Symetix introduces VeriSym SE product verification system

Published: 15-Feb-2013

For pharmaceutical and nutraceutical softgel encapsulation lines

Symetix’s VeriSym SE is a new high-performance optical inspection system that verifies softgels continuously, in-line after a single encapsulator, or off-line in a batch mode.

As the smallest member of the VeriSym family, VeriSym SE inspects up to 200,000 softgels an hour. It detects product colour, size, and shape and removes foreign softgels and defects such as spots, colour variations, air bubbles, and misshapen softgels from the product stream to assure product quality while reducing labour costs.

The modular VeriSym SE has a footprint of only 9ft (2.7m) long and 3ft (0.9m) wide, including the infeed hopper and reject manifold.

‘VeriSym SE satisfies customers who want the powerful inspection capabilities of our popular full-capacity VeriSym, which inspects up to 1,000,000 softgels or tablets per hour, but at the right size and capacity for encapsulation lines,’ said Ken Carambot, Pharmaceutical Applications Manager at Symetix, which is the pharmaceutical group of Key Technology, a US manufacturer of process control systems.

‘VeriSym SE brings automated inspection to softgel manufacturers and packers with lower-volume product runs. It reduces reliance on labour by eliminating manual inspection and by facilitating the migration from batch processing to continuous automated processing.’

VeriSym SE brings automated inspection to softgel manufacturers and packers with lower-volume product runs

Unlike manual inspection, VeriSym SE is objective and consistent, which improves final product quality. Automating inspection with VeriSym SE increases product yield by minimising the removal of acceptable product, which is common with manual inspection. The system reduces the risk of contamination by minimising human contact with product. Based on labour savings alone, Symetix says VeriSym SE offers a payback of less than 12 months.

Customers currently batch drying can batch-feed the bulk-to-bulk VeriSym SE from trays, totes, or boxes and later integrate it with a continuous drying system on a single encapsulator line.

Softgels are fed into VeriSym SE’s infeed hopper, either automatically from a continuous dryer or manually. The hopper directs product onto the infeed shaker that spreads the product evenly for viewing by a top-mounted colour camera that inspects each object’s colour, size, and shape. Proprietary image processing technology quickly analyses the images, comparing each object with previously defined accept/reject standards to detect foreign softgels and defects. When a defective product or unconfirmed object is identified, the system activates the close-coupled high-speed air ejector system to remove it from the product stream that leads to packaging.

VeriSym SE can be cleared, cleaned, and set up to handle the next product in less than 10 minutes, with no tools required. Product settings, including accept/reject standards, can be stored in the system’s memory for quick and easy recall. The system can inspect oval, round, and oblong softgels ranging in size from #2 to #40.

In addition to softgels, the unit can be used to inspect coated tablets, detecting and removing foreign tablets, broken tablets, stained tablets, and tablets with missing coating if the coating is a different colour from the underlying tablet’s core.

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