MU 2017 November December

52 MACHINERY UPDATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Pharmaceuticals
With the
deadline for
compliance fast
approaching,
machine
builders and packaging
manufacturers do not have
much longer to ensure
pharmaceutical and medical
production meets the
requirements of the Falsified
Medicines Directive (FMD).
There has been plenty
of time to prepare for the
February 2019 deadline
and to develop solutions
to ensure packs carry the
required unique, traceable
serial number. “Of course
companies also have to use
tamper-evident systems to
protect packs from being
opened and reclosed,”
says David Hannaby, Sick’s
UK product manager for
presence detection.
The requirements to
combat tampering are further
specified in standard
EN 16679:2015-03 ‘Packaging
– tamper verification features
for medicinal production
packaging’.
DEVISING THE SEALS
Manufacturers of labels
and labelling machinery
have devised a variety of
self-adhesive seals that show
irreversible, visible evidence
whenever someone tries to
open and reclose a pack.
Seals made from transparent
films or foils are particularly
popular with packaging
designers because they do not
compromise the packaging
design, or cover up any
other markings.
Ensuring the transparent
seal is correctly applied to
Glare looks for high-gloss surfaces
The Glare sensor is easy to integrate into both new and existing machinery and comprises a central strip of eight
LED emitters surrounded by two receiver lines, which make it resistant to vibration or any product ‘wobble’
Glossy seals
are perfect
Machinery Update talks to Sick UK about technology
that helps compliance with tamper evident seal needs
the packaging during the
production process every time
is vital to achieve compliance.
An optical sensor is deployed
on the machine to verify
the presence of the seal,
label or mark on each pack.
However, transparent seals
are glossy. The packaging
they are attached to may
also be reflective, so they
pose challenges for accurate
detection by photo-electric
devices that are ‘confused’
by the diffusion of light
reflections from the gloss
seal and the surrounding
materials.
With the new regulations
approaching, Sick turned
the problem of gloss into an
opportunity and developed
a sensor that actually looks for
a high-gloss surface.
The Glare product from Sick
recognises and differentiates
between surfaces according
to how glossy they are.
It does this by analysing the
spatial distribution of the
reflected light using Sick’s
Delta-S technology. It can tell
the difference between the
gloss of the seal and the more
scattered, diffuse reflections
from the packaging material.
As a result, Glare delivers
nearly 100% detection rates.
It can be tailored to the
specific process and can be set
up using a simple three-point
teach-in method to evaluate
the gloss properties of the
seal, the packaging and the
background.
The Glare sensor is a compact
(42.5 x 44 x 43.4mm), all-inone
IP67 unit. It comprises