how understandable and easy to use a high-tech product can be for the pharmaceutical industry - and at the same time shapes the image of the Artelis brand.
Artelís is a young biotechnology company based in Brussels, part of the international group ATMI LifeSciences. Artelís develops novel products for bioprocess technology. The special feature: They are disposable products for easy and environmentally friendly disposal. Conventional reusable products always have to be cleaned and disinfected at great expense. Because Artelís products consume considerably less water and energy, their eco-balance is significantly better.
The best example of Artelís' pioneering product concept is the iCELLis 1000 single-use bioreactor for the production of vaccines or insulin from organic cells. The 25-liter plastic container replaces a conventional, permanently installed stainless steel process plant with a tank volume of 1000 liters. After single use, the iCELLis 1000 is disposed of in a waste incineration plant.
Artelís chose BUSSE Design + Engineering as its partner for the development of the operating device that brings the bioreactor to life with measurement-control-regulation technology and media infrastructure. The demanding requirements for the BUSSE team: The operating device should ensure safe operation of the complex technology, make the complex operation as simple as possible for the user, and combine the numerous components such as pumps, valves, heating, stirrer drive, sensors, human machine interface, controls and lines into one mobile unit.
The result can best be compared to an oversized pad coffee machine: The user inserts and removes reactor vessels from the system with similar ease. Systematically positioned cable holders make it easy to equip the system with probes for measurement and control technology. A simple but independent design and color scheme, which is based on Artelís' corporate design, also illustrates the exceptional position of the iCELLis externally: a unique high-tech device for a demanding industry that particularly characterizes the brand of the young company.
The creation of the iCELLis 1000 also sets new standards in terms of organization:
BUSSE Design + Engineering in Elchingen was responsible for design, engineering and prototype construction in close cooperation with the developers of disposable systems and process engineers at Artelís in Brussels. At the same time, the Artelís project management was in the hands of "53people". The Belgian BUSSE partner specializes in innovation and project management in the life sciences sector - a particularly fast-growing industry in Belgium. In addition, "53people" represents the BUSSE competence network for product development and innovation in the French-speaking countries.
What can be very helpful in market communication in many industries is now crucial in biotechnology: 3D animations to explain technical functions. BUSSE's partner "ghost-o-one" from Wuppertal once again impressed both Artelís employees and customers as well as BUSSE's designers and engineers with its outstanding capabilities. Within only three minutes the animation brings the complex processes and the construction of the reactor to the point. The animation video can be used in a variety of ways: in the field, at trade fairs, on the Internet as well as for display on smartphones.
The iCELLis 1000 was presented for the first time in April 2010 at INTERPHEX (trade fair for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and detergent development and manufacturing) in New York with great success.
We wish Artelís a continued stellar career and look forward to further joint projects!
