ABB announced Apr. 24 its latest process analytical technology (PAT) solution for the Life Sciences industry, Industrial IT for PAT. This product combines process data collection and analysis with traditional process control and data management functions to produce a complete PAT solution in a single system. This standard product solution, which will be available mid-2007, is being shown at INTERPHEX 2007 in New York City, April 24-26.
Built on the same technology foundation as System 800xA Extended Automation, ABB's Industrial IT for PAT provides manufacturing customers with a way to access and examine online, real-time process data directly from the manufacturing operation. This configurable, Windows-based system collects data from ABB and/or third-party vendors' analytical instruments, analyzes the data to determine the actual condition of the process, then passes the resulting information to the control system. The control system adjusts the control outputs based on this information to improve the process efficiency and product quality.
The FDA and industry groups have promoted the benefits of PAT since 2003, when the FDA released the draft version of its guidance "PAT - A Framework for Innovative Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Quality Assurance." However, PAT's adoption by Life Sciences industry customers has been slowed by a lack of technology that effectively and reliably integrates the analytical measurement results into the automated process controllers.
ABB's PAT integration abilities, data collection capabilities and application flexibility have been combined to provide Life Sciences customers with the system that they need to successfully implement PAT at their facilities. ABB's approach allows implementing PAT on new or existing processes without incurring the cost and effort of developing a separate interface for each part of the PAT system. Another cost and time saving feature of the system is that the applications created with Industrial IT for PAT are portable, reusable, and can be implemented to control non-ABB, third-party systems and analytical instruments located anywhere in the customer's company.
Industrial IT for PAT allows methods and controls developed and proven in the laboratory to be reused in the production facility. Solutions that are applied to a single process unit can be seamlessly scaled up to measure and control multiple process units.
