Cartoned with expertise

The syringes are fed vertically into the packaging line via a feeding system (lower half of the image). Robots then place the products horizontally onto transport modules. (Photo: Gerhard Schubert GmbH)

The syringes are transported via the transport system to the erected boxes (background). (Photo: Gerhard Schubert GmbH)

Robots carefully place the syringes, here into erected individual boxes. (Photo: Gerhard Schubert GmbH)

Vaccines save lives, provided they are effective against the most current pathogen variant and available in sufficient quantities. A leading, globally active pharmaceutical group, headquartered in the USA, enables both through ongoing research and highly efficient production. Schubert supports the primary and secondary packaging of ready-to-use syringes containing influenza vaccines with a complete line that is as high-performance as it is flexible. The cutting-edge technology not only covers the many steps from labelling and grouping to cartoning. Thanks to parallel processes, the line also increases throughput – thereby meeting one of the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s core requirements.

There are many factors that contribute to a life well lived. It is undisputed, however, that staying healthy is one of them – along with effective treatment if something should go wrong. Life-saving therapies are at the top of the priority list for the highly respected pharmaceutical manufacturer. The globally active company has set itself the goal of improving patients’ lives. In addition to treatments for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic pain, the innovative organisation also produces state-of-the-art influenza vaccines.

Just as essential as secure vaccine production are efficient follow-up processes such as syringe plunger insertion, labelling, grouping and cartoning. A clear need existed when it came to the latter, as the company was keen to significantly increase throughput in order to continuously supply the market with this important vaccine. The latter, which is produced in two annual campaigns – one during the spring and summer months and one in winter – always reflects the latest research to provide protection against current strains of the influenza virus. Production and packaging processes therefore need to be fast and flexible. It was a logical step for the manufacturer to significantly increase its cartoning capacity. The ambitious target was 400 packaged syringes per minute using the top-loading process. As the company markets the syringes in individual cartons and in boxes of ten with inlays and separate lids, it required a comprehensive solution that would allow both high performance and flexibility. A line that had been in operation for twenty years – including machines from Schubert – had to be brought up to speed to fold and load the different cartons as planned.

It was quickly determined which partner would be suitable for this ambitious project. The company has enjoyed 20 years of successful collaboration with Schubert. This was reason enough for the manufacturer to implement the entire line with the Crailsheim-based machine experts, including Schubert cartoners and a third-party case packer. For syringe plunger insertion and labelling, the line includes a powerful solution from a further partner, which of course had to be on par with the subsequent processes in terms of performance.

Double the erection capacity to reach the goal

But how can you ensure that different processes will interact without falling short of performance targets – especially since there are limits to what is feasible with top loading? “400 packaged syringes per minute is a challenging but realistic goal,” highlights Karin Kleinbach, Head of the Pharmaceuticals Division at Schubert Packaging Systems. The packaging specialists took on the challenge with a creative solution. To increase performance, Schubert’s entire line, comprising a total of ten sub-machines, has two erection stations that work in parallel with the grouping of the labelled syringes. “This way, Schubert ensures that the required number of cartons is available when the grouped syringes are ready for cartoning,” Kleinbach continues.

The blanks also meet the requirement for higher throughput. Their length and width are designed so that the erectors can process them most efficiently. An F2 robot removes the single-format blanks or the blanks for the 10-pack format from multi-lane magazines. Eight blanks in single packs or four blanks in 10-packs are erected simultaneously; there is a separate gluing and folding process for the inlays of the 10-packs. The erector processes are coordinated with the performance ranges of the F2 robots, which later place the syringes into boxes on the Transmodul. Schubert’s flexible, high-performance Transmoduls also ensure an interface-free connection between the packaging steps in this line. F3 and F2 robots then work in tandem to remove leaflets from magazines and place them on the syringes after they have been checked by code readers.

A complete line to meet complex requirements

The loaded cartons are then ready for sealing: for individual packs, an F2 robot closes the box flaps. Incorrectly sealed packs are ejected. The robot places correctly sealed individual packs onto the vacuum conveyor for subsequent carton printing.

The process is slightly different for the 10-packs: an F3 robot takes blanks for the carton lids from a multi-lane magazine and transfers them to an F2 robot. It moves the lid blanks towards the sealing table, where the boxes, which have been filled and checked for completeness, are waiting to be lidded. During transport, glue is applied to the flaps of the lid blanks so that they form a solid unit with the box bases. The versatile line also prints batch numbers on the sides of the cartons, checks the printed data using special cameras and, if necessary, applies pre-printed labels to the top of the cartons.

This provides the pharmaceutical manufacturer with a highly customised solution for the reliable cartoning of life-saving products, thanks in no small part to Schubert’s modular design: “Standardised components such as robots and transport systems enable us to develop complete lines that precisely meet the specific requirements of each customer,” says Kleinbach. A single line therefore manages a complex process including various sub-functions. This is also ensured by the robots, which can be equipped with different tools – for maximum flexibility along the entire end-to-end process. The advantages of the integrated approach were also evident during acceptance testing: “The FAT of the complete line was carried out with all machine suppliers at the Schubert site in Crailsheim,” reports Kleinbach. “This enabled us to deliver a comprehensively tested line – for a successful launch with very few risks.”

Facts and figures:

– The entire line packs up to 400 syringes per minute in individual packs. For boxes of 10, the solution achieves 100 pieces per minute.
– A format change on the new Schubert installation takes 45 minutes – representing a significant time saving.