Automated vacuum conveying with height constraints in the pharma market

Background

A&Z Pharmaceutical Inc. develops, manufactures and supplies premium quality Over The Counter pharmaceutical products and nutritional supplements. They are located on Long Island, New York, USA. With this customer Piab was involved in both tablet and pharma powder related end products. The applications were to feed blenders, milling machines, tablet presses and form fill seal machines.  The applications are high volume production with low changeover. A&Z Pharmaceutical was renovating and expanding their production space, and was searching for a conveying solution to move pharma powders quickly and efficiently into their various production process steps. Space and vertical height were major limitations. Other important criteria were work environment (reduce/eliminate manual operation, minimize dust and noise), reliability and easy to maintain. A&Z also wanted one standardized conveying solution for their different production process steps.

Solution

Piab ran several tests in their Hingham test facility to verify capacities and segregation properties with positive results. Additionally, A&Z ran a 30 day test in their production facility to confirm the lab test results.

  • (2) piFLOW®premium with 400 size pump w/ control unit for blender feeding
  • (4) piFLOW®premium with 200 size pump w/ control unit for milling machine feeding.
  • (3) piFLOW®premium with 200 size pump w/ control unit for tablet press feeding.
  • (2) piFLOW®premium with 100 size pump w/ control unit for vertical form fill seal machine feeding,
  • Including various accessories such as feed wands, transition pieces and controls.

Result

Piab delivered the needed automated vacuum conveying solution that could be installed and operated under the space and vertical lift constraints. The solution was much less physically strenuous than previously used solutions, that in combination with greatly reduced dust and noise levels contributed to a better work environment for A&Z:s operators. The improved reliability and reduced maintenance need contributed also to the final conclusion of purchasing the Piab vacuum conveying solution.