August 2021

36 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING July/August 2021 www.drivesncontrols.com Pharma firms turn to robots to cope with Covid pressures T he events of the past year have had a huge impact on businesses in all sectors of industry. Significantly, demand across the manufacturing landscape changed – in some cases dramatically – as the automotive sector stalled, while companies operating in the medical, pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors worked flat out to produce PPE, ventilators, sanitisers and drugs, and to develop the vaccines needed to combat the spread of Covid-19. The surge in demand faced by manufacturers highlighted the need for many businesses to re-assess their production methods, not only to respond more rapidly to changes in the market, but also to improve productivity levels while maintaining the high quality and regulatory standards required by the sector. Although increasing the number of manual operators can sometimes deliver a short-term boost to production, in a world with growing labour shortages this is not a satisfactory long-term approach. A growing realisation by many businesses that a critical point had been reached in their approach to manufacturing has been the catalyst for a move towards higher levels of automation, based on the innovative use of robots. Robots are now finding their way into a diverse array of new applications. Take vaccine vials, for example. The US government created its Operation Warp Speed programme to deliver vaccines as quickly as possible. Manufacturing the vials to hold the vaccines has been a crucial part of the programme. These transparent containers, coated with silicon dioxide, have a greater resistance to breakage than glass, as well as an improved oxygen barrier that simplifies low-temperature and longer-term storage. One US company, which is part of the programme, commissioned the German systems integrator Zahoransky to come up with an automated injection moulding system capable of producing 600,000 vaccine vials every day. Achieving this in extremely condensed timescales required a herculean effort from the organisations involved. To complicate matters, during the development process, the number of lines required rose from two to four, then to six, and finally to 11. Each of the 11 lines in the final configuration is capable of producing 10 vials every 17 seconds. These vials must undergo numerous processes after production before receiving their final nano- coatings. The project, which includes 10 sampling points as well the 11 automated lines, uses a total of 53 Scara and six-axis robots. These robots perform a wide range of tasks, including unloading injection-moulding machines and transferring components between modules, as well as workstation tasks such as check weighing, laser coding, measurement and surface analysis. The first robot on each line, a six-axis machine, unloads the injection-moulding machine, picking up 10 vials at a time and placing them on a cooling belt. An ultra-fast Scara robot then transfers the cooled containers to a second module, where the quality tests are carried out. The vials then reach a transfer point, where they are removed by a four-axis robot that places them in tubs, ready for the nano-coating process. Zahoransky chose robots from Stäubli that are classified for clean-room operation. Vital time was saved by customising cells from Zahoransky’s standard range to meet the demands of the application. Because of the time pressure, Stäubli supplied robots originally intended for its own internal training and presentation cells. The seamless connection of standard cells made it possible to supply the line with high pressures, and achieve ISO Class 8 clean- room levels. Zahoransky was able to save an estimated The Covid pandemic has put extreme pressures on pharmaceutical manufacturers, some of whom are turning to robotics and automation to help them perform tasks such as the production and filling of vaccine vials more efficiently Zahoransky’s automated injection-moulding machines can produce 600,000 vaccine vials every day