Mettler Toledo Systems Inspect Pharmaceuticals

Pharma Tech Industries (PTI), a contract manufacturer and packer of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and personal care products, is using detection systems and checkweighers from Mettler Toledo. To consistently achieve high quality standards, PTI said it has invested in X-ray and metal detection systems from Mettler-Toledo Safeline and checkweighers from Mettler-Toledo Hi-Speed. The X-ray system at PTI inspects OTC and prescription pharmaceuticals - powdered products packed in pouches made of metalised film.

The ability to detect metal contamination through the metalised film lead to PTI's decision to install this X-ray system; it also detects glass, stone, bone, rubber and other contaminants. 'The X-ray system protects our products in the unlikely event of raw material contamination or catastrophic machine breakdown,' said Bill Leonard, engineering manager at PTI's Royston, Georgia facility. 'Despite a high level of sensitivity, we've had zero false rejects other than those that result from incorrect spacing of pouches caused by upstream equipment - overlapping pouches trigger the X-ray to reject the packages.

'The Safeline X-ray system is easy to operate and the user interface is straightforward. 'The system is also reliable and we've not had any downtime. 'Routine maintenance is easy - once a month, we check the safety functions and clean it out with compressed air,' he added. In addition to the Smartchek X-ray system, PTI also installed a XS1 checkweigher from Mettler-Toledo Hi-Speed in July 2009. This was PTI's second XS1 checkweigher at the Royston facility - the first was installed two years earlier. 'We chose the XS1 because of its high accuracy with small, lightweight packages,' said Leonard.

'That line handles powdered pharmaceutical products that are packed in pouches weighing from 5g to 17g. 'The XS1 is rated to consistently maintain a one standard deviation accuracy of plus or minus 20mg but we've seen it achieve accuracies as low as 15mg. 'This accuracy is critical for ensuring that our customers receive the correct dosage in their products. 'The checkweigher tells us if we're over filling or under filling,' he added. PTI also relies on Safeline metal detectors at the Royston plant. Certus metal detectors are installed on two tablet lines, inspecting bulk tablets immediately prior to being packaged into metalised film pouches. The metal detectors can detect all metal contaminants including ferrous, non-ferrous and the normally difficult-to-find non-magnetic stainless steels.

'We've been running these two Certus metal detectors for two years now and have not had any problems with them,' said Leonard. 'We test their sensitivity during every shift and neither one has ever failed. We've had minimal false rejects and no maintenance problems whatsoever. 'We have never had contaminated product reach a customer,' he added. Hi-Speed checkweighers ensure regulatory compliance, increase productivity and can enhance operational excellence, according to Mettler Toledo. Safeline metal detectors and X-ray inspection systems detect solid contaminants and ensure product quality, portion control and package integrity for brand protection. These products are backed by 24/7 technical support.

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