High flexibility meets sustainability: Uhlmann Pac-Systeme opts for innovative cartoning line
Less resource consumption and lower CO2 emissions, more flexibility, efficiency and product safety: the requirements of pharmaceutical companies for the packaging of parenterals are becoming increasingly versatile and complex. With its Parenteral Tray Centre 200 cartoning line, Uhlmann Pac-Systeme offers an innovative solution that safely packs ampoules, vials, syringes, pens and other devices in sustainable, recyclable plastic or cardboard trays and folding cartons. Uhlmann Pac-Systeme will be presenting the PTC 200 in a live demonstration at Achema 2024.
Flexible line design with up to six feeders
Werner Blersch, Strategic Product Manager Parenteral Packaging at Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, says: "The aim of product development at Uhlmann is to make our packaging solutions highly flexible so that our customers can process different parenteral product shapes and sizes as well as different packaging materials and shapes reliably and efficiently. With the Parenteral Tray Center PTC 200, this can be easily implemented, with a high degree of automation and digitalization."
Thanks to the modular machine concept, the PTC 200 is able to produce a wide range of product configurations highly efficiently. With up to six feeders, syringes, ampoules, vials and associated accessories such as adapters or package inserts are packaged quickly and reliably. With optimum settings, small formats are possible at up to 200 trays or folding cartons per minute thanks to Twin Speed Capability. Large formats can be processed at up to 120 folding boxes per minute. An efficient stacking unit makes it easy to stack several trays and insert them into a carton from the side. This makes the PTC 200 particularly space-saving and efficient.
More sustainability through environmentally friendly cardboard trays
Usually, parenterals are secondarily packed in sealed blisters or unsealed – plastic trays and then inserted into folding cartons together with the package insert. The growing importance of parenterals and the desire for more sustainability, however, require alternative packaging solutions that are not only safe and efficient, but also convincing in terms of CO2 balance and resource consumption. Packaging made of mono-materials such as cardboard is not only environmentally friendly but also versatile. With the PTC 200, Uhlmann now offers a flexible "Direct in carton" solution that can pack both in cardboard trays and in conventional plastic clamp blisters. The ability to handle a wide range of product formats and pack sizes means that pharmaceutical companies can adapt their production completely flexible to meet the requirements of the market. In addition, the intelligently designed changeover process allows particularly fast batch changes.
Integrated track & trace and gentle product handling
Especially with parenterals, seamless monitoring and gentle product handling are indispensable. The PTC 200 is controlled via a human/machine interface that uses the SmartControl operating system and can be integrated into the Pexcite software platform. Using the platform, which also offers special Track & Trace-solutions, each individual product can be tracked seamlessly via a UDI code (unique device identification) – from production to the pallet – in the interest of patient safety. The UDI code also ensures the detection of a defective product. In this way, instead of the complete packaging unit, only individual products are disposed of thereby reducing waste. Furthermore, gentle product handling across all machines enables high machine availability and low downtimes.