MULTIVAC at ACHEMA (10 – 14 June 2024 )

22.04.2024

Sustainable pharmaceutical combi-packs

At the trade fair MULTIVAC will be showing a complete line, which produces pharmaceutical combi-packs with a syringe, filter and vial, where the packs are made from sustainable mono film. The heart of this line is the RX 4.0 thermoforming packaging machine in GMP design, which is equipped with a glass safety enclosure for optimum production conditions. An integrated SCARA robot is used for the precise and automated loading of the individual products. Before the upper web is sealed to the lower web, it is printed inline with a multi-colour design by a digital printer. Visual inspection of the print image is then performed by means of a visual inspection system.

Heat-sensitive products are protected during the packaging process by a cooled product shield plate: If the machine comes to a stop, the shield plate is automatically positioned between the hot sealing plate and the product. After the packaging process has been completed, a 6-axis robot separates the packs into good and reject packs, and it places them on various transport conveyors for downstream processing.

Thanks to its comprehensive sensor system and continuous process monitoring, the RX 4.0 thermoforming packaging machine offers a high degree of process precision and reproducibility. The RFID-coded dies with permanent status monitoring ensure that format changes are performed reliably, and that the changed dies are positioned correctly on the machine. The whole line can be controlled conveniently and intuitively by the user-friendly HMI on the packaging machine.

Flexible and secure labelling of pharmaceutical products

The conveyor belt labellers of the L 320 series offer a high level of flexibility and precision in the labelling of cylindrical products, such as for example vials, medical bottles and jars. Using the "Print, Apply & Verify“ principle, the various stages of printing, label application and verification are integrated in one machine, and they are controlled from one single control terminal. Labels can be applied as wrap-around labels or to the front and back of the product depending on the application. Sealing labels can also be applied. The products are transported on a modular plastic belt, where they can be queued, spaced and aligned very precisely. Thanks to a wide range of options for product handling or label printing and inspection, the modular construction of the labeller allows it to be adapted perfectly to the complex requirements of the pharmaceutical sector. The labeller can also be converted quickly and conveniently to other product formats, and it is therefore very versatile in its use.

Wide range of solutions for quality control

MULTIVAC also offers a wide range of inspection solutions for inspecting the product, label or print. These include a variety of different components such as cameras, code readers and sensors, which can be integrated seamlessly into the packaging machine or labeller, or alternatively can be used as a stand-alone inspection system. This provides a solution with perfectly matched components and a uniform operating concept, which ensure that efficient and reliable processes are achieved thanks to in-depth integration. At ACHEMA the company will be exhibiting a variety of different solutions for a wide range of inspection tasks, and it offers its customers comprehensive advice on the performance and capabilities of the individual modules.

The future of pharmaceutical packaging is green

“Sustainable packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important for the pharmaceutical industry. We are actively committed to environmentally-friendly alternatives, by supporting our customers with packaging concepts, which contribute to saving consumable materials and resources in the packaging process, as well as improving the recyclability of packs,“ says Verena Vetter, Product Manager for Medical & Pharma Solutions at MULTIVAC. “For example, our machines are designed in such a way, that they can run a wide range of packaging materials with ease. These include mono films, which enable the packs to be recycled more easily. Working together with our customers in the Corporate Training & Innovation Center, we can develop tailored packaging solutions and concepts, which offer both process reliability and environmental benefits.“