In the bioprocess industry, the adoption of overmolding for manifolds can provide many measurable benefits. Overmolding refers to the process of molding thermoplastic or thermoset material over connectors or tubing, creating seamless, robust connections between tubing and components. In bioprocessing, manifolds are custom-designed assemblies that connect multiple tubing lines into a single, unified product and using overmolding reduces risks associated with connectors.  Overmolding is a specialized area of injection molding.

Together, the result surpasses traditional leak-prone assemblies by providing integrated, sealed units that enhance the reliability and integrity of single-use bioprocess systems. Overmolding and molded manifolds provide multiple benefits that include but are not limited to:

Key Benefits

1. Enhanced Sterility and Contamination Control
   • Reduces the need for components like barbed fittings and hose clamps.
   • Creates a more seamless flow path, reducing dead spaces and potential microbial
     ingress points.
   • Ideal
     for aseptic operations such as media and buffer preparation, sterile
     filtration, and final fill.
2. Reduced Assembly Errors
   • Molded configurations minimize time and labor associated with manual fabrication.
   • Increases product consistency and manufacturing repeatability.
   • Reduces chances of incorrect installation during setup, improving operator safety and process repeatability on the drug manufacturing floor.
3. Accelerated Installation and Turnaround
   • Plug-and-play designs simplify equipment setup, enabling rapid changeovers in multi-product facilities.
4. Improved Integrity and Validation
   • Overmolded joints are leak-proof and pressure-tested, reducing the risk of batch loss.
   • Smoother
     inner bores reduce cell shear and entrapment, to improve cell viability.
5. Customized configurations for specific applications based
   on user requirements such as:
   • Upstream: Feed line manifolds for media or buffer delivery and drug substance.
   • Downstream: Sample collection or pooling manifolds in filtration or purification
     steps.
   • Final fill: Sterile filling manifolds with multiple filling needles or vessels.