3P innovation has been awarded with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, in recognition of outstanding achievement for innovation for their Fill2Weight powder dosing technology.
3P engineers originally developed Fill2Weight after identifying challenges in the field of micro-dosing and filling of powder for inhalers, that could be overcome with the application of technologies in a new and novel way. Designed to address these challenges, the Queen’s Awards have recognised the Fill2Weight technology as a great example of innovation, where several different technologies have been combined into one highly effective and versatile solution.
Simon Strothers, Business Development Director at 3P innovation, said: “The Fill2Weight technology has grown and developed along with 3P, helping numerous customers to solve challenging production problems and to launch their own life-saving products to the market. We are delighted to be recognised in the ‘Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: Innovation’ category. As well as being in our name, innovation is one of our core values and helps us to succeed with the most demanding engineering and manufacturing challenges.”
Now used for multiple pharmaceutical applications including capsule, inhaler and aseptic syringe filling, Fill2Weight is a flexible and scalable system that supports manufacturers from low-volume clinical supply through to commercial production.
Fill2Weight is used to precisely dose and fill small amounts of powders into a wide range of pharmaceutical containers, including capsules, vials, syringes, cartridges and inhaler devices.
The technology uses powerful software which weighs and controls 100% of doses, meaning that each and every dose is verified and recorded. Even though Fill2Weight excels in accuracy, it’s ability for high-speed dosing is not compromised. The technology is particularly effective at dosing powders with challenging physical properties such as poor flow. Typically, it is used to dispense delicate biological powders, freeze dried powders, spray dried powders and powders requiring aseptic fill finish.
Fill2Weight delivers multiple benefits:
- Accurately doses powders from 1mg upwards
- Reduces drug development lead-times
- Scalable, ensuring that early-stage manufacturing processes can also be used for commercial production
- Future-proof; Capable of dosing the most challenging of formulations
- Minimal drug product required – zero waste
- 100% dose verification delivers improved product quality and patient safety
- Accommodates changing powder properties with ‘self-learning’ software
Dr Dave Seaward, MIET, one of the technology’s inventors, said “It is wonderful to be once again recognised for our engineering capability. Fill2Weight is truly a multi-disciplined product. There were many electrical, software and mechanical challenges for our talented engineers to solve. It all came together in what we believe to be the world’s most flexible precision powder dosing system. The many orders and customer feedback attest to the product’s value. Now the skill and ingenuity of our engineers has been formally recognised with the ‘Queen’s Award for Enterprise: innovation category’”.
3P’s Managing Director and one of the technology’s inventors, Tom Bailey, said “Fill2weight has delivered opportunities for 3P far beyond our wildest expectations. We always knew that it’s unique combination of technologies was highly innovative. Now we have the ‘Queen’s Award for Enterprise: innovation category’ to back this up. The technology has also enabled our clients to bring novel and lifechanging pharmaceuticals to market quickly, which provides a sense of pride for the whole 3P team”.
About the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise:
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise were instituted in 1965 and is today considered one of the most prestigious awards for UK businesses. The awards acknowledge exceptional achievements within the categories of International Trade, Innovation, Sustainable Development and Promoting Opportunity through social mobility. The prize is valid for five years and has shown to increase its recipients’ worldwide recognition and commercial value together with other benefits.