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Stages in the packaging process

The packaging takes place in a sequence like a production line. Tablets are taken in at one end and boxed up cartons of blister-packed tablets pass out at the other end. There are some extra inputs to the system along the way. These are shown as letters in the sequence.

Picture 6.2 Roll over the stages in the sequence to see how a carton of filled packets is produced.

A. Blister pack
made

B. Top of pack
is sealed

C. Carton nets
printed and cut

D. Fold
leaflet

	1. Tablets in

	2. Blisters filled

	3. Check blisters

	4. Seal packs

	5. Carton nets

	6. Fill cartons

	7.Check cartons

	8. Wrap cartons

Question 12

Look at the packing stages listed below. Each stage has a control point. In each case, decide what type of control system is needed at each point. Make your choice using the drop down list. Then describe the purpose of each control point.

Stage of line	Type pf control	Purpose
3. blister check
B. Top of pack sealed (1st point)
B. Top of pack sealed (2nd point)
7. carton check

Contents	Close

1. Introduction to the pharmaceutical industry	5. Secondary manufacture
Medicines	Manufacturing tablets
2. Systems in pharmaceutical manufacture	Pressing
The tracking system	Coating
IT, delivery & control systems	6. Packaging
3. The development of a new medicine	The packaging process
4. Primary manufacture	7. What makes pharmaceutical manufacture different?
Chemical technology	7. What makes pharmaceutical manufacture different?
Biotechnology

1. The tablets are brought to the packaging line.
	The tablets are brought in 80kg bulk bags and suspended over the line. The base of the bulk bag is opened to allow the tablets to trickle out.

2. The tablets are placed in the 'blisters'.
	From the hopper, a series of vibrating tracks shake the tablets to separate them. The separated tablets are placed into the blister cavities.

3. A check is made that all the blisters are full.
	CONTROL POINT: It is vital to ensure that each blister cavity is filled with a tablet. A camera system monitors each blister. Incomplete packs are automatically ejected from the packaging line.

4. The packs are sealed and separated with an expiry date.
	The separate blister packs are still attached to one another in a long continuous strip. Therefore, they must be cut into individual units, using a guillotine. Many medicines have to carry their expiry date and batch numbers. An embossing tool prints this onto the pack. Again, optical control systems determine the position of the blister pack as it passes the printing head.
	The blister packs are stored vertically in a stack.
	The blister packaging is now complete. The blister packs are collected ready to go into cartons.

5. The flattened carton nets are opened up.
	The cartons come as flat sheets. This is the net of the carton - ready to be folded into shape. The sheets are loaded into a mechanical feed mechanism. A pneumatic gripper lifts the top surface of the carton, opening it out into three dimensions. The sides of the carton are folded round and closed

6. The packs and a leaflet are inserted into each open carton.

The required number of blister units is dispensed from a vertical stack and held using a 'finger gripper'. It's here that the flatness of the packs is imperative. Any bent packs will not go into the cartons and will jam the machinery.

The leaflet is then 'wrapped around' one end of the blister packs and the whole bundle is inserted into the open end of the carton. Batch number and expiry date are embossed on the carton at this point. This is then closed using a mechanical linkage.

7. A weighbridge checks that each carton is full.
	CONTROL POINT. The cartons are weighed very carefully to ensure that they contain the correct number of blister packs and a leaflet. If any part of the contents is missing, the carton will be underweight and is automatically ejected from the packaging line.

8 Units of 20 cartons are band-wrapped.
	The cartons containing the tablets are put into units of 20. These are then encircled by a plastic band, which is tightly wrapped around and cut to make neat easy-to-handle bundles of cartons. These are put into boxes by hand which are then stacked on aluminium pallets. The boxes of cartons of tablets are shipped from the company ready to be distributed.

A. The blister pack itself is made from PVC thermoplastic sheet.

The sheet is heated and a metal mould is placed under the sheet. Compressed air is then blown in to force the heated PVC into the mould. This produces the cavities, or 'blisters'. Each 'pressing' makes a sheet of nine blister packs (3 units wide by 3 units long). The machine is like the vacuum forming machine you may have seen in your school workshop. The main difference is that compressed air forces the PVC into the mould.

B. The top of the pack is sealed onto the base.

An aluminium foil sheet goes on the back of the pack. It carries the name of the product and manufacturer. This sheet is supplied on a continuous reel, and fed through rollers to meet the front half of the pack.
CONTROL POINT. An optical sensor checks that the foil backing is correctly aligned with the front of the pack. It 'reads' special print marks and determines the position of the aluminium sheet.

The two halves of the package pass between heated plates with patterned, or knurled, faces. These press or crimp the blister sheet onto the aluminium backing.

CONTROL POINT. Sample packs are taken out and tested for leaks.

C. The cartons are printed and cut into flat nets.
	For any given product the width and breadth of the cartons is always the same. This is because the blister packs are a standard size. Only the height of the cartons will change. It depends on how many packs are put into it.

D. The product information leaflet is folded.
	All medicines require detailed information for the patient. A leaflet is included in the carton. It tells the patient the doses and any precautions they should take. The leaflets are supplied to the production line pre-cut. They are folded using a system of mechanical actuators.