3P Innovation gains Queen’s Award for its dosing technology with confectionery market potential

UK-based 3P innovation has been awarded with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, in recognition of outstanding achievement for innovation for their Fill2Weight powder dosing technology.

The company originally developed Fill2Weight after identifying challenges in the field of micro-dosing and filling of powder for inhalers, that could be overcome with the application of technologies in a new and novel way.

But as the Warwickshire business explained to Confectionery Production, the system has broader commercial application that could see it being utilised within the confectionery field to handle production of luxury chocolates.

Designed to address these challenges, the Queen’s Awards have recognised the Fill2Weight technology as a great example of innovation, where several different technologies have been combined into one highly effective and versatile solution.

Simon Strothers, Business Development Director at 3P innovation, said: “The Fill2Weight technology has grown and developed along with 3P, helping numerous customers to solve challenging production problems and to launch their own life-saving products to the market. We are delighted to be recognised in the ‘Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: Innovation’ category. As well as being in our name, innovation is one of our core values and helps us to succeed with the most demanding engineering and manufacturing challenges.”

Fill2Weight is used to precisely dose and fill small amounts of powders into a wide range of containers, including capsules, vials, syringes, cartridges and inhaler devices.

The technology is particularly effective at dosing powders with challenging physical properties such as poor flow. Typically, it is used to dispense delicate biological powders, freeze dried powders, spray dried powders and powders requiring aseptic fill finish.

The technology uses powerful software which weighs and controls 100% of doses, meaning that each and every dose is verified and recorded. Even though Fill2Weight has been designed for  accuracy, it’s ability for high-speed dosing is not compromised.

3P’s Managing Director and one of the technology’s inventors, Tom Bailey, said: “Fill2weight has delivered opportunities for 3P far beyond our wildest expectations. We always knew that it’s unique combination of technologies was highly innovative. Now we have the ‘Queen’s Award for Enterprise: innovation category’ to back this up. The technology has also enabled our clients to bring novel and life changing pharmaceuticals to market quickly, which provides a sense of pride for the whole 3P team”.