T-FIT® is the Insulation Solution of Choice for Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities

T-FIT^® modular foam insulation has been installed in the cleanrooms of nine major COVID-19 vaccination manufacturing facilities across China.

China has already surpassed its annual Covid vaccine manufacturing target of 1 billion doses, set in September 2020 by Chinese health official Zheng Zhongwei*.
To date, over 2.2 billion doses of Chinese-manufactured vaccines have been administered worldwide, via both commercial partnerships and donations.

Speed has been of the essence in bringing large-scale manufacturing facilities online. Most projects required a 40- to 60-day construction window — an exceptionally demanding schedule considering sites cover around 30,000 square metres and produce 400,000 vaccines each day. Speed of delivery and installation was therefore an important consideration in selecting the insulation.

Designed for cleanroom and FMCG manufacturing applications respectively, the T-FIT Clean and T-FIT Hygieneclosed cell foam insulation ranges are manufactured in China at T-FIT’s production facility in Kunshan, and are typically available on a short lead time of just one week from order to delivery on the Chinese mainland. Installation, too, is simple and straightforward, involving minimal tooling and production downtime.

In contrast, delivery times for traditional insulation solutions — for example, stainless steel case products with a fibre liner, PVC and open cell foam materials — were up to three times longer or more labour-intensive to install. Produced from Zotefoams’ ZOTEK^® high-performance foam, T-FIT is also the only genuine crosslinked PVDF foam insulation on the market. It combines the highest performance with the highest levels of protection of any insulation material — crucial factors in its selection. Post-installation maintenance routines and costs for other materials would also have been greater.

One of the manufacturing facilities is biological products developer and manufacturer Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co Ltd, which expanded and upgraded its cleanroom facilities using T-FIT Clean. The company’s requirements included an operating temperature range of 0^oC – 150°C, low VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions, exceptional corrosion resistance, and a smooth closed cell surface for easy cleaning. In addition, with a thickness of just 6.35mm, T-FIT Clean fits into the tightest spaces that characterise complex pipe runs.

Because it is particulate-free, installation took place during production, without the need for PPE or special containment measures such as tents or hoods. Downtime was therefore minimised, with installation taking less than one month and production continuing uninterrupted for 80% of that time.

New website shows commitment to market

T-FIT has also launched a new dedicated website for the Chinese market — www.t-fit.cn. The site is a simple-to-navigate but comprehensive source of technical data and information on T-FIT Clean, T-FIT Hygiene and T-FIT Process, and also holds an extensive library of case studies and installation guides.

*Source: apnews.com. 09.25.20*Source: apnews.com. 09.25.20