Lourd’Innov Harnesses Rapid Machining Service for the Development of Steripass® Range
Lourd’innov were able to finalise a prototype quickly, with greater scope during design review
Company: Lourd’innov
Product: Steripass® Transfer System
Industry: Medical
Service: CNC Machining
Lourd’innov is a fledgling French company that designs and manufactures equipment intended for hospitals, pharmaceutical laboratories and research laboratories. In particular, it has developed and patented Steripass®, a transfer system for introducing and extracting a product into and out of an isolator or a sterile zone without any loss of containment.
The Steripass® system offers numerous advantages compared to the existing protected transfer systems: it is much more compact and easier to integrate on all types of panels, it is adapted to bulky products by virtue of its rectangular opening and its high opening/spatial requirement ratio and it requires little maintenance.
Combining the Steripass® door with flexible Steriflex® bags via a completely sealed connector, which acts as a key, is another unique feature of the system. It allows easy access to a sterile or non-sterile container, placed outside the containment zone, which saves space, facilitates handling and avoids congesting the work areas.
The Steripass® system is currently mainly used in hospital settings, in units for preparing anti-cancer treatments. These treatments are hazardous products that must not be touched by dispensers or disseminated into the environment. Therefore, they are only handled in an isolator in a contained environment. The first function of Steripass® is to allow preparation waste to be discharged from the isolator to sealed and durable bags, which guarantee the safety of all parties up to the incinerator. At the other end of the chain, Steripass® also guarantees that infusion bags are dispensed as "tubing", i.e. in a sealed plastic sheath that completely isolates the product from the external environment until it is administered to the patient.
| At A Glance |
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Challenge Lourd’innov needed working prototypes of their latest piece of medical equipment, and they needed them fast. Solution After evaluating the different manufacturing options available, the team decided rapid CNC machining offered the most responsive prototypes at the lowest cost. Outcome Lourd’innov developed and patented Steripass®, a transfer system for introducing and extracting a product into and out of an isolator or a sterile zone without any loss of containment. The speed that Protolabs were able to deliver the prototypes set Lourd’innov apart from its competition - allowing them to complete their design review with a working prototype. |
The Steripass® system also can be used in research laboratories, for transfer from one isolator to another, or to introduce sterile components onto an aseptic packing line.
For all these applications, each client has specific requirements and Lourd’innov meets them by counting on its exceptional ability to adapt. The company never hesitates to modify one or more parts of its system in order to offer a 'tailor-made' solution, and it is at this point that Protolabs services come into play.
Cédric Lambert, President of Lourd’innov, discovered Protolabs on the Internet:
"I searched the term 'rapid machining' as we had to make modifications to our equipment for an approved project and we were really behind. Our normal sub-contractors have an average deadline of 4 to 6 weeks and here I was being offered delivery in 3 days! The price was good, so I decided to place an order; I initially had some reservations in terms of the quality of the parts; however, I was not disappointed because the quality was excellent!
Since this first experience, we now instinctively call upon Protolabs for all our adaptations and our new developments. When our 3D model is finalised, we upload it to ProtoQuote® and immediately obtain an automatic manufacturability and price analysis. The tool's interactivity allows us to quickly compare the manufacturability and the cost of several options in order to choose the best one.
Thanks to Protolabs rapid machining, we can go from the drawing stage to reality in only a matter of days. It's a great asset with respect to our clients, completing the design review on a finalised prototype sets us apart from large groups that are much less flexible.
Recently, we also tested Protolabs on a small series of 20 machined parts. They were as responsive as they were with single units and were relatively well placed price-wise. This option may be of interest for certain projects when we have to validate a new accessory with a client, for example."
About Lourd’innov:
Established in 2012, this company comprising 6 employees has set out a mission to protect people and products in the medical and pharmaceutical field. Its two directors are specialists in protected transfer, each with more than 10 years' experience in this highly specific field. Lourd’innov's activity is divided between 2 complementary divisions:
- the transfer division, which markets the Steripass® system and the Steriflex® single-use sterile containers;
- the tooling, accessories and methods division, which particularly markets the Med’innov® range, which has been developed in close collaboration with the teams from the replenishment units in order to provide utmost simplicity, ergonomics and robustness.
This fledgling, innovative company already realises 20% of its turnover from exports, mainly in Europe, but also in the USA and Japan.