DEVICE FOR FILLING AND SEALING PHARMACEUTICAL CONTAINERS

• US 20120090268A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syntegon Technology GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Krauss, Ulrich, Ullherr, Klaus, Mayer, Werner, Humpfer, Steffen
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/281
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/161 Sealing filled ampoules
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/285 by deformation of the closure

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for filling and sealing pharmaceutical containers, wherein the containers are received in a receptacle (12), which is in particular tub-shaped and in which a carrier element (11) is inserted, said carrier element being removable from the receptacle (12). The containers are arranged in receivers of the carrier element (11) in multiple rows next to one another and behind one another. Said device further comprises a first handling unit (27) for removing the carrier element (11) from the receptacle (12), a filling and sealing device (35) for the containers, and a second handling unit (45) for reinserting the carrier element (11) into the receptacle (12) which is conveyed with the carrier element (11) on a conveying device (20). According to the invention, the containers are embodied as syringe barrels (1) or as containers which are to be provided with crimp caps (53), such as vials (2) or cylindrical ampoules (3), and the second handling device (45) is associated with a crimping device (54). When handling containers which are to be provided with crimp caps, the crimping device is controlled by the second handling device (45) so that the second handling device (45) first feeds the containers into the crimping device (54) then reinserts the containers which were sealed by means of the crimping device (54) into the carrier element (11).

Claims

1. A device (10) for filling and sealing pharmaceutical containers, wherein the containers are accommodated in a receptacle (12), in which is inserted a carrier element (11) which is removable from the receptacle (12) and in which the containers are arranged side by side and one behind the other in multiple rows in receiving fixtures of the carrier element (11), said device comprising a first handling unit (27) for removing the carrier element (11) from the receptacle (12), a filling and sealing device (35) for the containers, and a second handling unit (45) for reinserting the carrier element (11) into the receptacle (12), which receptacle (12) is transported along with the carrier element (11) on a conveyor (20), characterized in that the containers are configured as syringe barrels (1) or as containers (2, 3) to be provided with crimp caps (53), and in that to the second handling device (45) there is assigned a crimping device (54), which, in the handling of containers (2, 3) to be provided with crimp caps (53), is controlled by the second handling device (45), so that the second handling device (45) first feeds the containers (2, 3) to be provided with crimp caps (53) to the crimping device (54) and then inserts the containers (2, 3) which have been sealed by means of the crimping device (54) back into the carrier element (11).

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a feed device (49) having receiving elements (51) for the containers is placed upstream of the crimping device (54), and in that the receiving elements (51) of the feed device (49) have a take-up region for the containers from the carrier element (11) and a delivery region for the containers to the carrier element (11), in which the receiving elements (51), during the delivery or take-up of the containers by means of the second handling unit (45), are moved past one another together with the second handling unit (45).

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least the second handling unit is configured as a handling robot (45) having a gripper arm (47) arranged in operative connection with the containers and that is freely programmable in horizontal and vertical directions with respect to a motional path.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a crimp cap delivery device (52), in which the containers respectively take up a crimp cap (53), is placed directly upstream of the crimping device (54).

5. The device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the gripper arm (47), prior to the removal of the containers from the carrier element (11), is guided past a crimp cap supplying device, in which the gripper arm (47) removes crimp caps (53), and in that the gripper arm (47), prior to the removal of the containers from the carrier element (11), places a crimp cap (53) onto a head region of each container.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the gripper arm (47), when the crimp cap (53) is placed onto the container, brings the crimp cap (53) into operative connection with the container, so that the crimp cap (53) is precrimped onto the container.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the device (10) is accommodated in a housing (13) that is closed, with the exception of a feed-in gate (16) and a feed-out gate (17), and in that a blower device is provided, which generates within the housing (13) a laminar flow directed from a ceiling region (14) in the direction of a floor region (15) of the housing (13).

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the filling and sealing device (35), the crimping device (54) and any devices assigned to the crimping device (54), a transport plate (30), and gripper arms (28, 47) of the handling units (27, 45), are exchangeably fastened to standardized receiving elements.

9. The device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the conveyor (20) for the receptacle (12) is of rectilinear configuration and extends between the feed-in gate (16) and the feed-out gate (17) in the housing (13), and in that at least the handling units (27, 45), the filling and sealing device (35) and the crimping device (54), as well as any devices assigned to the crimping device, are disposed alongside the conveyor (20) on a common side within the housing (13).

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first handling device is configured as a handling robot (27) having a gripper arm (28) arranged in operative connection with the containers and that is freely programmable in horizontal and vertical directions with respect to a motional path, and in that, in the motional path of the gripper arm (28), at least one weighing device (25) for the containers is arranged.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the receptacle is tub-shaped.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the containers (2, 3) to be provided with crimp caps (53) are at least one of vials (2) and cartridges (3).