Wolfertschwenden, 5 September 2017 – Presentations from MULTIVAC at this year's Compamed will include solutions for the automated infeed and loading of medical products within the packaging procedure. In addition to a syringe infeed system for loading pre-filled glass or plastic syringes with process reliability and control, these will also include handling modules and carrier systems. They ensure that optimum product protection is achieved, as well as raising the efficiency of the entire packaging line and increasing process reliability.
A packaging line for the GMP-compliant thermoforming packaging of medical products will give an example of how intelligently used automation components can make the packaging procedure more secure, hygienic and reliable. The line is equipped with an automatic syringe infeed system. The infeed system consists of a product infeed conveyor, a separating wheel, a trapezoidal belt, a 3-axis robot and a H 242 handling module. It enables up to 300 pre-filled glass or plastic syringes per minute to be loaded into the pack cavities with process reliability and control. All the modules are synchronised with the thermoforming packaging machine and can be operated via its control terminal in a very convenient way.
But there are also many other automation components available for orientating, separating and infeeding a wide range of medical products. MULTIVAC's wide product range comprises a large number of belt and carrier systems as well as specific infeed systems, which can be designed individually to the product-related requirements depending on the products being packed and the particular upstream processes. As an example, needles and syringe plungers , which are supplied to the line as bulk products, can be separated by means of vibrating units and centrifuges, before being transferred in single or even several rows to the packaging machine. Syringes, bags, ampoules and vials can be presented to the machine by means of separating units and transportconveyors, which are specifically matched to the product. The examples mentioned above show, how the individual products are prepared by the infeed system in such a way, that they can be precisely positioned for picking up by a robot and loading into the pack cavities.
In addition to this, MULTIVAC will also be exhibiting at the trade fair a wide range of handling modules, which can be equipped individually with a variety of kinematics and easy-change gripper systems for loading the pack cavities accurately and hygienically. These handling modules can also be used for unloading the finished packs from the machine and transferring them to downstream equipment. The grippers are matched exactly to the particular product, which is frequently very light or sensitive. This minimises the fault rate and ensures that a high level of pack quality is achieved.
Thanks to their design and particular features, all the system components are characterised by their high level of GMP compliance. They can easily be integrated into the control unit of the particular packaging machine.
