For Maximum Product Safety

Everyone is talking about the complexity of the supply chain for the COVID-19 vaccine. To ensure continuous access to the vaccine, numerous companies need to get involved with the procurement, production, safe filling and packaging of the vaccine doses. Global projects were initiated at an impressive rate, marked by stable and efficient cooperation within the pharmaceutical industry worldwide.

Inline inspection is used to detect defective containers at an early stage and initiate the necessary process adjustments to keep future waste levels low. Defective containers are immediately removed from the production process so that subsequent machine resources are solely used to continue processing flawless containers. At this initial stage of the vaccination process roll-out, the early inline inspection enables the provision of the greatest possible number of flawlessly packaged and therefore usable vaccine doses.

The visual inspection is performed at the place where defects occur, straight after the sealing process: all crimp-cap-related defects and faults are detected. For example, in the case of incomplete crimping, potentially leaking containers are rejected by default. It is even possible to detect the depth of crimping to allow precise conclusions about the closure quality. The combination of high-performance sensors and intelligent machine vision algorithms enables reliable error detection keeping pseudo rejects to a minimum.

VITRONIC’s inspection solution is characterized by a very compact design with 360° inspection without the need to rotate the vials. The low space requirement in the machine is of benefit with regard to both the simple retrofitting of existing systems and the limited availability of clean room space. For the use in this environment, the smooth, easily accessible stainless steel housing is optimally suited for either wipe disinfection or disinfection by means of gassing with hydrogen peroxide. The geometric design is flow-optimized for use under laminar flow conditions in the isolator.

Based on many years of experience in pharmaceutical inspection processes, VITRONICS hardware and software as well as the user interface are optimally adapted to the typical quality requirements in pharmaceutical filling processes and have been successfully used in many lines for a long time.

VITRONIC is grateful for the opportunity to help provide quality assurance during vaccine production. It works with a global network of subsidiaries and partners to enable all manufacturers to offer a fast and efficient service. In close cooperation with its partners, VITRONIC continues to work actively to ensure and further develop the efficient quality inspection of primary packaging for vaccines using innovative solutions.