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Developing custom Control Software for a Cell Culture Media Delivery Platform

The use of the Module Type Package (MTP) standard rendered the system highly adaptable, capable of accommodating technological changes.

Industry

Life Science

Scope

Custom Control Software / MTP / Prototype / Operational Technology

Timeframe

Long-lasting partnership

Technology

  • SoftwarePLC
  • MTP (POL / PEA)
  • OPC UA
  • React.js
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • Node-Red
  • Custom User Interface including Control, Recipe management and execution, Trends, Alarms, and Reports
  • Remote diagnostics and updates

1

MTP-compliant prototype skid

2

years of development

500

litres of Cell Culture media per batch

The client

Our client is a leading multinational science and technology company. The organization operates across healthcare, life science, performance materials, pharmaceutical, and chemical.

Business needs

The company's goal was to automate one of the steps in the Cell Culture process. To achieve this, our client tasked us with building a prototype for a media preparation skid and developing software that would integrate all devices, enable skid control, and facilitate the creation and execution of recipes for hydrated media preparation. One of the requirements was that the User Interface and User Experience had to be very similar to other products made by the client. To meet this requirement, A4BEE created a fully customized, tailor-made User Interface from scratch. Solutions and advice regarding MTP services and recipe execution proposed by A4BEE were highly appreciated and resulted in an operator-friendly recipe creation and execution process.

The challenge

  • 01

    How to design a single software solution that could adapt processing recipes flexibly?

  • 02

    How to integrate new solutions into the customer's existing orchestration systems?

  • 03

    How can the software be effectively managed to accelerate the development process without compromising quality or functionality?

Our solution

A comprehensive suite of tailored solutions was developed to address the unique needs of our clients, including

  1. High-Level Services Through MTP The Module Type Package (MTP) standard allowed the definition of high-level services that could be used across all prototypes, irrespective of their technical differences. This provided the needed adaptability for varying processing recipes.

  2. Automated Integration Through MTP File The MTP file offered a straightforward, automated way to integrate the new installation into the customer’s existing orchestration system, resolving connectivity issues.

  3. Parallel Development of Controls and Interface The adoption of the MTP standard interface definition shortened the design and interface definition phase. This allowed for the parallel development of controls and the user interface, thereby accelerating the overall development process.

Technology used

  • SoftwarePLC
  • MTP (POL / PEA)
  • OPC UA
  • React.js
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • Node-Red
  • Custom User Interface including Control, Recipe management and execution, Trends, Alarms, and Reports
  • Remote diagnostics and updates

The outcome

The use of the Module Type Package (MTP) standard rendered the system highly adaptable, capable of accommodating technological changes or variations in installation sizes, thus future-proofing the solution.

  • The system is versatile enough to work with custom-developed Process Orchestration Layer (POL) software or to integrate easily with existing systems, providing deployment flexibility.
  • Implementing the MTP standard notably expedited the development process by streamlining interface specification, leading to quicker development and deployment.
  • By adopting the MTP standard, the biotech manufacturing company met immediate software requirements for its large-scale cell culture media processing installation and ensured both future adaptability and scalability.
Karol Doroszewski
The project was very successful. The team implemented MTP-compliant control software for a demanding bioprocess. The client was delighted with the outcome. According to our knowledge, this was the world's one-of-a-kind prototype, which made the project even more enjoyable.
Karol Doroszewski — R&D Lead Engineer

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