Single-use container with 3D printed functional element, printing method therefor and assembly
AssigneeSartorius Stedim Fmt SAS
InventorsRichard Bendall, Jeremy Pullin, Isabelle Gay
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for producing a single-use container, particularly a single-use bioreactor, an assembly system, and a single-use container particularly a single-use bag such as a single-use bioreactor comprising: a base material; and at least one functional element being at least partially connected with the base material, wherein the functional element is obtained by a three dimensional printing technique from at least one printable material, wherein the printable material is heated during the three dimensional printing thereby at least partly connecting the printed functional element to the base material.
Claims15
A single-use container for use as a bioreactor, comprising:
- a base material being a flexible material selected from the group consisting of a two-dimensional film, a stock sheet, a pre-cut bag, a pre-made bag, and a wall element of a bag or container;
- and
- at least one functional element being directly and permanently connected to the base material,
- wherein the at least one functional element comprises at least one printable material that is connected to the base material by heating the at least one printable material and simultaneously heating at least a portion of the base material during three-dimensional printing of the at least one printable material onto a surface of the base material, and
- wherein the at least one functional element comprises a port that is fused to the base material around an excess portion of the base material, and
- wherein the base material comprises an opening disposed within an interior region of the port, the opening being formed by removal of the excess portion of the base material after the port is connected.
A method of producing a single-use container by producing at least one functional element and connecting the at least one functional element with a base material of the container, comprising the steps of:
- providing the base material, the base material being a flexible material selected from the group consisting of a two-dimensional film, a stock sheet, a pre-cut bag, a pre-made bag, and a wall element of a bag or container;
- three-dimensional printing of the at least one functional element from a printable material on a surface of the base material;
- and
- connecting at least a portion of the at least one functional element with at least a portion of the base material by supplying heat to the printable material and the base material simultaneously to and/or prior to at least an interval of the step of three dimensional printing, wherein the at least one functional element comprises a port that is fused to the base material around an excess portion of the base material, and
- removing the excess portion after the port is fused to the base material to define an opening within an interior region of the port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.