Pharmaceutical and Medical: Primary Packaging
Primary Packaging in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industry
In the pharmaceutical industry, filling the correct amount of a product into the correct container is critical. Processes are automated and operate at high speeds.
Used on bottle fillers, tablet dispensing machines, desiccant dispensing machines, blister packaging machines, and other unit dosage packaging equipment, Banner sensors solve a number of challenging applications. They can be used to verify bottle position at filling stations and to monitor the dispensing and hopper levels of drugs. Vision systems verify that blister packs are completely and correctly filled and inspect stopper position and height to ensure that containers are sealed properly. Clear object detection sensors reliably detect clear glass or plastic bottles, vials, syringes, and ampoules used to package liquid dosage products. Our unique liquid detection sensors inspect fill level to ensure products are not under filled or over filled.
Featured Applications
More Applications
Inspection of Stoppers in Vials for Correct Seal
To ensure that a stopper is properly inserted as each vial leaves the filling station, an iVu Series sensor—set up for an Area with Motion application—verifies that the vial has a stopper inserted into its neck and that the stopper is positioned correctly to provide a proper seal on the glass vial. If the stopper is missing or incorrectly positioned, then the sensor sends a fail output to the line.
High-Speed 2D Barcode Inspection
Banner’s iVu BCR with remote display offers an easy to use solution for reading barcodes to ensure correct labels have been applied. The iVu BCR models provide both a fine mode, for reading smaller barcodes that require full resolution, and coarse mode, for applications where speed is critical.
Inspecting Tablet Placement Quality in Blister Packs
A single VE Series Smart Camera, adjacent to the machine’s outfeed, inspects multiple rows of blister pack trays in a single inspection. The camera is installed approximately 36 cm over the production line and an LED backlight is installed 10 cm below the production line.
Detecting Tamper-Evident Band Position and Presence
Banner iVu TG vision sensor with multi-point inspections is ideal for detecting and evaluating the position of tamper-evident bands. In this application, the band should be positioned around both the cap and the neck of a bottle. A seal positioned too high, too low, or completely missing would be considered unacceptable. With multi-point inspection, the iVu TG vision sensor can simultaneously detect missing and poorly positioned bands.
Date/Lot Code Inspection
To verify each package has a date/lot code printed on it, an iVu Series sensor is configured for a Match inspection. An image of the date/lot code is captured. When the inspection is running, if the sensor detects a package without the date/lot code the sensor sends a fail output to the line, and the product is rejected.
Cap Orientation Verification
Sanitary environment, subjected to aggressive chemical washdowns
Bottle Fill Level Detection
Measure fill level, provide feedback on height of pills
Detecting Bottle Caps of Various Colors
As plastic bottles pass below the WORLD-BEAM Q12 Sensor, the fixed-field beam identifies bottles with caps—no matter what their color—and rejects bottles that are missing caps from the line. The Q12’s laser-like LED beam sharply cutoffs at 15 mm, 30 mm and 50 mm range, ensuring it won’t mistake objects inside the bottle for caps.
Featured Products
Q4X Series Rugged Laser Distance Sensor
Rugged Q4X laser distance sensor solves many challenging applications and comes in a rugged IP69K rating with FDA food grade stainless steel housing.
WLS27 Multicolor LED Strip Light with EZ-STATUS®
Combines brilliant, bright illumination and high-visibility indication. Linear models fully encased in shatterproof, chemically resistant housing. Rated IP69K for washdown.
LS Series Tubular Enclosure Type 4 Safety Light Curtains
Intuitive, easy-to-use, feature rich model available in 23 mm resolution in a full-featured design with no blind zone. Available in 7 defined area heights from 280 to 1050 mm in 70 mm IP69 hygienic tubular enclosure with hydrophobic vents to prevent condensation.
Q12 Series Miniature Self-Contained Sensor
The Q12 is a small sensor with high performance for powerful sensing in confined spaces. Used in short-range with background suppression.
QM26 & QMH26 Series Washdown Sensor
With a chemical-resistant, FDA-compliant, stainless steel IP69K housing, Banner’s QM26 and QMH26 Washdown Sensors are ideal for food and beverage industries.
DF-G3 Series Long Range Fiber Optic Amplifier
Fiber amplifier with IO-Link capability for detection up to 6 m, precise positioning, and water detection. Output: analog, discrete, dual discrete.
VE Smart Camera
The VE Smart Camera is a high-resolution vision camera and barcode reader for reliable performance in the trickiest applications.
30mm Mount Emergency Stop Buttons
Illuminated button for easy identification of which e-stop has been activated. 30 mm mounting base for easy installation and hookup with no assembly.
Vision Sensor: iVu Series
The simplicity of a photoelectric sensor and the intelligence of a smart camera, the iVu is an all-inclusive vision sensor with lens, light, I/O, and touch screen or PC programming.
WLC60 Heavy Duty LED Strip Light
Oil, chemical, and water resistant with IP67, IP68g, and IP69K ratings. High brightness with glare-reducing optics. Resistant to vibration & shock.
WLC90 Heavy Duty LED Work Light
Oil, chemical, and water resistant with IP67, IP68g, and IP69K ratings. Wide operating temperature range. Three lens choices & versatile mounting.
WL50S Sealed LED Spotlight for Task Lighting
Highly concentrated spotlight available in 3 colors & 3 lens angles. Available in chemically-resistant housing & rated IP69K for harsh environments.
High Performance Fiber Optics: Vantage Line
Competitively priced standard fibers and new problem solvers.
Success Stories
LED Lights Used To Inspect Liquid Pharmaceuticals
One global provider of healthcare products had been using vision machines to detect particulates in their liquid pharmaceuticals. When the machines were no longer able to detect contaminants to the required percentage level, the company began using human visual inspections. Since many of the particulates are extremely minute, the company needed to install bright and highly uniform illumination in their work stations so operators could effectively verify the quality of products.
Blue LED Sensor Detects Amber Bottles
A recent industry switch from polypropene (PP) to polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) bottles prompted a leading US mail-order facility to re-evaluate their fulfillment process. With over 2,000 red LED sensors to be replaced, the facility turned to Banner for a solution.