Case Study
As appeared in May 2008 Tablets & Capsules Copyright CSC Publishing www.tabletscapsules.com
A major pharmaceutical company had decided to upgrade their production system with a multi-lane laser drilling system for their bi-layer tablet line. Their existing drilling systems were single lane and inspection was not automated, leading to inefficiencies in production. In addition to multi-lane laser drilling, they also required vision inspection to verify the presence and location of the drilled aperture and a single tablet ejection/rejection system in their User Requirement
Specification (URS).
Ackley Machine Corporation was uniquely positioned to deliver on this URS. For almost three decades, Ackley Machine Corporation has been supplying single and multi-lane positioning systems, mainly for the imprinting of Pharmaceutical and Confectionery products, from their Moorestown, NJ, engineering and manufacturing facility. They had an existing servo-driven two-sided drum printing system–available in the marketplace for many years–along with one- or two-sided positioning systems with vision inspection. Based on these established capabilities, Ackley Machine Corporation was awarded the contract.
Ackley supplied a laser drilling system that contained a color recognition system identifying the side of the tablet to be drilled and then tracking it through the system. Four high-resolution cameras, lighting, and fixturing were also supplied along with two laser drills. The single tablet ejection/rejection system was incorporated within a manifold in the secondary laser drum. The overall dimensions of the servo-driven drum system were not increased for the laser drilling application, providing a compact and space-saving footprint for the customer.
The staff at Ackley Machine Corporation provided the electrical and mechanical engineering and integration of the laser drilling and inspection/rejection systems in-house. Ackley staff also supplied Factory Acceptance Test documents and IQ/OQ protocols.
As a result of this new machine installation, the customer was able to improve production efficiencies and meet and/or surpass their targets.
Ackley Machine Corporation
Moorestown, NJ
856 234 3626
www.ackleymachine.com
