New injection molding center under construction

The new production hall of the company BRAND. Building dimensions 100 m x 42.7 m, height without structures 9.1 m approximately 4,200 m² of new production area, of which over 3,200 m² is cleanroom

Central elements of the roof structures on the new production building are 2 cooling units with total cooling capacities of approximately 1000 kW and 6 ventilation systems with filter systems.

The cleanroom in the new production hall, one of the largest cleanrooms worldwide for injection molding products (approximately 3,200 m²)

Plastic injection molding of pipette tips at BRAND. The entire injection molding area (including the previous injection molding) covers approximately 5,800 m². The new building also significantly improved air and climate conditions in the existing injection molding hall.

Production of palletized pipette tips. Automatic packaging system in which packages with tip pallets are sealed with paper foil to maintain their purity.

On the factory premises on Otto-Schott-Straße in Wertheim, one of the largest and most modern cleanrooms for plastic injection molding of highly pure products has been established. The building, commissioned in late 2012, measures an impressive 100 m in length, 42 m in width, and over 9 m in height without roof structures. These already signal upon approach from Bestenheider Landstraße (L2310): Here, technology is at work.

BRAND primarily manufactures life science products in the new cleanroom of this hall. In the context of life sciences (biological or biomedical sciences), it refers to research on processes and structures of living organisms or those involved with living beings. The customers of these high-quality disposable products come from the pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics industry, biotechnology, semiconductor manufacturing, or environmental technology. They demand reliable reproducibility and the highest quality for these technically extremely demanding products and rely on the fact that these products cause no influence on their results. In addition to selecting the right raw materials and strictly controlled production processes, cleanliness and precisely regulated environmental conditions in the manufacturing facilities play a crucial role. Special, continuously monitored cleanrooms are indispensable for such processes and require the distinctive building technology in the new hall.

Central elements of the roof structures are 2 cooling units with cooling capacities totaling approximately 1000 kW and 6 ventilation systems with filter systems that allow up to eightfold air exchange per hour (200,000 m³/h) with cleaned, conditioned air in the cleanroom. The ventilation system ensures that the air in the cleanroom has a minimal concentration of any contaminants. For even higher purity requirements, additional special zones within the cleanroom are provided, where double-filtered air flows directly over the production area vertically from above (room-in-room system).

Two examples clearly demonstrate that BRAND, with its products manufactured here, works at the forefront of research. As part of a collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute, BRAND produces highly pure specialized containers here that enable the cultivation of human tissue in the laboratory. "These skin models have gained enormous importance due to legislation that limits animal testing to a minimum. With these tissues, compatibility studies, toxicity tests, and irritation assessments are now conducted daily in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries," explains Dr. Christoph Schöler, managing partner of BRAND. The production of these containers has only become possible on a larger scale thanks to the new hall due to their enormous purity requirements. In the second example, pipette tips with special low-retention properties are described, which largely prevent the sticking of liquids and associated errors in analyses, etc. Such tips are also produced in the new cleanroom. Currently, about 60 employees work in the new hall, specially trained to meet the requirements of this environment. Among them are also trainees who are being prepared for this future-oriented workplace— for example, as process mechanics for plastics and rubber technology. When fully expanded, BRAND plans to employ up to 100 staff here.