Bausch-Ströbel increases flexibility

After Variosys, a combination of machine modules and isolator, the special machinery manufacturer Bausch+Ströbel introduced another system solution to the market three years ago: Combisys. The company is now presenting the latest variant at Interpack.

Combisys now offers users even more flexibility: while the system initially processed pre-sterilised syringes, vials or cartridges in the nest (RTU packaging), bulk goods can now also be used on this platform.

Today, flexibility is not only required for the packaging material, but also for the dosage. If medicines for which different dosing methods have been validated are to be produced on the same line, this is only possible if several dosing stations are planned from the outset. Otherwise, the line has to be converted. This is now possible with the "Multi-Dosing Unit", which integrates peristaltic pumps, rotary lobe pumps and a time-pressure dosing system. By using a central drive system, this unit is compact and thus space-saving.

Format changeover and maintenance are simplified with Combisys, because the workstations are all based on the same functional principle: Combisys gets by with few format parts, and changing to a different packaging material is simple and user-friendly. The modular design and standardised components also save design and production time, and the system can be delivered more quickly. This makes the system a suitable solution for contract fillers and pharmaceutical manufacturers who require a high degree of flexibility and for whom the scalability of the machines used is a competitive factor.

Pulsed or continuous

The new technology, which is now being presented for the first time on the Combisys platform, mainly concerns the transport of objects through the system. The system is adaptable and can run either clocked or continuously. In this way, it breaks away from the system with a fixed cycle and fixed number of positions. The number of objects processed at different stations can be different in one and the same machine, if this makes sense in the process. In addition, different infeed directions are possible.

All this is done in an object-friendly way. The previous output of 12,000 objects per hour could be increased in this way - with still 100 % IPC without loss of performance. Not only is the content of the objects checked, but the stopper position of each individual vial can also be monitored. The technology makes format changeover even easier and the machine design has also been made clearer (hygienic design).