Rotating Frame Suction Gripper for Pharmaceutical Container Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pharmaceutical containers, such as syringes and vials, require rapid and non-invasive extraction from support elements to prevent contamination during handling and transfer to filling and sealing stations, which is challenging due to the need for precise orientation and minimization of movement-related contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising an advancement line, a handling organ with a rotating frame and suction gripping means to extract and transfer pharmaceutical containers from tubs to filling stations while maintaining their orientation and minimizing exposure to contamination risks, using a system of rotating frames and suction gripping to handle and transfer containers efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If extraction operations are carried out at high velocity to ensure suitable infeed frequency, then productivity is improved, but the risk of contamination increases due to container movement and exposure
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible extraction element is used that can adapt to the container geometry and provide stable gripping during high-speed extraction. The flexible nature allows the element to conform to containers of different shapes while maintaining secure contact, enabling rapid extraction without slippage or excessive movement that would increase contamination risk
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical gripping systems with a system based on adhesion forces between the flexible extraction element and the container surface. This substitution allows for gentler handling during high-speed operations, reducing mechanical impacts and movements that could expose containers to contamination while maintaining extraction velocity
2Device complexity
If traditional mechanical gripping is used for extraction, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in maintaining container orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible extraction element can adapt its shape to match the container surface, providing uniform contact pressure that maintains container orientation during extraction. This flexibility compensates for minor variations in container geometry while keeping the gripping mechanism relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses suction forces generated by pneumatic or hydraulic means to grip the containers. This approach provides precise control over gripping force distribution, enabling maintenance of container orientation without complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms
3Manufacturing precision
If handling operations are extended to ensure proper orientation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased handling time
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible extraction element is designed to maintain proper container orientation from the moment of contact during extraction. By establishing correct orientation during the extraction process itself rather than requiring subsequent adjustment operations, the system achieves precise orientation without extending handling time
Solution Approach 2:
The flexibility of the extraction element allows it to conform to and stabilize containers in the correct orientation during a single extraction motion. This eliminates the need for separate orientation adjustment steps, maintaining both precision and high extraction frequency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and effective extraction and transfer of pharmaceutical containers with reduced risk of contamination, ensuring consistent orientation and high-frequency filling and sealing operations by minimizing the duration and extent of handling and movement of the containers.
Implementation Method 1
suction gripping means to extract and transfer pharmaceutical containers from tubs to filling stations
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for extracting pharmaceutical containers from a nest inside a tub includes an advancement line of the tubs, which stops the tubs at a rest station; a handling organ, and a pickup and transfer station. The station has a frame, with a housing for receiving and supporting a nest and rotatable about a first axis into a first operating position near the rest station and into a second operating position near the handling organ. A suction gripper collects at least a further nest containing pharmaceutical containers from a tub in the rest station and positions the further nest in the housing of a second frame stationary in the first operating position. The second frame then rotates into the second operating position for the handling organ to collect the pharmaceutical containers from the “nest.”