A preform is easily and promptly sterilized. Superheated steam (S) generated from water, and having a temperature of 200 C. to 500 C. and a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure is blasted to entire inner and outer surfaces of a preform (1) including a mouth portion (1a) thereof.

A packaging system for the storage of an ophthalmic device is disclosed. The packaging system includes a sealed container containing one or more unused ophthalmic devices immersed in an aqueous packaging solution containing (a) one or more osmoprotectants, (b) one or more poloxamer comfort agents and (c) one or more polyol demulcents, wherein the aqueous packaging solution has an osmolality of at least about 150 mOsm/kg, a pH of about 6 to about 9 and is heat sterilized.

A packaging system for the storage of an ophthalmic device is disclosed. The packaging system includes a sealed container containing one or more unused ophthalmic devices immersed in an aqueous packaging solution containing (a) one or more osmoprotectants, (b) one or more poloxamer comfort agents and (c) one or more polyol demulcents, wherein the aqueous packaging solution has an osmolality of at least about 150 mOsm/kg, a pH of about 6 to about 9 and is heat sterilized.

A method and a device for treating and monitoring objects incorporating a metal material. The objects are treated with a treatment fluid in one or more treatment zone(s) and the treatment fluid is then removed from and/or dried on the objects. To provide constant quality monitoring, at least one portion of at least one object respectively is optically detected and calorimetrically evaluated. In this manner, discoloration of metal materials caused by the treatment can be promptly detected.

A retort system includes a vessel having an access opening accessible via a movable door, a basket supporting assembly within the vessel and along which container baskets are movable for loading into the vessel and unloading from the vessel and a heating system for heating containers for treatment within the vessel. A container basket load/unload system moves container baskets into the vessel and for moving container baskets out of the vessel, and includes a rigid chain unit aligned or alignable with the access opening such that a rigid chain can be moved along a chain feed path into the vessel via the access opening.

A retort system includes a vessel having an access opening accessible via a movable door, a basket supporting assembly within the vessel and along which container baskets are movable for loading into the vessel and unloading from the vessel and a heating system for heating containers for treatment within the vessel. A container basket load/unload system moves container baskets into the vessel and for moving container baskets out of the vessel, and includes a rigid chain unit aligned or alignable with the access opening such that a rigid chain can be moved along a chain feed path into the vessel via the access opening.

A system for filling nested pharmaceutical containers with a pharmaceutical fluid is disclosed. In one general aspect, it comprises a sterilizable chamber containing a planar rotary stage with a fiducial locating structure for holding a pharmaceutical container nest. The chamber has a rotatable cover removal station, a rotatable filling station with a dispenser head, and camera guided vacuum pickup facilities for handling container and closure nests. An associated method for filling the containers comprises establishing an aseptic condition within the chamber; removing covers from a container tub and a container closure tub by operating both the rotary stage and the cover removal station. The vacuum pickup facility transfers into the fiducial locating structure a container nest bearing pharmaceutical containers. The fluid is dispensed into the containers by operating both the rotary stage and the filling station. A container closure nest is placed on the container nest in the fiducial locating structure with closures in correspondence with containers. A ram in the chamber forces the closures into the containers.

The present invention relates to improved contact lens products which not only have an improved and sustainable wettability. The contact lens product of the invention comprises a soft hydrogel contact lens immersed and autoclaved in a packaging solution including a polyoxyethylene-polyoxybutylene block copolymer and a high molecular weight copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and at least one amino-containing vinylic monomer. The present invention also provides methods for making contact lens products of the invention.

The present invention relates to improved contact lens products which not only have an improved and sustainable wettability. The contact lens product of the invention comprises a soft hydrogel contact lens immersed and autoclaved in a packaging solution including a polyoxyethylene-polyoxybutylene block copolymer and a high molecular weight copolymer of N-vinylpyrrolidone and at least one amino-containing vinylic monomer. The present invention also provides methods for making contact lens products of the invention.

A PET bottle sterilization method for consecutively sterilizing multiple PET bottles (B) while conveying them, includes introducing hydrogen peroxide into a PET bottle (B) so as to sterilize its interior, and introducing hot air into the sterilized PET bottle (B) so as to eliminate hydrogen peroxide remaining inside it. This method includes introducing plasma into a PET bottle (B) by injecting plasma through a nozzle at at least one time point among a time point before hydrogen peroxide is introduced into the PET bottle (B), a time point after hydrogen peroxide was introduced into the PET bottle (B) and furthermore before hot air is introduced into the PET bottle (B), and a time point after hot air was introduced into the PET bottle (B).