Millipore Corp. announced Apr. 13 that it has successfully integrated Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with filtration products used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drugs. The new RFID capability will be branded as SMART Technology and will be introduced at the upcoming Interphex 2007 Conference in New York.
By using RFID technology in filtration products, Millipores customers can increase speed by retrieving critical information, such as when and how the product was manufactured. Additionally, when the filters are coupled with sensors, RFID can deliver real-time information about product performance and identify which fluids are present during the manufacturing process. This information will help customers to ensure regulatory compliance and make recording and conveying manufacturing data faster and more reliable.
Unlike previous labeling methods such as barcodes, RFID enables customers to automatically document product and process information, eliminates the risk of losing critical information, and provides the ability to rewrite their own information into embedded RFID tags.
Other key benefits of the RFID technology include:
- non-line-of-site, enabling improved readability and non-linear access to information
- rewritable and encryptable
- difficult to remove and thus provide greater security
- mechanically and thermally stable
- gamma-irradiatable
Millipore has recently entered into an exclusive license with Tack Smart Filter Technology B.V. (Zuid-Scharwoude, the Netherlands) to embed the RFID technology in its filters and filtration apparatuses for biopharmaceutical applications. Additionally, Millipore has formed relationships with Tagsys RFID for tags and reader components; the Tech Group for injection molding and fabrication and Northern Apex-RFID for RFID integration services and instrument development.
