Newsletter 03/2025
Feeding systems in hygienic design for the highest demands
The new feeding systems in hygienic design from Three-Tec meet the highest requirements for hygiene and product safety in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
The requirements for cleanliness and safety in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries are constantly increasing. Feeding systems are in direct contact with sensitive products and are therefore directly affected. The new feeders from Three-Tec are designed for easy cleaning, minimised risk of contamination and high operating efficiency.
A key feature of the new feeding devices are the hygienic compression seals at the connection points on the exterior of the feeders, which are easily recognisable by their blue colour. They prevent dead spaces and ensure a completely sealed design, thus preventing the ingress of contaminants.
The feeding devices are carefully designed to allow the assembly, disassembly and cleaning of all components that come into contact with the product in just a few steps and in the shortest possible time. The devices are made entirely of stainless steel, ground and polished with a surface roughness of up to ≤ Ra 0.8 μm. The smooth and pore-free surfaces reduce the adhesion of product residues and can be easily and efficiently cleaned with a variety of liquids and solvents. Automated cleaning systems such as WIP (Wash-in-Place), CIP (Clean-in-Place) or SIP (Sterilise-in-Place) are available and significantly increase the production efficiency. Consistently high hygiene standards can be guaranteed even with frequent product changes.
All plastic parts and seals that come into contact with the product and that we use for our devices meet the requirements of EC 1935/2004 and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, USP class VI) and guarantee food safety. The greases and lubricants used are NSF-H1 certified. The devices are manufactured according to GMP guidelines, including IQ, OQ and, if desired, PQ.
Flat-tray feeders from Three-Tec guarantee precise feeding of free-flowing to poorly flowing, very light, moist or bridging bulk solids with flow rates of ffc 1 - 5 and are equipped with easily interchangeable feeding tools. Various feeding tools such as full-blade, concave or spiral screws facilitate adaptation to the product to be fed. The high feeding accuracy ensures consistently high product quality, while the robust construction made of high-quality materials guarantees a long service life for the devices.
The feeders in hygienic design are available as flat-tray feeders with 12 or 22 mm screw diameters. They are suitable, among other things, for multiple feeding, e.g. on a pallet. The new flat-tray feeders are also perfectly suited for installation in containment solutions such as isolators or fume hoods for the installation trough the wall. With these solutions, only the components of the feeding device that come into contact with the product and are therefore absolutely necessary remain in the isolator, while scales and gearboxes, motors and cables remain outside the containment area. This considerably simplifies autoclaving and cleaning and greatly reduces the risk of contamination. Explosion-proof versions of the feeding devices (ATEX) are possible.
Advantages at a glance
- High-precision gravimetric feeding
- All-round external seamless silicone seals
- Smooth surfaces
- Optimized cleaning results
- Minimized contamination risks
- Feeding of even the most difficult-to-flow materials possible
25 years of Three-Tec
In May 2000, Heinz Wipf embarked on the adventure of self-employment with big ideas and founded Three-Tec GmbH.
Three to five years - that's how much time a company is normally given before it has to be profitable. Companies that fail to achieve this join the long list of companies that had a good idea but were unable to turn it into a profitable business. At Three-Tec, it took over 10 years with a great deal of passion and persistence before we were able to turn a profit. And the patience paid off: Today, Three-Tec has established itself as a supplier of feeding devices and extruders.
You, dear customers and partners, have made our success story possible. Thank you for accompanying us on our journey!
The history of Three-Tec
After more than 20 years in the development and production of feeding devices, Heiz Wipf founded Three-Tec in 2000 with the conviction that he could produce better devices than those available on the market. In order to set up his own production facility, he took over a small company with its own workshop the following year. In this small workshop, a handful of people developed the foundations for the new generation of devices.
In 2004, the first flat-tray feeding device was built - an innovation on the market. In the same year, a laboratory manager of a large pharmaceutical company, who was looking for an extruder with a small screw diameter, discovered Three-Tec. Until then, the company had only manufactured feeding devices, but was able to produce the appropriate 5 mm screws, for which the laboratory manager simply could not find a supplier. This collaboration resulted in the first, simple pharmaceutical extruder. Over time, the extruder line was equipped with various features and expanded with new extruder sizes.
In 2007, the company moved into a new building with seven employees. The construction of the building required a great deal of courage and belief in the right path for the company. It was not until 2010 that Three-Tec was established enough to win larger orders and the company gradually became more profitable. Everything that followed is a success story: more orders thanks to satisfied customers, continuous personnel growth and finally the tripling of the operating area with another new building, which was occupied in 2022. Today, the company employs 50 people and is currently investing heavily in the next generation with 11 trainees.
