The company describes the compact system as ergonomically designed, providing precision dosing and production floor flexibility.
Automatic machine for filling ampoules and vials. Modern pharmaceutical equipment. | Image Credit: © nordroden - stock.adobe.com
TurboFil Packaging Solutions is introducing its newest piece of equipment, called the MediFil Cart (1). In a press release on June 4, 2025, the company described this as a standalone, fully servo-controlled ceramic vial filler system, designed as a cart-mounted module that provides convenience and ease of portability between lines.
The compact system has the potential to come equipped with up to 12 piston pumps, with each of the filling channels driven by its own motor drive, according to TurboFil (1). This design allows for each channel to be individually optimized for best accuracy, while a suck-back feature is designed to minimize drips. Stainless steel pump housing is intended for ease of disassembly and reassembly. Overall, the company said, the system offers an ergonomic design that is operator-friendly, flexibility for production floors, and tight-tolerance dosing precision.
Additionally, TurboFil said the system is easy to set up and affords control over all fill parameters—enable/disable, volume, speed, acceleration, and suck-back (1). Ethernet connectivity can provide either remote system control or integration into larger production lines.
“As both filling tolerances and production scheduling windows grow ever tighter, pharma manufacturers are seeking solutions that combine precision with expedience and flexibility,” said Deborah Smook, vice-president of Marketing & Business Development for TurboFil Packaging Machines, said in a company press release (1). “The MediFil Cart is designed as a versatile filler that allows operators to perform set up removed from a production line, then integrate the unit in a just-in-time fashion that maximizes uptime and overall efficiency.”
Pharmaceutical Technology® Group got some perspective from TurboFil on automating operations, particularly the distinction between fully automated and semi-automated approaches, in its 2024 coverage of packaging trends. At the time, the company was promoting a custom-built benchtop draw filler, which offered better accuracy and a less labor-intensive setup than manual filling (2).
Even while touting the advantages of that system, however, Smook cautioned against an overreliance on automated practices.
“Automation is rarely as simple as devising a machine to replace a manual process,” she said in the article, which was published in both BioPharm International® and Pharmaceutical Technology®. “Adjacent issues such as sterility and inspection, which can become more challenging at higher line speeds, also must be addressed.”
TurboFil is now adding the MediFil cart to its broad portfolio of standardized equipment, and the company says it also frequently collaborates with customers in the design, development, and construction of customized, built-to-spec machines for the pharmaceutical, medical device, health & beauty, and chemical industries (1).
For more on equipment trends, keep an eye out for the June 2025 edition of Pharmaceutical Technology, in which Sheikh Akbar Ali, general manager and head of Development and Technology for ACG Packaging Materials, reviews the state of equipment innovation, the emerging technologies that are shaping a new standard of efficiency, how global pressures are affecting the supply chain for raw materials, and what options are available to manufacturers who desire to make their processes more sustainable (3).
1. TurboFil Packaging Machines. TurboFil Introduces Versatile Multiheaded Vial Filler Cart with Servo-Controlled Ceramic Pumps. Press Release. June 4, 2025.
2. Forcinio, H. Innovations in Prefilled Biologics. BioPharm International 2024, 37 (6).
3. Lavery, P. How Smart Technology Is Helping Reach Sustainability Goals in Drug Packaging. Pharmaceutical Technology 2025, 49 (5).
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