Machinery to take center stage at Pharma Expo in Chicago

DENSO Robotics (Booth #931) responds to the industry’s need for automation with the compact and high-speed DENSO VS-050 six-axis aseptic robot, which DENSO will introduce at Pharma Expo 2014.

The VS-050 aseptic robot, which has a standard cycle time of 0.37 seconds, is specially designed for applications such as pharmaceutical processing and packaging where biocontamination control is required. Conventional robots cannot be used in these applications because they cannot stand up to sterilization with hydrogen peroxide or UV light.

In addition to an ISO 5 cleanroom rating, the robot features nickel-plated aluminum coverings and sealed joints that allow it to be safely sterilized with hydrogen peroxide or UV light. The smooth, rounded, and polished exterior of the robot has no external screws to keep dirt, dust, and other contaminants from adhering to its surface.

Applying quality safeguards

With stringent regulatory standards in place for product safety and quality, reliable automated technologies are in high demand. Onelite (Booth # 450), which provides products to prevent product tampering and counterfeiting, will introduce the Onelite Ar-Box at Pharma Expo 2014.

The Ar-Box is a high-speed, automatic linear labeling system designed to apply self-adhesive labels or tamper-evident seals for the inviolability of tuck flap cartons on upper and/or bottom faces of closed boxes. The machine’s compact design gives manufacturers the option to add printers and traceability systems without the need to create enormous additional space.

The Ar-Box can incorporate up to three labeling heads and reach a maximum output of 400 units/min, significantly increasing throughput. The machine comes equipped with advanced controls and a variety of user-friendly interface options that keep a record of user activity and events to meet FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.

The system is well-suited for pharmaceutical labs that need to comply with new traceability laws without having to upgrade existing packaging lines or expand their facility footprint.

Balancing efficiency and accuracy

Another fast-growing category at Pharma Expo 2014 is units of specialized analytical equipment designed to handle the growing volume of highly potent and costly drugs, where less-than-perfect measuring means waste and loss.

AC Compacting LLC (Booth # 577) will spotlight CI Precision’s SADE Tablet/Capsule Weight Sorter that weighs batches of tablets, capsules, and similar solid dosage forms and sorts them by "accept" or "reject.”
Typically, development departments use the machine to sort clinical trial batches by weight and in production for product reclamation, which can result in substantial cost savings, as these products are often scarce or expensive. Batches of tablets or capsules can be 100% weight sorted for complete quality assurance. The SADE series is equipped with two bulk hoppers, making it suitable for 24-hour unattended operation.

SADE sorters can be quickly changed over between products without the need for tools and change parts, and are ready to handle virtually any pharmaceutical solid dosage form.
In another instance, Per-Fil Industries, Inc.(Booth # 516), a filling equipment provider, previews its Per-Fil Micro-6 Inline Filling System that features high-speed and accurate dispensing of medical compounds into vials, bottles, blister packs, pouches, and syringes. 

The system is designed to dispense, with extreme accuracy, from 15 mg to 150 gm of granular, powder, and viscous paste products into a wide range of containers. By utilizing multiple augers in one common hopper, Micro-6 fills six containers each cycle, providing the throughput required without sacrificing fill accuracy. 

Combined, Pharma Expo and PACK EXPO International 2014 is expected to feature 2,000 exhibitors in more than 1.1 million net sq ft of exhibit space, and will attract more than 50,000 attendees.