“The concept of “spec conversion” does not necessarily immediately attract the attention of the pharmaceutical industry. However, when looking at the challenges faced in pharmaceutical production, which are characterized by cost, competitive pressure and strict regulation, intelligent specification changeover means a competitive advantage in terms of efficiency, product quality and process reliability. With automated networking solutions, pharmaceutical companies are able to take a critical step towards Pharma 4.0.

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The concept of “spec conversion” does not necessarily immediately attract the attention of the pharmaceutical industry. However, when looking at the challenges faced in pharmaceutical production, which are characterized by cost, competitive pressure and strict regulation, intelligent specification changeover means a competitive advantage in terms of efficiency, product quality and process reliability. With automated networking solutions, pharmaceutical companies are able to take a critical step towards Pharma 4.0.

Figure 1: Format conversion by labelling machine in pharmaceutical production

In the pharmaceutical industry, the design of the centerline is very important, where the optimal machine settings must always be selected to avoid unnecessary process deviations and thus prevent product quality degradation. It is crucial to optimally link production, technology, maintenance and Electronic data acquisition systems so that plant efficiency can be fully utilized. In addition, increasing product variety and smaller batches in pharmaceutical production require equipment with a high degree of flexibility. This necessitates specification conversion, which can be a critical factor in equipment availability. By optimizing specification changeovers, changeover times for product changeovers can be significantly reduced and process reliability improved. Sensor and positioning system manufacturer SIKO GmbH offers different format conversion solutions, ranging from purely mechanical position indicators to fully automatic positioning drives.

Benefits of Optimizing Specification Conversion

Specification changeover is ubiquitous in pharmaceutical production, especially for the packaging process, labelling or inspection of products. Every time a size has to be changed on a machine for a new product, so-called specs need to be adjusted – either manually using a crank or automatically via a drive.

Care must always be taken when changing machine settings as errors can spread and adversely affect product results. Monitoring or fully automated specification conversion minimizes the risk of incorrect settings and allows for more flexibility in the design of the process. The advantages of optimized specification conversion are:

High repeatability, allowing pharmaceutical production to always maintain the same specification and quality Faster changeover times, resulting in higher processing speeds, higher efficiency and lower costs, Improved process reliability, a key criterion in pharmaceutical production

Specification conversion is divided into manual, monitoring and automatic conversion. Which type of specification conversion is most suitable depends on the requirements: the more frequent the specification adjustment and the higher the production quality requirements (this is the norm in the pharmaceutical industry), the more suitable is the use of monitoring or automated positioning systems.

Figure 2: Time-saving comparison, manual versus fully automatic format changeover, cardboard box correction device adjustment

Figure 3: Comparison of optimization potential brought by intelligent positioning solutions

Manual size conversion

Manual specification conversion uses mechanical and electronic position indicators to indicate the actual value of the current position. They are suitable for base machines that require very little adjustment. SIKO’s best-selling mechanical digital position indicators are precise, easy to read and can be configured specifically for each application.

Compared to mechanical position indicators, electronic position indicators have the advantage of being freely programmable and therefore more flexible to use. Parameters such as spindle spacing, decimal places, direction of rotation, mounting position or use in chamfer mode can be easily configured. Convenient and practical: Mechanical and electronic models are compatible for installation, so retrofitting or expansion is no problem.

Monitoring Specification Conversion

The bus-compatible electronic position indicator can monitor the size change by specifying the rating, and the indicator is integrated in the machine control system. The exchange and calibration of actual and setpoint values ​​between the individual position indicators and the higher-level control unit is possible with the aid of the recipe management unit, in which all product types and their recipe setpoint values ​​are stored. Process reliability is increased because the device is restarted only when all nominal and actual values ​​on the indicator agree. This avoids defective or damaged equipment parts. In this version, the axes are still adjusted manually; instead, the correct settings are monitored electronically. What makes the electronic position indicator special is the LED indicator light, which clearly shows the operator the status of the position: green light for “correct position” and red light for “incorrect position”. In addition, an arrow direction indicator is integrated into the Display to indicate the correct adjustment direction.

