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Double-barrier tray accommodates 700 spinal implants

Medical device maker Orthofix works with its packaging supplier to fit some 700 spinal implant products into four trays with retainers.

Sealed double-barrier trays are placed into a folding carton, supplied by Barger. The FORZA packaging consists of a total of four thermoformed PETG trays; one inner tray, two sizes of inner retainer trays, and an outer tray sealed with coated Tyvek lidding material.
Sealed double-barrier trays are placed into a folding carton, supplied by Barger. The FORZA packaging consists of a total of four thermoformed PETG trays; one inner tray, two sizes of inner retainer trays, and an outer tray sealed with coated Tyvek lidding material.

Orthofix is a global medical device company focused on developing products for the spine and orthopedic markets. When developing its FORZA™ spinal medical devices, Orthofix sought to avoid creating a separate package for each of the approximately 700 different sizes of spinal devices.

To minimize packaging components, the Lewisville, TX-based company worked with its supplier Placon, a manufacturer of stock and custom thermoformed packaging, and Placon’s medical packaging division, Barger. Dewey Waites, Sterilization and Packaging Engineer for Orthofix Spinal Implants, was involved in the FORZA development project. “FORZA is a trade name for one of our spinal implants used in surgical procedures and packaged here at our Lewisville facility,” says Waites. “Orthofix packages four primary spinal implant product lines made with PEEK, a polyetheretherketone thermal rigid material and with PEEK material molded in between two titanium plates used for Cervical Interbody fusion.

“Within these four different product lines there are about 700 total SKUs in different sizes and configurations,” says Waites. “I think what sets our packaging apart from other companies is our universal package that accommodates all of the spinal implants. That’s the key.”

Trays, lidding, and retainers
The FORZA packaging project, developed jointly by Orthofix and Barger, consists of a total of four thermoformed PETG trays; one inner tray, two sizes of inner retainer trays, and an outer tray. The inner tray houses a retainer that holds the actual implant. Both the inner and outer tray are sealed with coated DuPont™ 1073B Tyvek® lidding material.

The PETG retainer housed within the inner tray of the double-sterile barrier tray system comes in two sizes. One is designed to hold “small” and “medium-sized” spinal implants, while a second retainer is manufactured to accommodate “large” implants.

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INTRODUCING! The Latest Trends for Life Sciences at PACK EXPO Southeast