With great sensitivity and finesse

The centerpiece of the system is a flexible palletizing system from IEF-Werner. (Image: IEF-Werner GmbH)

The efficient automation solution ensures the high quality of the capsules and packages them quickly and with great dexterity into containers. (Image: IEF-Werner GmbH)

Stefan Deck, Product Manager for Pallet Racking Systems at IEF-Werner. (Image: IEF-Werner GmbH)

Carpules are cylindrical glass ampoules and part of so-called carpule syringes. These allow for stable storage and easy and safe administration of medications. To inspect two different carpules for insulin for optical defects after manufacturing and to package them quickly and gently, Gerresheimer's Medical Systems business unit developed a very special system. The core of this system is a flexible palletizing system from automation specialist IEF-Werner. This system can place the carpules into different containers and also reduces manual work steps.

The requirements for the packaging machine were high. It should be able to pack the carpules directly into polypropylene (PP) boxes and work more efficiently than the solutions previously in use. In the usual process, the carpules were first placed in a special tray. An employee would then pick up the components and transfer them into the PP boxes. Medical Systems, a business unit of Gerresheimer AG, also had additional requirements: for high-resolution cosmetic inspection of the glass bodies, the system's own G3 inspection system should be integrated into the system. The developers wanted to avoid relying on externally developed solutions. To further increase the degree of automation, the developers envisioned a palletizing system with a pallet buffer for full and empty trays.

The Technical Competence Center (TCC) in Wackersdorf was responsible for the technical application and manufacturing concept. Production takes place at the site in Bünde, near Bielefeld.

Choosing the right partner is crucial

To ensure high efficiency of the system, the right partners had to be brought on board. The engineers at Medical Systems evaluated various suppliers based on defined criteria through a joint supplier rating. The palletizing solution was convincing from IEF-Werner GmbH. The automation specialist, based in Furtwangen in the Black Forest, provided a flexible concept that includes the use of auxiliary containers to clamp the PP boxes as well as matrix trays. The entire system consists of an automatic removal of the carpules from the band oven, a measurement station – and the palletizing system from IEF-Werner. It is located in a cleanroom of ISO class 8.

Seamless process

After the glass cylinders are formed, the material is under such high pressure that it must relax in the band oven at about 600 degrees Celsius. From there, the components are immediately transferred into the cleanroom for the system. "A product gripper simultaneously picks up 30 carpules and places 15 of them in succession onto two measurement stations," explains Stefan Deck, product manager for transfer and palletizing systems at IEF-Werner, who was responsible for the project. These operate synchronously according to the pilgrim step principle – meaning: no glass touches another. "To achieve high performance, each measurement station integrates G3 camera systems with lifters," says Deck. They inspect the carpules for cosmetic defects. If a camera detects flaws on the component, the gripper removes the defective product and places it on a chute that leads to a drop chute. Additionally, it is possible to insert or exclude carpules as test samples for monitoring the measurement system.

Carpules without defects are transported by the system to the final packaging. An employee stacks the empty containers correctly on a conveyor belt. This automatically transports them to the system. Stefan Deck points to the system: "A gripper picks up the components from the compressor track and automatically places them into the corresponding container. On the opposite side, another gripper removes the full containers and places them on the pallet buffer." The special feature of the new system: with the IEF-Werner palletizing system, it can handle two types of packaging: on the one hand, matrix trays with a capacity of 22 x 15 carpules, and on the other, auxiliary containers made of plastic, into which PP boxes can be inserted. Each of these boxes can hold 380 carpules. At the end, an employee removes the container, folds in the end flaps, places a lid on it, and the finished package can be taken out of the auxiliary container.