When it comes to filling bottles, the pharmaceutical industry has difficulties with the cost- effective packaging of a large number of small, frequently changing batches of solid dose products on one production line. Efficient system solutions for this packaging segment are rare. The Integrated Bottle Center 120, which made its debut at interpack 2011, promises to remedy this problem. The machine is geared to productivity and flexibility.
The author: Oliver Naucke Marketing Manager, Uhlmann
Cost and time pressures are increasing in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the demands on production process efficiency have been intensifying for some time on account of a developing trend: medications are increasingly being tailored to meet regional and target group needs, leading to smaller order volumes when it comes to packaging. Consequently, more and more pharmaceutical manufacturers are seeking solutions that allow them to package different products and formats rationally in quick succession. Unfortunately, lines for filling solid dose products into bottles fall short of expectations particularly often in terms of productivity and flexibility. They incorporate components from different manufacturers, and their limited capacity for integration and automation slows down the packaging process.
Uhlmann has launched a pharmaceutically compliant bottle filler for medium-sized batches of solid dose products: the Integrated Bottle Center 120 promises to be an efficient and flexible packaging marvel. This monoblock machine incorporates all the stations required for packaging solid dose products into bottles and is 20 % more productive on average than solutions made up of separate components. The interpack debutant of the South German company handles up to 150 bottles or 24,000 tablets or capsules per minute and also clearly outstrips alternative solutions as far as its footprint is concerned. Barely 5 m in length, it only occupies about half the normal space. As adjusting to a new bottle diameter takes just six minutes, users are ideally equipped for frequent product changeovers. “Time is money. On the basis of this simple motto, we have reduced the non-productive time of the Integrated Bottle Center 120 to a minimum”, explains Joachim Noe, Manager Bottle Packaging Systems at Uhlmann. The wide format range also fits into this concept: the Integrated Bottle Center 120 handles round, rectangular or oval bottles from 45 to 200 mm in height and from 25 to 125 mm in diameter.
Optimum integration and automation
“Integrated system architecture, an innovative, format-free bottle transport system, only a small number of format parts, optimally integrated and centrally controlled machine stations and modular extendibility: these features are the secret of the Integrated Center 120’s success”, Noe continues. In many respects, it draws on the concept of its larger brother, the Integrated Bottle Center 240, which offers higher output. All the machine stations are accurately coordinated and controlled via a central, intuitive user interface with a touch screen. The format data for all functions are stored. The Integrated Bottle Center 120 manages without ramp-up phases after format changes; all the machine stations and the bottle transport adjust to the new bottle format either automatically or at the touch of a button.
The integration of upstream and downstream components – for instance a desiccant feeder, cottoner, induction sealing station, inspection cameras, code reader, bottle separator or cartoner – is absolutely no problem and contributes to maximum efficiency. “A key criterion of the new concept was high investment security. It is important to be able to extend the system on site after installation. Functions can be added and performance adapted as required”, Noe explains. Interpack visitors were able to witness the bottle filler in action. It was combined in a line with the company’s L 250 labeller, a C 2155 cartoner and an S 3025 stretch-banding machine.
No conveyor belts
It is not only the optimum integration that guarantees flexible and cost-effective production. As Noe points out: “During the development of the Integrated Bottle Center 120, our sights were set on creating a solution that meets the highest demands in terms of productivity and adaptability at every single stage of the packaging process for bottled, solid dose products.”
This led to solutions such as the innovative, format-free bottle transport, which prevents the bottles from jamming. The empty bottles are accumulated prior to dedicated feeding into the Integrated Bottle Center 120. They are then taken over by a rake, which guides them intermittently through the entire machine. No belt conveyors are required. This fact, in addition to the GMP-compliant, table-top design, significantly reduces cleaning times. Furthermore, the rake is combined with a master shift register, which detects the position of each bottle and thus guarantees 100 % process control.
Perfected, extendable technology
The tablet counter illustrates how adaptability to specific production conditions can be achieved with a bottle filler for solid dose products. The basic version of the Integrated Bottle Center 120 has a tablet counter with two counting modules and a capping unit with two capping heads. Users for whom counting capacity is a top priority can extend the tablet counter with two additional counting modules. If the emphasis is on the bottle output, the Integrated Bottle Center 120 with three counting modules and three capping heads is the right solution. Maximum output and counting capacity is achieved with a machine version equipped with four counting modules and three capping heads.
All four alternatives use the same technology in the tablet counter and capping unit. The drive system governing the separation channels of the tablet counter ensures a continuous product flow. Infrared technology, servo-regulated memory flaps and tapered hoppers all help to guarantee accurate tablet counting. The complete enclosure of the product flow also facilitates the effective and cost-efficient use of a dry air function. An optional inspection camera in the tablet counter is capable of verifying product presence. The capping unit can be optionally fitted with a magnetic slip clutch or with servo technology and monitoring of the closing torque if more stringent quality standards have to be met.
The Integrated Bottle Center 120 only forwards perfect bottles for downstream processing – to a cartoner, for example. An in-process control (IPC) function is additionally available for quality controls. Products are removed via a separate conveyor at freely selectable intervals.
The Integrated Bottle Center 120 consequently also speaks for itself in terms of reliability and safety. The modular concept ensures easy upgrading in this respect, depending on customer requirements. The machine and control architecture of the bottle filler supports the integration of Uhlmann’s Track & Trace system, for instance. Amongst other benefits, this is a reliable anti-counterfeiting measure.
The same manufacturer’s Total Bottle Tracing system is another possible enhancement. The base of each bottle is identified with a unique, consecutive 2D code. This code allows access to all process data relevant to the quality of each bottle and its contents, and is the next logical step towards one hundred percent product traceability.
Online-Info: www.cpp-net.com/2211453
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