In 2020, Heinz Wipf handed over the management of the company to his son Mike Wipf, who has since successfully continued to run the family business in the second generation. Unfortunately, Heinz Wipf did not live to see the last big leap in growth and the move to the new building – his heartfelt project. He passed away unexpectedly in spring 2021. The company that he built up with so much commitment and is now so successful is his legacy.
Current Projects
Many of our devices are developed and produced according to the specific requirements of our customers. We show you some of the devices and machinery that were completed and delivered in recent months.
Extruder for processing suspensions
Devices:
ZE 12 HMI extruder for placement in an extractor hood
Industry/Use:
Research. Processing of suspensions that are processed into a stable end product by means of extrusion.
Special feature:
- Barrel made from one piece with screw press
- The extruder was supplied with an external HMI and control cabinet
- In terms of the control cabinet, the panel and the connectivity, the device has been expanded to such an extent that it can also be used for future projects
Extruder for formulation trials
Devices:
ZE 9 HMI extruder, designed for 400 °C, split barrel L/D 40, two ZD 9 FB flat-tray feeders for throughputs from <50 g/h
Industry/Use:
Research. Product formulation in the field of solvent-free organic synthesis
Special feature:
A product quantity of just <7 g was processed and analyzed several times using extrusion. Thanks to the low dead volume in the barrel, hardly any material is lost, which makes it possible to process product quantities in the gram range. Exactly the right device for formulation trials in the early development phase.
Extruder line for the production of battery materials
Devices:
ZE 12 HMI extruder for isolator installation, mixing screw for mixing individual feeding components, L/D 30 split barrel, ZD 5 FB and ZD 9 FB gravimetric flat-tray feeding units, gravimetric liquid feeding, film roller with electrically heated rollers
Industry/Use:
Research. Production of battery materials
Special feature:
Installed in glovebox, the process takes place in a nitrogen or argon atmosphere. Barrels and extruder screws are made of very hard special materials, as abrasive raw materials are processed.
Hybrid laboratory extruder for processing pharmaceuticals
Devices:
Hybrid extruder ZE 5/12 HMI, feeding device ZD 9 FB, cooling conveyor belt, granulator HMI, cooling bath, hot die.
Industry/Use:
Research. Processing of effective or harmful drugs.
Special feature:
- Hybrid extruder 5/12 HMI with one ZE 5 barrel with L/D 30:1 and one ZE 12 barrel with L/D 60:1
- Speed of the ZE 12 servomotor up to 1000 rpm
- The system is operated in an isolator
Extruder line for the production of meat alternatives
Devices:
ZE 18 HM extruder, ZD 12 B twin-screw feeding unit, hot cut-off
Industry/Use:
Production of meat alternatives and snack products
Special feature:
Complete system including individual components from external suppliers.
Extruder system for the production of pharmaceuticals
Product:
ZE 32 extruder with hinged split barrel, ZD 22 FB gravimetric pharmaceutical flat-tray feeding unit, special version cooling conveyor belt, crusher system for pre-crushing the extrudate, cooling unit for cooling the extruder feed and the conveyor belt, hammer mill to grind the extrudate to the desired size, container lifting column to refill the feeding unit with containers from the customer.
Industry/Use:
Pharma. Production of anti-cancer drugs.
Special feature:
Complete system including individual components from external suppliers.
Tests with your original products in our laboratory
In our test and application laboratory, we offer our customers the perfect environment for optimizing and developing existing and new processes.
Our test laboratory is equipped with various devices (feeding devices, extruders and various process equipment) from our wide range of products. Once you have told us your requirements for your process, we will put together the appropriate equipment and carry out the test with your product in our laboratory. We then provide you with photos, videos, a test report and, if necessary, product samples. You are also welcome to follow the tests live or via video call so that you can see directly what is happening.
Our devices cover most process requirements. Tests in the laboratory can be used to determine which possible device adaptations will lead to further process improvements. In many cases, these adaptations can be implemented directly during the ongoing tests or within a very short period of time, as we have the entire production at the same location. We then design a system or device to suit your process.
In addition to process development, we also carry out feasibility studies in our test laboratory or produce initial product samples for your customers. The head of our test laboratory, Roman Villiger will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the test laboratory.
The range of services in our test laboratory
- Gravimetric and volumetric feeding
- Extrusion: melt extrusion, wet and melt granulation, roasting and mixing processes, food extrusion, gas and solvent extraction processes; production of battery compounds, ceramic compounds, metallic compounds (with up to 98% metal content), etc.
- Process development
- Feasibility studies
- Contract manufacturing
Impressions of tests carried out:
