DAC February 2022

32 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING February 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com Twin robots are the formula for driving throughput T he Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is an independent technology and innovation centre that links academia, businesses, government and investors, with the aim to bring innovative ideas and research to the market. Its National Formulation Centre, located in Sedgefield, provides the tools and expertise to help companies to commercialise next-generation formulations for pharmaceutical ingredients, paints, coatings, detergents and batteries. As part of its programme of investment in new equipment and technologies, CPI decided to develop a self-contained automatic formulation systemwith a glovebox enclosure that would support the commercialisation of new formulations for a variety of applications. To develop the new system, CPI contacted the Middlesbrough-based lab automation and robotics specialist, Labman, with which it had collaborated in the past. The two companies designed a compact, modular workcell that combines three processing sections in an area of just 21m 2 . The system can conduct processing, dispensing and measurement operations, as well as safely handling volatile components, nanomaterials and hazardous substances. In the first module, sample pots are loaded at high speed and moved to a dispensing system after their lids have been removed. There, dispensers for solid, liquid or slurry applications fill the pots rapidly with accuracies of ±1, ±10 and ±25mg respectively. The containers then move automatically to the processing section and are loaded into a dual asymmetrical centrifuge that mixes their contents. At this stage, a pendant drop module can be applied to measure the surface tension of the formulations and to perform spectral analyses using a multifunction probe. On a separate platform, also designed by CP and Labman, samples can be transferred to syringes to prepare coatings. The final module handles hazardous components, using powder feeders for nanoparticles, and can also add liquids and solvents to the formulations. To handle the samples quickly to increase throughput, CP and Labman chose six-axis robots. The robots, which can operate continuously out of hours and during weekends, perform key activities, such as fitting or removing lids and caps in the processing and glovebox units. These tasks need to be carried out reliably at high speed and with high accuracy. CPI and Labman chose Mitsubishi Electric’s Melfa RV industrial robots with six axes, making it easier to reach diagonally into key components, such as mixers. According to CPI’s principal scientist, Dr Lynn Donlon, the robots“are perfectly suited for performing delicate operations such as loading and unloading of pots and powder dispense units”. The robots are controlled by Mitsubishi’s compact CR800 robot controllers, allowing CPI to implement basic changes without needing advanced programming skills. To optimise the use of space and to reduce the system footprint, especially in the glovebox section, Mitsubishi and Labman developed customised systems that allow the robots to pick the necessary equipment while moving within set limits. Placing the robotic arms on tracks, for example, has helped to make the most of the limited space available. The RV robots can be used to create safety zones that allow cooperative applications. Human operators can access any one of the three sections, stopping automated activity there, while the other two continue their tasks without interruption. The systemwas built in less than seven months – half of the time typically needed for similar projects. Since it started to operate, the formulation system has been used extensively by CPI and its partners, and has generated considerable interest. The system can boost productivity by 5-10 times over conventional operations. n An organisation that creates pharmaceuticals and other formulations, has commissioned an automated formulation system in less than seven months. The system, based on a pair of six-axis robots, has boosted productivity up to ten-fold, cutting the time taken to bring new formulations to the market. Six-axis robots running on tracks pick up items as part of the high-throughput automated formulation system at CPI’s National Formulation Centre. Image: Labman Automation