Figure 4: Format conversion via electronic position indicators in pharmaceutical production

Applications for monitoring specification conversions

In pharmaceutical production, monitoring format changeovers can be of great help in, for example, cartoner equipment that requires frequent adjustments or the identification of products. A “trace back” device is a relatively new development through which prescription drugs must be clearly and traceably labelled. At the same time, various processes such as printing, reading, labelling and weighing therefore require extensive adjustments. The process reliability of these devices can be significantly improved by monitoring specification conversion.

Fig. 5: SIKO position indicator for format conversion on a traceability device in pharmaceutical production

Automatic specification conversion

If the axis needs to be adjusted without any human intervention, people talk about automatic size changeover via compact drives. Drives networked to the machine control system are moved directly to the desired position. Changeover times can be further drastically reduced through automation. In addition, automation is also a beneficial option if adjustments must be made frequently to inaccessible equipment parts.

The drive is characterized by its highly integrated structure, which combines all components in one device: brushless DC motor (no wear), high-performance gearing with low backlash as well as position sensors and power and control electronics. Integrating the drive into the machine control system and communicating with the control system is very simple, thanks to a large number of common standard interfaces. These include Profibus or Profinet interfaces according to the Siemens standard, low-cost serial interfaces (eg RS485 and CAN), IO-Link and modern industrial Ethernet interfaces.

Depending on the requirements of the application, different performance classes of drives need to be taken into account: small drives in folding carton magazines only require low power for fine-tuning, while in large carton feeding systems they have to be moved by drives with relatively high torque the entire unit.

Also, when converting models with this specification, the control system will only command the device to restart if the process data exchange between the drive and the control system brings the actual value into line with the nominal value.

Fig. 6: Automated format changeover of a labeller for labeling pharmaceutical packaging with SIKO drives

Fig. 7: Machine retrofit with SIKO drive automation

Fig. 8: Machine retrofit with SIKO compact drive automation

predictive maintenance

Another feature of the compact drive makes it possible to infer the operating state of the drive itself and the device: diagnostic capabilities. By aggregating and monitoring drive parameters such as current draw in the motor, temperature or voltage values ​​on the control and load circuits, abnormal conditions can be detected early and maintenance needs can be identified. If the set value is exceeded, immediate action can be taken.

Conclusion: Increased automation, more data

In pharmaceutical production, intelligent specification conversion has multiple dimensions: Among them are directly measurable effects such as reduced settling time, increased equipment availability, increased efficiency, and increased process reliability. In addition, smart solutions help to carry out such secondary processes as “noiseless” as possible in production. Don’t worry too much about spec changeovers; if it’s running properly and reliably, you can focus on major work with strict requirements, such as line clean-up or comprehensive documentation.

Peripheral components such as position indicators and servo motors are becoming more and more important in the process of increasing automation and digitization. New developments such as “traceability” systems confirm this. Additional benefits such as data collection, self-diagnostics and lifetime monitoring of components make smart specification conversion a key component of Pharma 4.0.

Fig. 9: Full control and process reliability through correct machine settings – example of a carton correction unit

author information

Master of Engineering (High School) Juergen Schuh
Head of Business Unit Conversion Solutions at SIKO GmbH

Ability/Experience:

Specialization in electrical engineering Over thirty years of experience as an application engineer in the field of SIKO measurement technology Technical sales executive in the field of machine and plant construction and business support for electronic positioning systems for industrial applications Currently responsible and 100% focused on the “Conversion Solutions” business area

SIKO | Measuring technology since 1963

SIKO now has 50 years of experience in many different measuring fields: length measuring technology, angle measuring technology, rotational speed measuring technology and measuring inclination or speed. Based on this core part, SIKO develops and produces pioneering measuring devices and positioning systems for automated processes. The stringent requirements of our customers in the industrial and mechanical engineering sectors lead us to continuously improve the quality, precision and functionality of our products and services.

SIKO has passed the DIN EN ISO 9001 : 2015 quality certification. Continued use of existing resources is a matter of course for us.

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