In the pharmaceutical industry, the difference between a good and average product could completely turnaround the prognosis of the disease. While a superior product can save the lives of millions, a middling drug could endanger as many lives and tarnish the brand image forever. Hence, it is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry to have effective solutions to ensure speedy output of quality products.

Inspection technology (also known as Vision Systems or Machine Vision) is the comprehensive amalgamation of hardware and software. The hardware is composed of cameras and the lens systems, while the software is customized to suit the client’s needs. These systems ensure compliance with evolving safety standards and product quality in a cost-effective manner. Fitted onto a manufacturer’s packaging lines, this hardware captures every product image that passes through the packaging line, and verifies it with a reference image of the product fed through the software. Any deviations from the ‘standard’ trigger an alarm for the system, leading to removal of the faulty product.

Scope of Vision inspection solutions
Vision inspection systems can identify and prevent defects such as empty pockets in blisters, broken/chipped/ different tablets or capsules, misprinted codes and mislabeling. Many other deep rooted flaws can be detected easily with vision inspection systems leading to improved product quality. With demand for increasing speed in packaging lines, there is a major challenge for effective online checks to maintain product quality. Though there is no regulation by the government regarding installation of the visual inspection systems, all quality conscious companies go for it.

ACG Inspection, a member of ACG Worldwide, has addressed this need by providing inspection solutions to help pharmaceutical companies eliminate possible loss of revenue and reputation. Working across all packaging types, ACG offers best inspection solutions for primary, secondary and tertiary packaging lines.

Film inspection
Film inspection systems offer accurate defect detection and brilliant defect images. It detects typical defects including gels, streaks, die lines, black spots, white spots, bubbles, scratches or pin holes. It provides an increase in production with optimal usage and offers 100 per cent control with complete documentation. It also ensures immediate detection, classification and visualization of defects up to 0.09 mm2 not visible to the human eye and can generate reports with size specification and defect bar graph.

Blister inspection
Blister inspection is a cutting-edge camera system designed for online inspectionError: Reference source not found of a wide range of products packed in blisters like capsules, tablets, vials, ampoules, etc. It identifies defects such as empty pockets, presence of wrong capsule, broken tablet, missing product, colour variations, black spots, size variations, product outside pocket and double filling, to name a few. Blister inspection can be integrated with additional cameras with single controller for after sealing inspection of products, inspection of product code and batch printing on lidding foil. Customized rejection mechanisms are also possible to ensure 100per cent accuracy in rejection of defective blisters. With its ability to integrate with a wide range of blister packing machine models,Error: Reference source not found ACG Inspection’s Blis-iError: Reference source not found is one of the most-efficient online inspection systems.

Aluminum foil inspection
Detecting surface imperfections on aluminum foils has always been a challenge. Most of the defects like pin holes, fissures, pores and scratches occur on aluminum base foil during cold forming process. Similar defects occur on lidding foil during printing of product details. With aluminum foil inspection system, various defects are detected and eliminated. The systems are capable of detecting a pinhole of dimension up to 25 microns and can handle widths ranging from 2 to 72 inches. ACG Inspection’s Scan-i is exceptionally user-friendly and can be installed by the in-house team of engineers, thereby saving on installation, commission and validation expenses.

Label inspection
A perfect product pack should have a perfect label accurately printed with correct batch code, component code, pharma code, bar code and data matrix code. The label should also retain its aesthetic appeal of the pack by being perfectly aligned and correctly positioned. The label inspection system uses advanced morphological characteristics to scan product labels on high speed packing lines to ensure accurate monitoring of the above mentioned label parameters. ACG Inspection’s Label-i is an effective quality guardian on high-speed blister packing and cartoning machines as well as on bottles and injectable filling lines.

Print inspection
Accuracy of any printed format is important especially at a time where printing vendors change to negotiate costs and also the printing job moves from one location to another. Accuracy in printing has become a major challenge especially with the advent of computer to Print (CTP), where it is easy to make changes from one print run to another. With a print inspection system in place, 100per cent verification of printing with respect to characters, fonts, logos and colours is possible. ACG Inspection’s Print-i can even be integrated with line stoppage systems of printing machines to ensure minimal wastage and accurate print output.

Carton inspection
Each product/pack has a different code. This helps in preventing mix up of products. If the product and pack do not match, it will be rejected. The code is known as pharma code and comprises of batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date and MRP. Referred to as overprinting, it is recommended by the FDA. Leaflets are also inspected for coding and making sure that the leaflet is for the same product. Subsequently, cartons are also checked for coding to assess if the matter on the carton matches with the product, blister and leaflet. Cartons of all sizes can be inspected with the machines starting from small to large and extra-large. With Cart-i, ACG Inspection’s carton inspection system, inspection of code and batch printing details on cartons and labels being packed on cartoning machines becomes easy.

The future
In the coming years, vision system suppliers envision faster/smarter/smaller products every year. Better-equipped inspection systems of the future will be available with improved hardware, and also highly-analytical and logical-driven software. There also seems to be a demand for increased camera resolution to meet specific application requirements, as well as a broad range of cameras.

Besides these features, it is vision inspection system suppliers’ imperative to ensure ease of use. Improving on this, along with entry-level pricing, is key to attract businesses that see inspection systems as an additional overhead cost rather than high-value return on investment vehicle.

The complexity involved in design, development and deployment of vision inspection systems make them unique instruments in a pharmaceutical production plant. Integration with the existing packaging lines - primary, secondary and tertiary - is the key to unlocking the true potential of vision inspection systems. In the final analysis, the value of an inspection system outweighs its cost in the long run. A good inspection technology from a valued solution provider like ACG Inspection can not only detect subtle errors and save millions of dollars by way of fines or lengthy trials, but also protect brand image.