Compact, mobile filling unit for pharmaceutical liquids

Task definition

At a pharmaceutical manufacturer, bottles had previously been filled manually. Each individual bottle was positioned by hand under the filling needle, the filling stroke was triggered and the filled bottles were then placed on a belt conveyor to be capped and labelled.

This approach resulted in considerable manual work, ergonomic strain and frequent process interruptions. The aim was therefore to realise a compact and mobile filling unit which would enable large quantities of empty bottles to be buffered and the filling process to be automated and operated autonomously for a defined period of time.

Solution from mk

To implement this, a modular filling system based on the Versaflex A08flat top chain conveyor was realised, supplemented by a 750 mm rotary table for feeding and buffering the empty bottles. The system is designed to be used flexibly on different production lines and, thanks to its compact dimensions, can be easily integrated into existing production environments.

Empty bottles are pushed onto the rotary table, which serves as a buffer, in a single step by a sliding platform. From there, the conveyor technology automatically feeds them to the filling station, where three bottles at a time are precisely positioned and stopped. An integrated lifting device automatically inserts the customer’s filling needles into the bottles and thus ensures a reproducible filling process.

After filling, the bottles are released again and transported to the customer’s conveying path for further processing. The system has a central controller to which the customer’s pumps and the operating unit can be directly connected. Space has been provided for the pumps in the system frame, while the operating unit is ergonomically positioned on a side panel. The mobile design also allows the filling unit to be used in different areas of the factory.