Intermediate Bulk Containers

for the Pharmaceutical Industry

engineering for a better world

GEA Group is a global specialist in solid and liquid dose
technology. Combining trusted technology with an ongoing
programme of innovation and price/performance leadership,
GEA has a long history of expertise and an unparalleled depth
of experience in the fields of batch and continuous
granulation, drying, pelletizing and coating, contained
materials handling, tablet compression, pharmaceutical
freeze drying, fermentation and liquid formulation,
separation, homogenization and cell disruption.

With manufacturing and technology centres all over the world,

GEA provides the services that the pharmaceutical industry
needs, including technical know-how, test facilities for product
development and process evaluation, project management,
market-leading equipment, customer service and support.

Working closely with its customers to develop new

products, reduce time to market and enhance clinical
effectiveness, GEA’s scope of supply ranges from R&D-scale
and standalone production equipment to the installation of
completely integrated production lines and continuous
processing technology. GEA is your single-source supplier
of robust, flexible and cost-effective pharmaceutical
manufacturing solutions that maximise operational
reliability and productivity.
 Powder Handling
Technology
•
The
GEA IBC

Containment Valves Another benefit of the Vibroflow™ is its ability to

One important feature overcome the build up of vacuum within the IBC,
of the GEA IBC is its which can be an issue for larger volume IBCs. The
world leading BUCK™ Vibroflow™ allows air to percolate through the
High Containment Split powder bed and into the top section of the IBC. This
Butterfly Valve. The overcomes the build up of vacuum without the need
GEA Docking System is to vent the IBC from the top, which compromises the
the market leading split containment of the IBC.
butterfly valve. With The Vibroflow™ is a modular design, therefore it
the new BUCK™ MC only needs to be fitted to IBCs where the process
Modular Containment demands it.
Valve offering further improved containment levels,
a range of containment valves is available to suit all Blending Prism™
applications. The Prism™ has been
The valves can be fitted to the inlet of the IBC for developed to aid and
contained filling, or an invertible design of the IBC improve blending of
allows filling through the outlet valve. more difficult
materials. The Prism™
Vibroflow™ Discharge adds low shear mixing
Technology to the rotating IBC,
An important feature of adding to the
any IBC System is its turbulence of the
ability to discharge tumbling product and
product from the IBC improving the time to homogenously blend products.
in a reliable and When the IBC is loaded into the blender, the Prism™
repeatable manner. is orientated at right angles to the rotation axis. As
In an age where the IBC is rotated, the product is divided up by the
containment of a Prism™, and product is forced outwards to the
product and operator corners of the IBC.
safety is of major importance, it is not acceptable for The Prism™ is of particular benefit in dry blend
operators to intervene and open the IBC to overcome processes, where IBC Blending is the key process
blockages from the IBC. step. For Dry Blending, or Direct Compression
The Vibroflow™ was designed to meet these needs. products, the powders can be more cohesive and
It is now a proven discharge technology, having been have poorer flow properties. Dry powders take
thoroughly tested by leading pharmaceutical noticeably longer to blend in comparison to free
manufacturers and installed successfully in a number flowing granular materials (for example the
of Primary API plants, as well as Secondary dispersion of magnesium stereate into a granulated
pharmaceuticals plants. batch) which blend easily and within a relatively
The Vibroflow™ is mounted within the IBC between short period of time.
the outlet flange of the IBC and Passive Valve. By The Prism™ is fully welded into the container body,
applying vibration to the valve, low frequency and can be fully cleaned in place with the GEA Wash
vibration is applied into the centre of the product Station.
bed, destroying the ‘Keystone’ of the bridging
product. The spiral design sends vibrations sideways Clean in Place
through the product bed, promoting mass flow of An important feature of any containment system is
product. The vibration is applied externally from the the prevention of operator intervention. All GEA
Active Valve, so there are no working mechanisms IBCs are designed to be Cleaned in Place within the
within the process flow. GEA Wash Station. The Passive Valves are a hygienic
design and are mounted on the inlet and outlet of the
IBC in a manner that prevents any ingress of dust.
Naturally, both the Prism™ and the Vibroflow™
have been designed to allow full CIP.
Technical details
Size 1 2 3 4 5
Footprint (mm) 525 x 620 725 x 840 960 x 1125 1125 x 1325 1350 x 1590
Max Volume (Litres) 150 300 600 2000 3000
Min Volume (Litres) 75 200 400 700 1200
Min Volume Bottle in a Frame (Litres)25 25 50 50 100 100
Outlet Valve
Valve Size (mm) 100 150 200 250 250
BUCK™ HC Passive o o o o o
BUCK™ MC Passive • • • • •
Inlet
Manway Size (mm) 300 300/460 300/460 300/460 300/460
Spun lid with clamp and and seal • • • • •
Bolted Plate lid with hygienic seal for o o o o o
mounting BUCK™ Passive Valves
Clamped Plate lid with hygienic seal for o o o o o
mounting BUCK™ Passive Valves
Handling
Pallet Guides • • • • •
Stacking/Blending Clamping Features o o o o o
Post Hoist Pick-up Features • • • • •
Skid Feet for conveyor handling – – o o o
Invertible Design o o o o –
Blending
Prism o o o o o
Sapphire Window for PAT device o o o o o
Discharge
Vibroflow™ o o o o o
Vibrator Pocket o o o o o
Identification
Card Holder o o o o o
Etching o o o o o
Barcode Plate o o o o o
Container Bottle Internal Finish
Natural 2B cold rolled finish (<0.5µm Ra), • • • • •
welds ground back to parent metal and strip
polished to a 0.5µm Ra or better finish
Mirror 2P finish (<0.1µm Ra), welds ground back to parent o o o o o
metal and strip polished to a 0.2µm Ra or better finish
As above + electropolishing o o o o o
Container Bottle External Finish
Natural 2B cold rolled finish (<0.5µm Ra), welds as laid, • • • • •
and chemically cleaned and strip polished
Satin brush finish (<1.0µm Ra), welds o o o o o
chemically cleaned and polished
Satin brush finish (<1.0µm Ra), welds ground back o o o o o
to parent metal, chemically cleaned and polish
Legs and Base Frame Finish
0.5 – 1.0 µm Ra • • • • •
Materials of Constructions
Product Contact Areas BS EN 10088-2 1.4404 (AISI 316L) Stainless Steel
Non-Product Contact Areas BS EN 10088-2 1.4301 (AISI 304) Stainless Steel
Seals and Gaskets FDA approved EPDM / Silicone

