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SUPPLEMENT MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL AUTOMATED SOLUTION
PROVES A BOOST FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY An automated solution comprising eight
FANUC robots has enabled an Athens-based pharmaceutical manufacturer to run an uninterrupted 24/7 production line, boosting throughput and cutting production costs
the plastic containers into and out of the trays we selected a FANUC M-710iC lightweight 6-axis robot,” explained Angelos Markou, sales manager Industrial Solutions at SABO SA. This robot works at pace, using a SABO-designed end effector to transport and place/remove multiple plastic containers in a single lift. SABO also installed two larger
FANUC 6-axis robots for handling the trays. These are R-2000iC/165F models, which can lift payloads up to 165kg and operate in tight spaces. The newly automated production
Not only are the highest quality standards essential, but medical organisations including hospitals rely on the company to provide the products in a timely and efficient manner. To help, the company has embraced robotics, automating several production and packaging lines with the help of its long-term industrial equipment partner, SABO SA. “We chose SABO for our new automation
F
project because of their experience and because they use FANUC robots,” explained DEMO SA’s technical director, Argyris Lellos. “We prefer FANUC equipment. To date, we’ve automated four production lines using a total of 12 FANUC robots.”
AUTOMATION Recently, the manufacturer wanted to automate a production area that sterilises plastic containers and bags in tray-based systems. After cleaning, DEMO fills the plastic ampoules with injectables, while the bags carry sterile solutions. The highest levels of hygiene are therefore paramount for the proposed automation solution. Added to this, the robots would need
to perform a range of different loading, unloading, picking, placing and transporting operations involving the trays, containers and bags. The variety of tasks within this project led to FANUC specifying a total of eight robots spanning four different models. “ For the task of loading and unloading
rom its site near Athens, DEMO SA manufactures injectable drugs which it exports to 85 countries around the world.
line also features two smaller FANUC M-10iD/12 robot arms and three FANUC DR-3iB/8L delta robots. The latter use end-effector suction cups for handling the bags at very high speeds.
THE ADVANTAGES Commenting on the benefits, Lellos, said: “We now have 24/7 uninterrupted production, with faster throughput, reduced production costs and less downtime. We’ve also saved space due to the small footprint of the robots. Further advantages include a better working environment for our employees and a very flexible and easy-to-use operator interface. We are now relying on SABO and FANUC for our future automation projects.”
FANUC UK
T: 024 7605 3130
www.fanuc.eu/uk/en
STREAMLINING DRUG DEVELOPMENT WITH BIOPRINTING
The drug development process requires up to fourteen years and often costs billions, however bioprinting is one area of biotech that has the potential to improve this situation.
Bioprinting uses 3D printers and
biomaterials to create living tissues and organs. By building up cells and biomaterials layer on layer, it is possible to construct functioning tissues and organs. This has clear promise in the area of organ transplantation, but the possibility of full organ transplants. In the meantime, however, a potential game-changer lies in applying bioprinting to drug testing. Traditionally, drugs are tested on two-dimensional cell cultures or animals before human trials, but bioprinting could revolutionise the process. By leveraging bioprinting, scientists can design 3D tissues that mimic specific human organs or diseases. “Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) models,
organoids or specific disease tissues engineered from human cells offer a more human-relevant model for detecting a drug’s effectiveness or side effects before it advances to human trials,” explained Vidmantas Šakalys, chief executive officer of Vital3D Technologies, a biotech company that specialises in 3D bioprinting solutions. “Instead of a broad-brush, one-size-fits-all
approach, bioprinting will make it possible to observe how specific drugs interact with different human body tissues, bringing an unprecedented level of accuracy and speed to drug testing,” he added. There are several tangible benefits to this
approach. First, bioprinting could significantly reduce the time and cost associated with drug development, meaning companies could know a drug’s effect sooner, minimising expensive failed trials. Second, this technology has the potential to decrease reliance on animal testing, marking a significant shift toward more humane and effective approaches in biomedical sciences. However, there are certain challenges left
to face before bioprinting can be adopted for mainstream drug testing. “The human body is infinitely complex in its chemical and biophysical structures, making it highly difficult to create testing models that closely resemble the necessary environment,” said Šakalys. “The main limitation is the fact that currently there are no standardised tissue sourcing or processing techniques, and no standardised cell medium formulations or well-defined tissue engineering matrices.” Biotech firms are, however, making progress in this area.
The DR-3iB/8L delta robots use end-effector suction cups for handling the bags at very high speeds
34 DESIGN SOLUTIONS - SUPPLEMENT MARCH 2024
Vital3D
www.vital3d.co.uk
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