Packaging technology company Bosch has released a new series for Container Closure Integrity Testing (CCIT) in pharmaceuticals.
Dr Jérôme Freissmuth, product group head at Bosch Packaging Technology, says non-destructive CCI technologies are becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Even the smallest leaks can be highly hazardous for patients," he says.
"Furthermore, non-destructive integrity testing protects pharmaceutical manufacturers against the loss of valuable medication, since the container remains intact during testing.”
Bosch has continuously expanded its portfolio of CCI technologies in recent years, and high voltage leak detection and laser-based headspace analysis are now complemented by the new KLV series for vacuum leak detection.
At Interpack, Bosch will unveil the first in the series – the KLV 1360, which has been specially developed for vials.
Generally, the platform is suited for all rigid glass containers.
Sensitive testing combined with high output
A special feature of the platform is the combination of testing sensitivity and high output.
In vacuum leak detection, negative pressure is created in hermetically sealed chambers.
If the container is faulty, the leaking fluid or gas causes the pressure to rise.
The KLV 1360 measures this pressure increase with high sensitivity, and is able to measure leaks equivalent to hole sizes of less than five micrometres.
The KLV 1360 can inspect between 250 and 600 containers per minute due to special inspection chambers where the containers can be tested either individually or in groups.
Depending on the body diameter – which can vary from eight to 56 millimeters – the KLV can inspect up to three containers simultaneously in one chamber. This enables a significant increase in output.
Protection after inspection
An integrated robotic system not only feeds the containers that require inspection into the process, but adds reference samples for internal process control.
In addition, automatic re-inspection makes sure that only containers which have clearly been tested leave the machine.
The KLV does not grip the containers from above. Instead, the slightly slanted transport system makes it possible to remove the conatiners from the inspection chamber sideways in order to prevent leaks occurring due to closure gripping.
Also, a star-wheel system ensures gentle transportation through the system with minimal wear and tear.
Bosch Packaging Technology is represented in Australia by Nupac Industries.