Features and Benefits checklist Features and Benefits checklist

Range of containers from 25L up to 3000L • Spun lid and clamp band inlet •
316L Product contact parts • Plate Lid with BUCK™ MC inlet Valve •
304 Non-Product contact parts • Plate Lid with BUCK™ HC inlet Valve o
FDA approved seals and gaskets • Invertible single valve design o
< 0.5 RA finish for product contact parts • Vibroflow™ Discharge Technology o
Mirror internal finish o Prism™ Blending Technology o
Electro-polished internal finish o Nylon non marking feet •
External welds ground flush o Skid feet for conveyor handling o
Design for safe and easy handling • Designed to be Cleaned in Place •
using low lift pallet trucks Validation Documentation and full material •
BUCK™ MC Valve outlet valve • traceability in accordance to GAMP
Optional BUCK™ HC valve o
• standard o optional – not available
 Storage - Transport - Blending

IBCs are widely used within the pharmaceutical manufacturing process as storage,
transport and blending vessels. Increasingly, with the introduction of in-container
blending, IBCs are being used as process vessels for blending applications.

The GEA IBC is more than just a container. With technologies such as the Blending Prism™, the Vibroflow™
discharge device and the world leading BUCK™ High Containment Split Butterfly Valve, common issues
such as difficult to blend materials, poor flowing product, and handling potent materials – all faced by
pharmaceutical manufacturers – are met and addressed.

The GEA IBC is designed specifically for the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare industries. With product contact
parts constructed from 316L stainless steel, a range of finishes are available for the internal and external
surfaces of the IBCs. Modern construction techniques ensure accurate manufacturing tolerances are met
with repeatable dimensional accuracy.
We live our values.
Excellence • Passion • Integrity • Responsibility • GEA-versity

GEA Group is a global engineering company with multi-billion euro sales and operations in more than
50 countries. Founded in 1881, the company is one of the largest providers of innovative equipment and
process technology. GEA Group is listed in the STOXX® Europe 600 index.

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© GEA Group 2015 (Pharma). Specifications subject to change without notice. All trademarks recognised.

GEA Pharma Systems

GEA Process Engineering Ltd

PO Box 15, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 4ZD, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 121 765 5800
Email: [email protected] gea.com