The modern pharmaceutical industry can be traced back to local apothecaries that distributed botanical drugs to local communities. The apothecaries expanded to wholesale manufacture in the mid 1800s. During this time, all of the manufacturing processes were manual and it often took several people to manufacture one bottle of medicine.
A recent study by the Association for Packaging and Processing technologies (PMMI) has predicted that robots will handle 34% of primary pharmaceutical packaging operations in North America by 2018. An increase in the use of robots is particularly significant in dispensing, sorting, kit assembly and light machine tending. The advantages include greater speed and accuracy, more flexibility and more reliability.
As the use of robotics in the pharmaceutical industry rapidly increases, it’s important to consider the benefits of the latest technologies for manufacturers, researchers and scientists.
Filling, inspection and packaging
The pharmaceutical industry produces millions of tablets each week, all of which must be carefully scrutinised before being packed and shipped to distributors. During this inspection, drug manufacturers must ensure that the correct amount of medication, with the exact chemical composition and weight, are precisely packed into the appropriate containers.
Most pharmaceutical packaging systems use automation to manage bottle orientation, capping, labelling and collation systems. The automation of packaging also requires a system that monitors the operation at a supervisory level, checking for low hopper levels, fallen bottles and low level supplies.
Until recently, Raman spectroscopy was not widely applied in the pharmaceutical industry. However, in the last few years, developments within the industry — coupled with improvements in Raman instrumentation — have generated increasing interest in the technology. Raman spectroscopy measures the molecular vibration and rotational energy changes of each tablet, ensuring their chemical compounds are correct before distribution.
This is just one stage of pharmaceutical inspection — automation and machine learning is also applied to ensure that products are packed in the correct bottles and boxes with the correct labelling affixed.
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