Technology

DYNAMIC, VIBRATION-bASED FILTRATION

By generating turbulence directly at the membrane surface through controlled vibrations, Vibro® systems efficiently mitigate fouling – independent of crossflow.

This enables new ways of processing, with lower fouling and shear and higher yields, all within a linearly-scalable, fully drainable and energy-efficient design.

DYNAMIC ANTI-FOULING

The Vibro® anti-fouling mechanism localises turbulence at the membrane surface and minimizes build-up. This supports longer run times and more consistent performance.

Uniform, controllable TMP

VMF maintains a uniform, adjustable TMP across the entire membrane area. This enables precise process control, higher transmission and sharper separations.

OPEN, drainable design

VMF’s open, easy-to-clean Free Flow Plate™ modules make it possible to process highly concentrated, viscous media. The fully drainable design maximizes product recovery.

The vibro® Technology

Conventional cross-flow or tangential flow filtration (TFF) creates turbulence throughout the system by using rapid flow. In contrast, VMF creates turbulence by vibrating the membrane relative to the liquid medium.

The result is localised turbulence exactly where it matters, without energy- and shear intensive pumping of the process medium. The reduced liquid flow rates eliminate the high pressure drops known from TFF. This allows the process to operate at a low, uniform transmembrane pressure (TMP), which is critical for achieving high transmission of large molecules.

The open, unrestricted flow channel of Vibro® technology, combined with its independence from liquid flow rate, opens new possibilities in membrane filtration. For example, it can eliminate the need for pre-clarification steps or make single pass processing possible – everything within the same single technical solution.

LOW SYSTEM SHEAR

VMF mitigates fouling through targeted vibrations rather than high feed velocity. As a result, overall system shear stress is significantly reduced, helping preserve product quality.

MODULAR, SCALABLE DESIGN

VMF mitigates fouling through targeted vibrations rather than high feed velocity. As a result, overall system shear stress is significantly reduced, helping preserve product quality.

Energy Efficiency

Lower feed velocities and minimal pressure loss significantly reduce energy requirements. This makes the Vibro® technology a sustainable choice for modern bioprocessing.

How Vibro® Membrane Filtration (VMF) Works

Linearly scalable from lab to industrial scale

Vibro® Membrane Filtration (VMF) is linearly and seamlessly scalable from lab to industrial production, making it suitable for both the smallest research and test applications with a feed volume of no more than 20 mL as well as large industrial operations.

MODULAR DESIGN

VMF offers consistent performance from lab to industrial scale, with a modular design that ensures predictable results and minimizes process adjustments.

FDA- and gmp-compliant

All VMF solutions meet regulatory standards in pharma and biotech, thereby facilitating faster process validation and approval.

SIMPLE OPERATION

VMF is very easy to set up and use, which reduces operator errors and improves process consistency while scaling.

Lab-Scale Vibro® Solutions

FLEXIBLE & ADAPTABLE

VMF is compatible with various process fluids and viscosities as well as easy to integrate with and adapt to existing systems, which accommodates diverse bioprocessing needs and future process changes.

SMARTER FACILITY DESIGN

VMF optimizes and intensifies downstream processing and can even replace certain steps such as centrifugation, resulting in fewer units and a streamlined, easier-to-scale design.

Industry-Scale Vibro® Solutions

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VIBRO® TECHNOLOGY in Micro- and ultrafiltration

microfiltration

Microfiltration is a filtration process that removes suspended solids, bacteria, cells, and other large particulates from liquids. It works by passing a fluid through a microporous filtration material, typically with pore sizes ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 micrometres. Molecules smaller than the membrane pores such as water, salts, peptides and most small proteins pass through as permeate, while larger entities like cells, microbes, and colloidal particles are retained by the filter.

ultrafiltration

Ultrafiltration is a pressure-driven membrane process used to separate macromolecules and colloids from smaller solutes and solvents. The membranes used have much finer pores (typically 1–100 nanometres), allowing water, salts, and small organic molecules to pass through, while retaining larger species such as proteins, viruses, antibodies, and colloidal particles.

HOW VMF IMPROVES Micro- And Ultrafiltration

Vibrations cause localized turbulence at the membrane surface, minimizing build-up and supporting longer run times as well as consistent performance.

The elimination of significant pressure drop across the module known from conventional TFF ensures consistently high separation performance and precise process control.

Lower overall system shear reduces the risk of protein denaturation and aggregation as well as unintended cell lysis, resulting in higher yields and reduced burden on downstream purification.

By replacing high cross-flow velocities with vibration, VMF can reduce energy consumption by up to 95%, making it a highly efficient and environmentally friendly ultrafiltration solution.

VMF’s low flow rates and open channel design make it ideal for handling highly concentrated and/or viscous media.

VMF’s fully drainable design and gentle product handling maximize product recovery, while its uniform TMP delivers unmatched product transmission.

Frequently asked questions

Vibro® technology generates localized turbulence at the membrane surface using controlled vibration, which reduces the need for high-velocity flow and high-pressure drops required by conventional tangential flow filtration. This creates gentler processing conditions and allows for more precise control over transmembrane pressure, leading to higher yields and lower fouling rates.

The key benefits include higher product yields, uniform transmembrane pressure across the membrane, lower fouling, gentler processing conditions for sensitive biomolecules, potential elimination of certain process steps, and significant energy savings compared to traditional methods.

Vibro® technology enables uniform membrane conditions, reduces shear stress, increases yield and transmission, minimizes fouling, and substantially lowers energy requirements in both microfiltration and ultrafiltration. For ultrafiltration, it specifically allows for continuous, stable operation and can enable single-pass processing.

Energy efficiency is achieved by eliminating the need for rapid liquid flows and large pressure drops, which are energy-intensive in conventional systems. Vibro® technology can reduce energy consumption by up to 95%, making it a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for filtration applications.

By reducing shear stress through lower pump speeds and localized turbulence, Vibro® technology preserves the integrity of sensitive biomolecules and cells, thereby maintaining product quality and stability during filtration processes.

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