Processing it all, day 4 — some of the key innovations from the show floor at ACHEMA 2018

Although feet, legs and backs may be aching, there are still lots of products to see on the penultimate day of the ACHEMA show. Here is our brief round-up of some of what’s on offer from day four…

Focusing on the process

During this ACHEMA, Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen will present visitors with production processes at every automation stage, demonstrating new administration forms and corresponding production solutions along the entire value creation process.

From lab to production — the company has always offered an extensive range of machines and comprehensive services for LabScale Equipment, supporting customers from the lab to high-performance production scale processes easily.

Pharma laboratory — base on years of research, the company has developed a powder database that allows the reliable classification of the powder to be processed. The appropriate filling system can be identified rapidly and efficiently. Additional table-top units substantiate the company’s range of upscalable test machines for laboratory and galenics.

Semi-automatic processes — the company will be presenting the Drum Lab, a semi-automatic powder micro-doser with drum filling technology.

Device Services — the latest addition to Harro Höfliger’s comprehensive range of services. The experts in this area work with customers to determine the requirements for new developments of device systems and medical products. They analyse the feasibility and expected performance with regard to design and process. The Device Services portfolio also includes the creation and implementation of functional and stability tests.

Flexibility in capsule filling media — under containment, in cleanrooms or in barrier-free production – the modular capsule filling machines of the Modu-C family enables fast format changeovers and easy cleaning. At ACHEMA, Harro Höfliger will show the entire range of available dosing trolleys.

Containment for capsule filling — containment solutions for the capsule filling machines of the Modu-C series offer protection when processing active and highly active ingredients.

Aseptic liquid filling — a system for the aseptic liquid filling of flexible plastic bags will be on display.

Additionally, thanks to the inter-company and networked cooperation of the Excellence United members, customers will be provided with optimally coordinated solutions, a comprehensive range of services and a rich pool of knowledge. Using machine interfaces, the Excellence United Service Portal offers fast help worldwide or onsite training from one source. In a common area, visitors can experience what Excellence United means.

Furthermore, an interactive control unit of the digital showcase enables interested visitors to easily navigate through the comprehensive product and service world of Harro Höfliger.

Hall:3.0

Booth:F47

Website: www.hoefliger.com

Configuring turnkey concepts

Taking advantage of the huge ACHEMA show, Romaco will be presenting three packaging lines, including one with an upstream tablet press, demonstrating expertise in the area of configuring turnkey concepts.

The company’s new Unity 500 blister packaging line will make its public debut. This monobloc machine will be on show in line with the Promatic PTT for seamless track & trace and the new Promatic PAK 130 case packer. With a maximum output of 500 blisters and 150 cartons per minute, the Romaco Unity 500 is mainly intended for high-performance jobs at medium speeds.

For the first time ever, the Romaco Unity 500 will be teamed up in Frankfurt with a Combo v2.0 feeder from Elizabeth Europe. This patented system gives Romaco increased flexibility for feeding pharmaceutical solids in numerous different shapes and sizes. The finished blisters are passed directly to the cartoner’s bucket chain by means of a vacuum assisted overhead conveyor and QuickTransfer, which works according to the positive transfer principle. Separate servo drives ensure safe operation at the individual stations.

The Promatic PTT, which can be flexibly connected to any standard cartoner, checkweigher or transfer system, was developed by Romaco to enable tamper-evident identification of cartons. This new track & trace machine provides numerous functions for seamless monitoring all along the supply chain, for example the cartons can be laser or inkjet printed with 2D Data Matrix or QR codes. The data can then be read out using OCR/OCV. The packs can additionally be closed with various seals or labels for even better protection against counterfeiting. A vignette applied to the top of the carton provides further proof of originality.

Additionally, the Promatic PAK 130 is shipped ready for integrating aggregation and serialisation solutions. Up to five shipping cases per minute can be filled with this semi-automatic machine.

A Macofar LF 202 attached to a Promatic PC 4000 continuous motion cartoner will be another highlight at the company’s booth. It can be equipped with various filling, check and closure systems. The version with a table top design has two closing stations to enable dosing caps to be fitted to bottle screw caps, for instance. The filled and stoppered bottles are transferred to Romaco’s Promatic PC 4000 continuous motion cartoner and packed in cartons at a maximum speed of 250 units per minute.

Apart from these line configurations, Romaco will also show several technologies for packing, tableting, granulation, coating and drying pharmaceuticals.

Hall:3.0

Booth:B49

Website: www.romaco.com

Latest autoclave functionality

Priorclave — manufacturers of horizontal cylindrical chamber autoclaves — will be featuring 100 L chamber laboratory autoclaves and will offer visitors the opportunity to experience the build quality of the products.

The Priorclave QCS EH100, a 100 litre laboratory autoclave, has a horizontal cylindrical chamber with a diameter larger than most. This brings added versatility, providing a facility to sterilise both smaller and taller than usual items. It can often save the lab manager from investing in a larger, heavier and more costly rectangular autoclave.

Simplicity in programming the correct sterilisation process is achieved through TACTROL, an advanced microprocessor controller with one-touch control allowing easy adjustment of sterilising temperature and time for simple cycles to fully featured multi-programme operation and with printed records. The powerful microprocessor controller gives unrivalled flexibility and monitoring, automating the sterilising process and with features to assist in autoclave management, the powerful TACTROL enables other tasks to be undertaken secure in the knowledge that sterilisation is proceeding safely and efficiently.

Hall:4.2

Booth:E41

Website: www.priorclave.co.uk

Temperature control solutions

At ACHEMA 2018, Huber will be showcasing new solutions and further developments in temperature control from -125 °C to +425 °C for research laboratories and process industry.

A focus for the company at this event will be the Unistat series of dynamic temperature control systems. Unistats are ideally suited for applications in process engineering and offer a continuous scale-up through research, kilo lab, mini plant, pilot plant and production.

In addition to this, the company will present two new thermoelectric chillers with Peltier technology named Piccolo. The compact devices are suitable for heating and cooling of external applications in the laboratory. In addition, a new Unichiller with CO2 as refrigerant are shown as well as various laboratory bestsellers like the Ministats and Minichiller.

Further highlights include environmentally friendly cooling units with natural refrigerants as well as software solutions for process development and Industry 4.0.

Hall:4.2

Booth:B49

Website: www.huber-online.com

New serialisation module

Supplier of smart automation solutions, BÖWE SYSTEC, will be debuting its new serialization solution during ACHEMA 2018.

A modular standalone solution, BÖWE SYSTEC’s offeringis specifically designed to meet the requirements of the EU FMD and combines all necessary functions in a single system:

  • Automatic serialisation by imprinting a unique data matrix code on unprinted folded boxes
  • Verification of already printed packaging
  • Automatic decommissioning
  • Target/actual comparison of batch (total control)
  • Print quality check or sample removal for hand scanning

The system’s speed is adjustable, meaning it can process any type of packaging. Additionally, revision-proof management of serial numbers is made easier through the company’s software, allowing end-to-end serialization consistency.

Item tracking using the latest topCam reading and sensor technology allows the position of every unit to be known at all times. Furthermore, immediate real time data comparisons both within and between production sites ensure that no serial number can be issued more than once anywhere in the world and also totally fault-free compliance with global pharmaceutical guidelines such as FMD, GMP or GAMP5.

Besides this stand-alone solution and the well-thought-out Track & Trace software, systems from Argus Sensor Systems will also be on display on the BÖWE SYSTECbooth

Hall:1.1

Booth:E14

Website: www.boewe-systec.com