Harmonizing Line Integration

New technologies can help companies ensure the compatibility of equipment.

by Erik Swain, Senior Edit

Not only have the engineering-related tasks of integrating a pharmaceutical or medical device packaging line grown more complex in recent years, but so have the various organizational-related tasks.

An integrator must make sure the machines interact with each other mechanically, as well as ensure that each machine's software is compatible with that of the other machines and the control systems. The integrator also has to figure out how to make newer technologies, such as robotics and vision systems, compatible with more-traditional machinery. And on top of all that, the integrator often must accomplish this while catering to industry's needs for validation assistance and the increasing desire for turnkey solutions. Not every firm has the same definition of turnkey, but what most are essentially seeking is the ability to make one phone call to order an entire line, and to take delivery of that line after it is already integrated.

Equipment vendors and third-party integrators are finding ways to meet all of these challenges. Nonetheless, firms may need to be patient. "For packaging particularly, projects can be quite time-consuming," says Bill Owens, founder and chief technical officer of Owens Design Inc. (Fremont, CA). "Often, not enough time is allowed, and the materials themselves can become an issue when you put them on high-volume, high-speed machines. In most other industries, you are not dealing with the complexity and irregularity of materials as much as you are in packaging."

Another challenge, says Dave Schuh, vice president of sales and marketing for MGS Machine Corp. (Minneapolis), is incorporating new technologies while maintaining acceptable rates of line speed and efficiency. "Customers continue to challenge us with the combination of delivering the highest line speeds possible while also being able to handle broader size ranges of products within the same line configuration. It's all about optimizing speed and flexibility," he says.

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

An integration project requires knowledge of entirely different technologies than it did 5 to 10 years ago. Some of these have made projects easier while others have made it more complicated. But familiarity is the key.

A top view of DT Packaging Systems' conveyor transfers that move bottles without the use of deadplate transfers.

"You need to be much stronger in programming and electronics," says Stewart Harvey, business unit manager for equipment, DT Packaging Systems (Leominster, MA). "Often, complete line monitoring systems that receive feedback from each machine, from reject rates to downtime, are involved."

On the positive side, motion control systems have become a lot more efficient and user-friendly, making the task of passing product from traditional machines to newer ones less daunting.

"Five to 10 years ago, if you specified servo as part of your motion controller, no matter what brand, it was almost always a significant engineering task to get it working the way you thought it would," Owens says. "Today, the software is so much better that you can specify and achieve very high performance with motion control components, and the cost of them is coming down. Almost all of the PLC manufacturers make good motion control modules, whereas in the old days some were not as good. It also helps that PCs have become more powerful and usable as an active part of the motion control system."

David Richmond, discipline sponsor­controls group for Lockwood Greene Engineers Inc. (Cincinnati), adds that control technology "is not necessarily newer, but suppliers are assembling more-appropriate features for OEMs. It is easier to apply the technology than it used to be."

What everyone wants these days, he says, is information. "There are more requests for real-time monitoring of the production facility and real-time data collection and report generation. So that has become more a part of the integration process."

The move to software-based systems, however, can have unintended consequences. One, notes Joe Martin, general manager­medical division of Multivac Inc. (Kansas City, MO), is that "with a totally software-based control system, it is very easy to accidentally change something that you are not aware of. The biggest concern in that area is doing something to circumvent the safety system by accident. What we have done to respond to that is to have a hybrid control system with a dedicated microprocessor for the safety system, so changing the regular controls can't inadvertently render the safety system ineffectual. These sorts of issues often get little attention, but they are extremely important to the workers on the floor and their manager."

Another issue is the increased use of robotics, which provide another set of factors that had not previously affected integration projects. "You have to recreate space to be successful with technology today," says Dan Finazzo, technical leader­packaging for Lockwood Greene. "Robotics, in many situations, require larger footprints on the packaging floor, affecting the operator work zones, logistics, and flow of materials and flexibility. There has to be a good reason to justify that kind of sophistication."

However, "by using robotics, we provide the maximum flexibility in custom automation," says Jeff Aspinall, automation manager for Multivac. "The life of a product is much less now than in the past; therefore, automation solutions must be easily adapted in order to meet the needs of the end customer."

Rapid Development Services Inc. combines robotics with standard packaging equipment.

With the increased interest in applying robotics to packaging and the overall general need for conservation of space, Rapid Development Services Inc. (Chesterfield, MO) has developed a patented robotic system, called Robo-Mation, made up of units called Robomats. According to Ralph Vatterott, executive vice president, "they consume significantly less space than standard robotic systems, are simpler to use, and cost less. By combining this technology developed for other industries with packaging applications, we can meet the needs of companies that desire to maintain the flexibility associated with robotics with the performance and cost needed to justify re- placement of standard off-the-shelf, nonflexible solutions."

For a medical device packaging line, the integration of loading and packaging can be looked at in terms of a few basic elements, says John Merritt, managing director, Tiromat Medical Packaging (Frisco, TX). "Seldom can product be randomly oriented, so initially you will need a means of orienting the product," he says. "Once the product is oriented, a means of transfer must be thought out. For example, gravity feed is one of the simplest methods of transfer, but most often this is unacceptable, due to product fragility or the need for orientation. After transfer it is often necessary to develop a means of part verification. Finally, a mechanism for dealing with rejects or short shots detected during verification must be developed."

Some vendors have been designing their machines to make them more automation friendly, which presents its own set of challenges. "The way our machines are laid out lends itself readily to automation," Martin says. "But that is not easy because building a packaging machine is a very different task from building an automation system. Our machines are fairly standard except for the tooling, but are customized by mixing and matching modules. Automatic loaders are usually customized from the ground up."

Multivac decided to address the issue by "hiring an automation manager to find automation partners. That enables us to provide a complete system without getting into the custom design-and-build business," Martin says.

NEW ORGANIZATION

With integration projects becoming more complex and resources for manufacturing and packaging operations becoming more scarce, many pharmaceutical and medical device firms are leaving the job to others. "We've seen the industry change quite a bit in the last 10 years," says Carl Larson, project manager, Bosch Packaging Technology (Minneapolis). "In many cases, our customers' human resource numbers have dwindled in the project management and engineering disciplines. There is now a clearly defined need to have a single firm be responsible for the entire integrated line through installation and full qualification. In the end, this is a more efficient way to manage the project, since most of the information needed for a successful integration and qualification originates with the equipment supplier."

To meet differing demands for how a firm would like a project structured, DT Packaging Systems offers two kinds of lines, explains Harvey. For Turnkey, "the customer places a single purchase order for the entire project," he says. "We develop specifications for all the machines and provide the machines that DT can supply. We purchase those we do not supply on behalf of the customer. Then we schedule and expedite the integration, assemble the complete line in our facility, bring the customer in for a factory acceptance test, then break it down and ship it to their site, where we do the installation and validation."

For the second system, Integrakey, "the customer places purchase orders for all of the individual machines. They create their own specifications and purchase everything. We can provide a project management service and make suggestions. Then the customer places orders for integration, project management, engineering, and utilities. We perform the integration at our site and then ship it and set it up at the customer's site."

Integrakey, he says, "can be more cost-effective because we are not charging a markup on the equipment purchased; however, the customer must be willing to commit the necessary resources. If the customer cannot commit the resources, then a Turnkey will be a better choice."

Sometimes an equipment vendor will partner with a third-party automation or integration firm on a project, but if that occurs, roles must be clearly defined. "On a turnkey project, one person has to become 'the supplier' to the customer. We can do it, the integrator can do it, or we can work with the customer and the integrator in a three-way partnership," Martin says.