Tablet and Capsule Drum Filling System: How to Reliably Transfer Semi-solid Products

Related Vendors

TURCK GmbH

Italvacuum, Srl

TRM Filter d.o.o.

Rancati Advertising

CO.RA. S.r.L.

Under Central Control

The lifting, connection to the exhaust system, weighing and conveying into the packaging operations are performed under the supervision of the central control consisting of a Siemens S7 PLC that receives data from various encoders, distance meters and Laser safety barriers found in the field. The PLC in turn controls the electric , pneumatic and hydraulic drives which allow the movement of the various elements. The central unit also continuously exchanges data thanks to the weighing terminal and then records the progress of the ongoing weighing, activating and controlling the speed of rotation of the Rotary Valve Tablet.

The weight control is carried out both on the individual packaging weighing (bag) and on the bulk packaging (the box that contains more bags). On completion of the weighing a control label is printed and is affixed on the individual packaging, where the characteristics of the product can be found, weighing both in terms of kg and the number of units, and the operator, who oversaw the operations.

Everything is presented to the operator through a convenient touch screen graphical interface that allows the management of the authentication operations of the operator, to display the progress of operations, to manage possible alarms as in the diagnostic phase of the system and to perform the functions of operator interface with the supervisor and maintainer mode.

It is also possible to connect the central control unit to an MES or ERP company system in order to obtain the statistical recording of the process data.

Once the individual (on a single bag) and collective (on the box) weight control gives a positive result, it is possible to proceed with the operations by closing the inlet of the bags by means of thermowelding. The stainless steel roller with a neat and clean design, allows the box to be carried the bag closing position, where the boxes are raised to the height of the operator by means of a suction pallet which is operated automatically. At this point the unit is ready to be taken by the operator and brought to the intermediate storage or sent directly to the packaging department in a controlled manner.

System Availability of Over 99%

Through careful planning, the system was able to achieve all the objectives that were set out by the customer. In a context of attention to operator ergonomics and safety, a quantity of discarded product equal to zero was obtained, with a system availability of over 99%. In addition, to meet routine maintenance, periodic cleaning and possible failure situations, the system is built in a highly modular manner and therefore the various units can be replaced rapidly in order to have the system ready to start quickly. The precision (difference between set value and dosage of less than 1%) and flexibility of the system (capable of recording more than 200 different configurations of operating parameters) makes it an irreplaceable machine of precision and work tool in its area of operation.

The opportunities available with this system allow a variety of possible applications, from storage of material to the displacement of the product to packaging departments located far away.

Conclusion

Over the years, CO.RA. researchers have worked on a number of projects for the handling of many different types of solid product transfer, not only designing new solutions, but also upgrading existing machines and processes to connect machine A to machine B. In pharmaceutical applications, and when a production process presents critical issues such as those described above it is very common to see many workers involved in slow, manual and activities in terms of resources. Often these operations can generate damage to the product, not be readily validated or worse still be hot spots in terms of safety for the operators themselves.

This case illustrates the potential for innovation when experience and creativity are put to the service of the industry’s needs. Knowledge of material properties, international standards and good manufacturing practices combined with tests on 1:1 scale working prototypes offer the certainty of guaranteed success.

* The author is Chief Executive Officer of CO.RA. S.r.l.

(ID:29055320)