Floating, fast, and safe handling of medical bags

To make its medical bag handling processes faster and safer, Bonfiglioli Engineering has deployed the magnetic floating technology found in the intelligent XPlanar transport system from Beckhoff as a leak detection solution in its latest IVB Flex packaging machine. The partnership between the two companies played a significant role in achieving the project goals.

In automatic packaging machines, quality control and product integrity do more than just ensure that production stays efficient: most importantly of all, they reliably meet legal requirements and assure traceability. This is particularly true for the pharmaceutical industry. Bonfiglioli Engineering, part of the TASI Test and Automation Group, has built up extensive expertise in this field over more than 50 years. Specializing in areas including leak detection, it has gradually expanded its technology portfolio in quality control and assuring the integrity of pharmaceutical packaging.

Challenges posed by flexible bags

Davide Luisari, director of engineering at Bonfiglioli Engineering, explains that three complementary inspection technologies cover the quality control requirements that are typical of the industry: “The first technology, CCIT (container closure integrity testing), is used to check the integrity of the closure and that the containers are sealed. The second one, AVI (automatic visual inspection), identifies visual defects and discrepancies in appearance or function. The third technology is HGA (headspace gas analysis), which measures the gases in the container headspace – a very important parameter in some packaging processes.”

One or more of these technologies may be brought into play depending on the type of inspection involved. The key difficulty, however, lies in container handling. With medical bags, for example, there is a real risk of damage every time one of them is picked up and fed into the machine. This is precisely where Bonfiglioli Engineering’s solution excels, as Davide Luisari explains: “We don’t just sell machines – we support the customer by providing them with a comprehensive consulting service. In a highly regulated sector such as the medical field, what makes you stand out is not only ensuring product quality, but also designing a reliable, repeatable, and truly productive process.” To meet this need, the IVB Flex packaging machine with XPlanar uses magnetic floating technology, which eliminates mechanical contact and therefore wear during product transport, as well as drastically reducing the risk of bag damage. What’s more, it ensures end-to-end traceability.

Intelligent, floating product transport

The solution aims to minimize transportation and handling of the product with the help of XPlanar movers. Inside the machine, the leak tests are carried out simultaneously using special bell systems developed by Bonfiglioli Engineering. To achieve this, the bags are placed on the XPlanar movers, each equipped with a suitable bag holder, and moved under the bell jars. Once the correct position is reached, the system grips the tool – the bag holder – and lifts it until it rests against the base of the bell jar, creating ideal conditions for the test.

A test takes around seven seconds; the bag is pressurized, which allows leaks to be detected based on the pressure difference. Depending on the inspection result, the bag is either forwarded to the station’s outgoing line or transported to the reject area. The entire process takes place without the need to handle the product directly. Once the bag is loaded onto the mover, it is gently transported between the various test stations, ensuring its integrity and guaranteeing highly reliable and repeatable tests. The machine has six bell jars as well as a loading station and an automatic unloading station, all of which are extremely compact: together, they have a footprint of just over 5 m².

The system uses eight 155 x 155 mm APM4330 XPlanar movers, which float over a surface of 13 XPlanar tiles: seven measuring 320 x 320 mm (APS4244) and six measuring 320 x 160 mm (APS4242). This results in a high functional density in a relatively small space. The XPlanar movers are equipped with interchangeable bag holders that the operator can change manually to suit the product type. The format-changing process is quick and intuitive: all the operator has to do is remove the tool and replace it with one that is suitable for the new format. The replacement tool can easily be attached using centering pins, which ensure correct alignment and stability during movement. As Davide Luisari explains: “XPlanar provides a handling solution that allows unparalleled flexibility during format changeovers. This allows us to quickly switch from small containers with a capacity of 50 or 100 ml, for example, to bags with a larger capacity.” In addition to process flexibility, IVB Flex also guarantees excellent standards in terms of precision and quality thanks to the XPlanar movers’ high load capacity of up to 1.8 kg. This opens up more scope for reliable operation and extensive possibilities for developing the system in the future.

A complex challenge with a simple solution

According to Davide Luisari, the XPlanar system made it possible to combine operational flexibility, process reliability, and traceability. However, Beckhoff’s technology went even further than this. Deploying automation based on a C6030 ultra-compact Industrial PC, Luisari explains, helped to simplify the IVB Flex architecture – notably due to implementing TwinCAT as the software platform: “As we were using these technologies for the first time, we took full advantage of the training offered by Beckhoff. We started with a basic course, then moved on to an advanced course that dealt specifically with the XPlanar system. We always had the option of contacting the product specialist if we came across any obstacles or doubts. The TwinCAT programming environment proved to be consistently user-friendly, however, and the prototype was created in just ten months or so – from design and software development all the way through to factory acceptance at the customer’s premises. That’s a record for us!”

There were also no problems with integration. “Despite a specification restriction imposed by the customer, which required the use of third-party PLCs, our technicians experienced no compatibility or interface problems,” explains Davide Luisari. What’s more, there are considerable advantages to be gained in the area of remote maintenance. The ultra-compact industrial PC from Beckhoff is designed for connection via VPN and allows secure access to the machine, regardless of the installation location. This supports advanced diagnostic activities, identification of any critical points in good time, and early and efficient intervention efficiently to resolve any problems.

Potential for the future

According to Davide Luisari, the productivity of the machine has exceeded the expectations of the customer, a medical manufacturer that operates plants abroad: “The contactless magnetic floating technology plays a significant role in this by minimizing mechanical wear, requiring less maintenance, and – crucially – ensuring aseptic operating conditions. However, here at Bonfiglioli Engineering, we're already thinking outside the box. The development we are working on involves integrating optical inspection into the machine itself. Similar solutions already exist on the market, but their cost and space requirements make them impractical and economically unviable.” Another challenge lies in artificial intelligence: “We are looking into the use of neural networks to make leak detection and visual inspection even better and reduce the number of false rejects, especially with flexible products such as bags.” These are developments that require considerable computing power. Luisari adds that, in view of the CPU power that Beckhoff Industrial PCs offer, the aim is to integrate everything – both real-time control and AI – in a single piece of hardware.