The event started every day with guided tours through the exhibition hall. It went past well-known and new products. The focus of the exhibition was on particularly variable line concepts that are suitable for the flexible pharmaceutical production of tomorrow. Smaller batches, more special products, faster cycles – in the end, the quality must still be right. Modular production systems are one of the possible answers. Bausch+Ströbel therefore presented the already established Variosys machine concept, in which over 1000 different variants are now possible, as well as a filling and closing machine for small batch production using two cleanroom robots. Almost every common object can be processed on this machine without long changeover times, and a wide variety of work processes can be integrated into the workflow. The robot arms are always located below the objects, thus ensuring an optimum LF air flow.
A new addition to the Bausch+Ströbel portfolio is the Combisys modular machine concept, in which largely standardised modular components are combined to form a filling line. Another highlight of the exhibition hall was the brand-new multi-dosing station, which can be equipped with exchangeable pump heads.
The exhibition was supplemented by stands from Wilco AG, GMPI Maschinen GmbH, Hohenloher-Verpackungs-Systeme GmbH and a total of eleven other packaging, isolator, freeze dryer and label manufacturers.
News from research
In the adjacent rooms of the research and development department, the company presented development engineers‘ projects under the motto „Thinking beyond borders“. These included a unit for fumigating vials with nitrogen, enabling oxygen contents of less than 0.5% in the vials. The outside cleaning system for vials with solid carbon dioxide was also interesting for the visitors.
Extensive lecture programme
After the guided tours the daily lecture program began. The walk to the lecture rooms put the visitors to a hard test at 37 °C outside temperature. Keynote speaker Jason S. Collins from IPS-Integrated Project Services, LLC, opened the daily changing lecture series in the air-conditioned lecture hall. In keeping with the motto of the Technology Days, he spoke about the „Aseptic Factory of the Future“. As the architect explained, pharmaceutical production facilities according to today‘s standards are not flexible enough, are characterised by inefficient processes and offer poor maintenance possibilities. He saw other weaknesses in the lack of expansion options, lack of energy efficiency and excessively long construction times.
In order to avoid these problems, he presented a three-storey building concept with the following layout: On the ground floor you find the complete supply of the production area. The first floor is dominated by the production rooms. The air treatment systems for the clean rooms are located directly above on the second floor. This concept is particularly interesting because the use of standard components and a self-supporting construction means that the production area is free of fixed walls or supports and can be very variably adapted to the respective production situation. The building is designed in such a way that it can be easily extended to create additional capacities.
Digital in focus
The visitors also had the opportunity to inform themselves in the Digital World about the extensive possibilities of how the digital twin of a filling line can be used for training and education purposes and which services Bausch+Ströbel offers for the various project phases from process development, installation and production to conversion.
After all the technical information, the visitors were able to end the day with a cosy garden party at tolerable evening temperatures. An offer that was used until late into the night.
