NEWS & EVENTS
AUTOMATED QUALITY CONTROL
OIA
Quality assurance detection rate up by x30 for inhaler manufacture
The leak detection rate for in-line
pharmaceutical gas analysis during
inhaler production has increased by 30
times following the introduction of a new
automated quality control solution. The
robotised system for Metered Dose Inhaler
(MDI) manufacture built by Optimal Industrial
Automation means significantly reduced
cost and wastage in quality control for MDI
manufacture.
It’s essential that MDI canisters, typically
used in asthma type inhalers, are produced
with an optimum level of gas propellant,
but effective leak testing has traditionally
been problematic. The MDI manufacturer’s
objective was to implement 100% quality
assurance of all cans while reducing cost
and wastage. The company selected
Optimal Industrial Automation to design
a system based on its 30-year plus
experience integrating high-speed and
high accuracy quality control equipment.
Optimal’s track record in resolving complex
challenges with a range of high-profile
brands within the pharmaceutical, chemical
and food and beverage industries provided
the confidence that an ideal solution could
be found.
Manufactured in vast volumes, MDI canisters
are traditionally batch tested. The challenge
for the manufacturer is that if a single
canister is defective, the entire batch may
be scrapped. This means potentially high
wastage, increased cost and reduced
efficiency of production. Instead, the
manufacturer’s objective was to achieve
testing of 100 per cent of canisters, meaning
scrappage of only individually rejected
MDIs. This was achieved thanks to Optimal’s
design of a puck, robot and conveyor
system with an integrated gas analyser. The
pick and place action and synchronisation
was provided by SCARA robots, a PLC and
SCADA software from Mitsubishi Electric.
“The application demands a high degree
of accuracy to achieve the synchronisation
required for a throughput of 180 cans per
minute,” says Martin Gadsby, Director,
Optimal Industrial Automation. “Reliability
has been confirmed through extensive
testing and we are now able to identify and
reject individual canisters in a continuous
process situation. This means significantly
less wastage in manufacture and ultimately
a reduced cost of production.”
Optimal’s system runs on its own
communication sub-net but communicates
process flow signals both up and
downstream.
By leveraging an innovative automated quality control solution, which uses pucks, robot and conveyor systems with an integrated gas
analyser, a meter dose inhaler (MDI) manufacturer increased the leak detection rate for in-line pharmaceutical gas analysis by 30 times.
60 PECM Issue 45