Bosch Highlights Complete Systems Capabilities for Pharmaceutical Applications

To meet pharmaceutical and medical manufacturers’ needs for increased productivity, Bosch Packaging Technology highlights its complete line capabilities at Achema 2015.

As part of its Seamless Systems portfolio, Bosch will exhibit the Sigpack LDF feed placer for flexible handling of products such as blow-fill-seal (BFS) cards, blister packs, ampoules, syringes, inhalers or medical devices. At the show, the BFS robotic handling will be combined with the Sigpack HSL horizontal flow wrapper for hermetically sealed packaging at production speeds of up to 300 packages per minute.

Precise placement for continuous production flow
The Sigpack LDF feed placer displayed at the show will demonstrate the gentle handling and accurate placement of eye drop vial cards by picking and placing them into the infeed chain of the Sigpack HSL flow wrapper. Based on proven Delta robot technology, the Sigpack LDF features an advanced gripper design that can be adapted to suit different production requirements. Products arrive in an upright position and are then laid flat, get verified by a vision system and stacked in sets of twos, ready to be wrapped. The precise placement ensures the correct product orientation, closes gaps and enables continuous production for maximum uptime. With optimized gripper technology, the feed placer offers high flexibility for different product sizes and applications and can be implemented with single or multiple robots cells.

Hermetic sealing for a wide range of products
At Achema 2015, the BFS vial cards are hermetically packaged by a Sigpack HSL flow wrapper equipped with long dwell heat sealing technology. Different sealable compound materials qualify for usage. Products packaged in aluminium compound film offer optimum protection from water vapor and light exposure. The wrapper can be easily adjusted to accommodate a wide range of sizes, counts and product shapes. Alternatively, the machine can be fitted with ultrasonic sealing technology. Also, a hybrid version using e.g. heat cross sealing and ultrasonic length sealing is available. This suits specifically well to high packaging speed as well as sensitive pharmaceutical products.

Broad range of options to suit every requirement
Bosch’s Seamless Systems for pharmaceutical packaging offer a wide range of features to ensure specific demands can be easily met. The Achema line features a vision system for enhanced quality control. The cameras monitor data such as inline-printed lot numbers, expiration dates, manufacturing dates, 2D code bar which ensures the correct product orientation into the flow wrapper infeed. The flow wrappers can also be expanded to accommodate modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). All components in contact with the product, such as belts and grippers, can be cleaned quickly and easily. Moreover, all line configurations can be combined with additional inspection devices, handling equipment and secondary packaging solutions.

Layout flexibility and productivity with a single-source solution provider
“Every manufacturer has different needs with regards to layout and production goals. This is why we customize solutions to offer the flexibility and capabilities needed to cater for even the most complex applications,” said Joerg Kleiner, product manager at Bosch Packaging Technology. “In addition, our Seamless Systems meet the need for a single-source solution supplier and streamlines processes, eliminates bottlenecks and optimizes line productivity. This ensures that our customers have the optimized technology that will help them achieve business goals.”

Thanks to a single HMI for the whole system, operators can easily and safely use the production line. The uniform design and philosophy allow for additional components to be easily integrated, ensure optimum accessibility throughout the line and provide a good system overview for line clearances. The robust and flexible design allows for quick changeover and maximum uptime while providing consistently high product protection.