Engineering Pharma

Antares Vision launches serialization unit with PCI Pharma Services

By Melissa Fassbender

- Last updated on GMT

The Print & Check Flex Machine features line speeds of up to 300 cartons per minute. (Image: Antares Vision)
The Print & Check Flex Machine features line speeds of up to 300 cartons per minute. (Image: Antares Vision)

Related tags Pci pharma services

Antares Vision has developed a new serialization unit in conjunction with the contract manufacturing organization (CMO), PCI Pharma Services.

This is a good example of cooperation leading to progress in overall serialization technology​,” Adriano Fusco,Strategy and Development Director for Antares Vision, told Outsourcing-Pharma.com.

This active cooperation with selected launch customers is an effective business model to which Antares has ascribed from the very beginning, when we developed the first generation of our track & trace platform based on the requirements of a large, multinational pharma company​,” he added.

The new unit, the Print & Check Flex Machine, is part of the Antares Tracking System (ATS) 3.0, the company’s third generation platform, which is seeks to maximize trace and trace capabilities of large contract manufacturers.

In developing the machine with PCI, Fusco said the first steps were defining specifications before testing the prototype in the field. “In doing so, we found that the best results were obtained when PCI’s project leaders were empowered to communicate their needs directly to the engineering team and, from there, conduct the fine tuning together​,” he explained.

The main challenge was to fit all the needed functions in the most compact space possible. “As PCI is a very prominent, high-volume contract packager, that meant making the equipment capable of handling everything from a matchbox to a shoebox in any number of different formats​,” added Fusco.

Additionally, he said it was a particular challenge outfitting laser and inkjet printing heads to make them workable across an “exceedingly broad format dimension​” – the machine is designed to handle carton spanning from “match box” to “shoe box” (up to 270 x 100 x 200mm).

From there, we had to fit a top labeler and a tamper evident unit, as well as two different reject bins​,” added Fusco.

The machine includes a labeling unit equipped with thermal transfer printing, a dedicated camera to check the correct label position, integrity and readability of datamatrix and human readable codes, and a built-in tamper evident seal application module.

Fusco said the unit is the only one on the market featuring all mentioned functions in one single unit. 

The advantage of this integration is not only floor space savings, but also consolidation of operator management, as the user can dictate all machine functions from a single HMI while all format data is stored in a database​,” he said.

As Fusco previously explained, regulatory changes are currently defining the serialization processes as the industry prepares for upcoming global requirements. As such, CMOs, such as PCI, are beginning to plan their serialization initiatives - and investing in new equipment is just one of many important issues​ taken into consideration.

Engineering Pharma​ is a column dedicated to exploring technology innovations, the design challenges of creating these offerings, and how the industry is working to keep pace with the possibilities.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

Pulmonary Delivery of Orally Inhaled Therapeutics

Pulmonary Delivery of Orally Inhaled Therapeutics

Content provided by Catalent Pharma Solutions | 19-Oct-2023 | Business Advice

New classes and indications of orally inhaled therapeutics are rapidly expanding, with the development pipeline increasingly featuring both large and small...

Addressing Challenges with Clinical In-Use Testing

Addressing Challenges with Clinical In-Use Testing

Content provided by Lonza | 12-Oct-2023 | White Paper

Lonza Drug Product expert Léa Sorret PhD explores Clinical In-Use Testing of Biotherapeutics in this white paper. Léa shares her expertise and describes...

Manufacturing Drugs with Highly Potent APIs

Manufacturing Drugs with Highly Potent APIs

Content provided by Altasciences | 28-Sep-2023 | White Paper

In this issue of The Altascientist, we examine the critical considerations for the safe and compliant manufacture of drugs with highly potent APIs (HPAPIs),...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars