Robotics in Pharmaceutical Industry Uses and Applications

ROBOTICS IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
BY
K JYOTHSNA
DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICS
K.S.R SIDDHARTHA COLLEGE OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

CONTENTS
 DEFINITION
 TYPES
 USES
 APPLICATIONS
 ADVANTAGES
 DISADVANTAGES
 CURRENT CHALLENGES
 FUTURE ASPECTS

DEFINITION OF ROBOT :-
 A robot is a type of automated machine that can execute specific tasks with little or no
human intervention and with speed and precision.
WHAT ARE PHARMACEUTICAL ROBOT :-
 Robotic systems provide various benefits to pharmaceutical manufacturing such as lesser
space utilization, reduced production downtime, no labor turnover, enhanced health and
safety, better waste management, increased production flexibility, improved production
output and product quality, and lower operating costs.

 TYPES OF ROBOTS UDES IN PHARMACY INDUSTRY :-
They are 4 types
1. Articulated Robots
a. 6- axis articulated robot
b. 4- axis articulate robot
c. 7- axis articulated robot
2. SCARA Robots
3. Delta Robots
4. Cartesian Robots

1. Articulated Robots
 Articulated robots can also easily reach into a machine tool compartment and under
obstructions to gain access to a workpiece (or even around an obstruction, in the case of a
7-axis robot).
 Sealed joints and protective sleeves allow articulated robots to excel in clean and dirty
environments alike. The potential for mounting an articulated robot on any surface (e.g., a
ceiling, a sliding rail) accommodates a wide range of working options.
 The sophistication of an articulated robot comes with a higher cost compared to other robot
types with similar payloads and articulated robots are less suited than other types of robots
for very high-speed applications due to their more complex kinematics and relatively
higher component mass.

 Articulated robots are classified by the number of points of rotation or axes they have.
a. 6-axis articulated robot ( most common type ).
b. 4- axis articulated robot.
c. 7-axis units on the market.
a. 6- axis articulated robot :-
 6-axis robots, or articulated robots, allow for articulated and interpolated movement to any point
within the working envelope:
 Axis 1 - Rotates robot (at the base of the robot)
 Axis 2 - Forward / back extension of robot's lower arm
 Axis 3 - Raises / lowers robot's upper arm
 Axis 4 - Rotates robot's upper arm (wrist roll)
 Axis 5 - Raises / lowers wrist of robot's arm
 Axis 6 - Rotates wrist of the robot's arm

b. 4- axis articulated robot :-
 Four-axis robots are also known as SCARAs, an acronym for Selective Compliance Articulated
Robot Arms.
 Four-axis SCARA robots have four degrees of freedom (DOF) and are suited for tasks that require high
speed and precision in the horizontal direction.
 They are ideal for assembly, kitting, and packaging
c. 7- axis articulated robot :-
 S- axis： Rotate the body horizontally
 L- axis： Move the body forward/backward
 E- axis ： Twist the arm
 U-axis ： Move the arm up/down
 R-axis ： Rotate the arm
 B-axis ： Move the tip of the arm up/down
 T-axis ： Rotate the tip of the arm Rotation

6 axis articulated robot 7 axis articulated robot

2. SCARA Robots
 A Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm (SCARA) is a good — and cost-effective — choice
for performing operations between two parallel planes (e.g., transferring parts from a tray to a
conveyor).
 SCARA robots excel at vertical assembly tasks such as inserting pins without binding due to their
vertical rigidity.
 SCARA robots are lightweight and have small footprints, making them ideal for applications in
crowded spaces.
 They are also capable of very fast cycle times.
 Due to their fixed swing arm design, which is an advantage in certain applications, SCARA robots
face limitations when it comes to tasks that require working around or reaching inside objects such as
fixtures, jigs, or machine tools within a work cell.

3. Delta Robots
 Delta robots, also referred to as “spider robots,” use three base-mounted motors to actuate
control arms that position the wrist. Basic delta robots are 3-axis units but 4- and 6-axis models
are also available.
 By mounting the actuators on, or very close to, the stationary base instead of at each joint (as
in the case of an articulated robot), a delta robot’s arm can be very lightweight.
 This allows for rapid movement which makes delta robots ideal for very high-speed operations
involving light loads.
 An important thing to note as you compare delta robots to other robot types: Reach for delta
robots is typically defined by the diameter of the working range, as opposed to the radius from
the base, as in the case of articulated and SCARA units.
 For example, a delta robot with a 40” reach would only have half the reach (20” on a radius) of
a 40” articulated or SCARA unit.

4. Cartesian Robots
o Cartesian robots typically consist of three or more linear actuators assembled to fit a
particular application.
o Positioned above a workspace, cartesian robots can be elevated to maximize floor space
and accommodate a wide range of workpiece sizes. (When placed on an elevated structure
suspended over two parallel rails, cartesian robots are referred to as “gantry robots.”).
o Cartesian robots typically use standard linear actuators and mounting brackets, minimizing
the cost and complexity of any “custom” cartesian system.
o Higher capacity units can also be integrated with other robots (such as articulated robots)
as “end- effectors” to increase system capabilities.
o That said, the custom nature of cartesian robots can make design, specification, and
programming challenging or out of reach for smaller manufacturers intent on a “DIY”
approach to robotics implementation.
o Cartesian robots are unable to reach into or around obstacles easily. And their exposed
sliding mechanisms make them less suited for dusty/dirty environments

ROBOTS USED IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
1. Pharmaceutical Container Replacement Robot:
 This autonomous robot is capable of navigating tight spaces at factories for the purpose of
transporting containers used in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process.
 The robot can automatically connect itself to large containers (or cases packed with
products) weighing up to 200 kilograms (440 lbs) for transport.
 The robot only needs to be charged once per day, it can be freely programmed and
customized to suit the manufacturing process, and it is safe and easy to use on existing
production lines.
 Three robots are now working on production lines at a pharmaceutical factory, where they
have reportedly boosted productivity by 30% .

2. Cylindrical Robot for High Throughput Screening
 ST Robotics presents a new 4-axis cylindrical robot for DNA screening in applications
such as forensic science, drug development, bacterial resistance, and toxicology.
 The R19 is a totally new design that may be supplied as a precise 4-axis robot, or as a
simple 2-axis plate mover.
 It is usually mounted on a track, which can be up to five meters long, surrounded by
various laboratory instruments. The robot moves samples from instrument to instrument
according to a protocol decided by the user. Advanced drives create swift and smooth
motion while maintaining quiet operation in the lab environment.
 Like all Sands Technology robots, the new R19 is a totally reliable workhorse, tested to
ISO 9000 quality assurance.

 The KUKA KR 1000 Titan is the company's latest product and with its heavy weight
capabilities has earned an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
 The KR 1000 Titan is the world's first industrial robot that can lift a payload of 1000
kilograms with a reach of 4000 mm and will be handling a Chrysler Jeep body.
 The Titan is ideally suited to handle heavy, large or bulky work pieces. The heavyweight
champion was developed for sectors such as the building materials, automotive and
foundry industries.
 This robotic food and pharmaceutical handling system features a visual tracking system
and a pair of multi-axis robot arms that each can accurately pick up 120 items per minute
as they move along a conveyor belt.
 The arms can work non-stop 24 hours a day, are resistant to acid and alkaline cleaners, and
feature wrists with plastic parts that eliminate the need for grease. The sanitary design
provides the cleanliness required of machines tasked with handling food and medicine.
 With a proven record of success in reducing manufacturing costs and improving quality,
about 150 systems have been sold to manufacturers worldwide since October 2006 .

3. Six-Axis Robots suit Class 1 Clean Room Applications:
 Running on Smart Controller (TM) CX controls and software platform, Adept Viper (TM)
s650 and Adept Viper (TM) s850 bring precision motion and 6-axis dexterity to clean room
assembly, handling, testing, and packaging applications.
 With integrated vision and embedded networking, robots target customers in solar, disk
drive, LCD, semiconductor, and life sciences markets .
4. Metal Detector Targets Pharmaceutical Industry:
 Incorporating Quadra Coila system, Goring Kerr DSP Rx screens pills and capsules at out
feed of tablet presses and capsule filling machines.
 It offers adjustable in feed heights from 760-960 mm and angular adjustments of 20-40°.
System features open-frame design and polished, stainless steel finish.
 For maximum hygiene, pneumatics and cables are contained within unit stand. Mounting
bars have round profiles to remove risk of debris and bacteria traps .

5. Space Saving Ceiling Mounted Robot:
 Adept Technology has introduced a ceiling-mounted version of its s800 series Cobra robot.
The inverted robot offers high-speed packaging and assembly with a wider reach, while
leaving a much clearer working area.
 The new robot offers several advantages over its predecessor, which is floor-mounted and
traditionally sits beside the conveyor belt or packing line.
 While the Cobra s800 Inverted Robot has a reach of 800mm, the same as the previous
floor-mounted model, being mounted on the ceiling above the conveyor effectively doubles
this reach.
 The machinery can also be supplied with a vision system of up to four cameras, which
identify the position of products on the conveyor belt and link back to the robot so it can
accurately pick up and orientate the product for assembly or packaging .

APPLICATIONS OF ROBOTS PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
1. Research and Development (R&D)
 Robots now also play an essential role in the development of new drugs. In high
throughput screening (H.T.S.) for instance, millions of compounds are tested to determine
which could become new drugs.
 There is a need for the use of robotics to test these millions of compounds. The use of
robotics can speed this process up significantly, just as they can any other process where a
robot replaces a person completing any repetitive task.

2. Packaging Operations:
 Packaging processes, like other pharmaceutical operations, benefit from the speed and
repeatability that automation brings.
 Robotics in particular provides flexibility and accuracy. In some packaging applications
such as carton loading, robotics also performs more efficiently than dedicated machines.
 Pharmaceutical packaging machines are often custom designed to handle specific product
configurations such as vials.
3. Control Systems
 Most robots have onboard controllers that communicate with other machines'
programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or with personal computers (PCs) networked to the
line.
 Robot controller is an industrial VME bus controller that connects to PCs for networking
and for graphical user interfaces.

4. Laboratory Robotics
 This new technology allows human talents to be concentrated on sample selection and
submittal, and scrutiny of the resulting data, rather than monotous tasks that lead to
boredom and mistakes.
 The desired results of this automation are of course better data and reduced costs. Using
laboratory robotics, new experimental procedures are eliminating human tedium and
miscalculation in washing and transferring.
 This includes experiments in radioactive, fluorescent, and luminescent analysis Laboratory
robotics is being increasingly applied in pharmaceutical development to help meet the
needs of increasing productivity, decreasing drug development time and reducing costs.
 Three of the most common geometries for laboratory robots are: Cartesian (three mutually
perpendicular axes); cylindrical (parallel action arm pivoted about a central point); and
anthropomorphic (multijointed, human-like configuration).

5. Sterilization and Clean Rooms
o Robotics can be adapted to work in aseptic environments. Clean room robots have features
that protect the sterile environment from potential contamination.
o These features include low flake coatings on the robotic arm, stainless steel fasteners, special
seal materials, and enclosed cables. Clean room robots reduce costs by automating the
inspection, picking and placing, or loading and unloading of process tools.
o Benefits of robot use in the clean room include:
a. Robots minimize scrap caused by contamination.
b. Robots reduce the use of clean room consumables such as bunny suits.
c. Robots reduce scrap by minimizing mishandled or dropped parts.
d. Training costs and clean room protocol enforcement are minimized.
e. Robots reduce the amount of costly clean room space by eliminating aisles and access ways
typically required for human clean room workers.
f. Robots can also be enclosed in mini environments. This permits relaxed cleanliness
throughout the remainder of the plant.

Advantages of Robotics
1. Speed - Robots work efficiently, without wasting movement or time. Without breaks or
hesitation, robots are able to alter productivity by increasing throughput.
2. Flexibility - Packaging applications can vary. Robots are easily reprogrammed. Changes in
their End Of Arm Tooling (EOAT) developments and vision technology have expanded the
application-specific abilities of packaging robots.
3. Flexible Feeding - Robots are also better than hard automation at flexible feeding, a task
that involves handling multiple types of products or packages whose orientation always
varies. Traditionally, packaging lines have used high-speed, automated bowl feeders that
vibrate parts and feed them to fillers, labellers, or product-transfer mechanisms. Bowl
feeders, however, can't always handle a variety of products at once, and their vibration can
damage fragile parts.

4. Vision Systems - A vision system provides a valuable tool for determining the accuracy of
text and graphics in pharmaceutical and medical packaging. The chief benefit offered by
adding a robot to the vision system is speed. It inspect insert in less than two minutes. The
same inspection performed by one operator and checked by a second operator could take
from 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Biopharma and Diagnostic Applications - It provides standardized solutions that offer
high throughput and ensure reproducible, accurate results in areas such as genomics, cells
and proton sciences and forensics. It covers an extensive portfolio of biopharma
applications, supplying pharmaceutical laboratories with automated solutions for cell
culture, nucleic acid extraction, normalization, genotyping, protein purification and
analysis, hit-picking, ADME screening, PCR applications and protein crystallography.

6. Grinding Applications - Manual grinding is tough, dirty, and noisy work. The metal dust
produced by grinding is harmful to a worker's eyes and lungs. Grinding robots save
manufacturing employees from having to endure hazardous work environments.
7. Sterile Syringe Filling – Steric lean, the result of three-way collaboration between robotics
specialist Staubli, factory automation firm ATS and pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi-
Aventis, was introduced at Interphex with the claim that it is the only robot arm on the
market that can be used in barrier isolation systems. Steric lean has replaced manual
processes and given us a significant increase in productivity.

Disadvantages of robotics
 Job loss is by far the most significant opposition frequently brought against the use of
robots in the manufacturing industry.
 Industry workers of all levels, from entry-level to veterans, worry about the security of
their employment status, and the ability of their job to be replaced by a robot.
 This panic is more widespread in this industry compared to others because of the closer
immanence of a robot takeover in manufacturing.
 Macro effects are another topic that usually comes up with job loss.
 More “big picture” thinkers wonder how the national, and eventually global economy will
be affected when manufacturing workers’ jobs are displaced.

 Increased investment costs are a financial counterpoint to industrial robots, with the idea
that manufacturing companies will rack up their debt investing in robotic technology.
 Firms that do not have the funding might even go bankrupt in an effort to keep up with
industry trends rather than continue on with normalized operations.
 Elimination of a whole labour class would presumably occur a bit of a ways down the
road, but the implications of this point are too large not to consider. Bringing in robots to
take unskilled labor jobs will place more pressure on the economy, education system, and
financial market, just to name a few.
 The United States has always been associated with the grit and work ethic of its blue-collar
workers, and robots are threatening to eliminate this aspect of the human population, with a
take over of production jobs.

CURRENT CHALLENGES
→ Robotics and automation solutions offer precision, around the clock cycle times and
cleanroom-graded operating capabilities that we humans struggle with.
→ Indeed, one estimate forecasts that the worldwide market for pharmaceutical robotic
systems is expected to grow from $64.37 million in 2016 to $119.46 million by 2021.
This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% from 2016 to 2021.
→ As the demand for new drugs and medicines grows, pharma is continuously looking for
new ways to increase productivity, which will lead to an increased reliance on
automated equipment and robotics.
→ This dramatic growth is underpinned by a solid platform of what benefits robots can
bring for manufacturers and distributors.

→ These are clear:
 lesser space utilisation;
 reduced production downtime;
 no labour turnover;
 enhanced health and safety;
 better waste management;
 increased production flexibility;
 improved production output and product quality; and
 lower operating costs.

→ It’s not all good news of course. Some companies have been put off from investing in
robotic systems because of the initial high cost of buying and installing systems.
→ There is also the worry that there is a lack of skilled personnel to work in automated
manufacturing units.
→ But, it's clear that the industry is becoming increasingly reliant on robotics.
→ Above all, they allow the industry to be flexible and fast-paced.
→ This is especially true given the latest industry trend which has witnessed demand for
smaller batch sizes and shorter product life cycles.
→ This has been driven by the introduction of specialised drugs for smaller target groups
which brings new challenges for pharma manufacturing and distribution, mostly how to
achieve this on a competitive basis.

1. Bin picking of pharmaceutical syringes
 Take the high speed bin picking of pharmaceutical syringes. The question was, is
speedy bin picking possible where delicate materials are present?
 Fast product and packaging material requires a manufacturer to rethink its production
processes. Take for example what’s known as changeover time. An important sub-
process in the manufacture of medication is the material separation for further
processing. It is known as detraying, or retraying.
 This works relatively easily with tablet blisters, or rectangular pharmaceutical
packaging. However, when it comes to transparent syringe bodies, for example, which
are delivered as bulk goods in containers or boxes, there are often employees who have
to manually move the syringes into the trays provided. The manual intervention of
humans within the manufacturing process should be reduced to a minimum, especially
with medical devices.

 Its core is a 3D vision system which solves the important problem of how the position of the
parts vary. The 3D vision guides the robot to bring objects from an unstructured position to a
structured position. In this case from a bin to a blister.
 Pick-It 3D is equipped to effectively handle detection of complex 3D shapes in bulk, from a
bin. The extra challenge here was transparency of the parts, which is usually a big challenge
for vision. The 3D camera is able to localise the syringes and send the robot the exact
position coordinates.
 The Pick-It software selects the best object to pick (something that humans do without
thinking, but robots need to be taught) and provides the robot with pick points and prevents
collisions – the robot knows how to grip the syringe.
 Pick-It and Essert Robotics used a two-armed ABB robot that is able to grip in parallel in a
humanoid process that is very human, and therefore twice as fast.
 This resulting speed bin picking process enables fast cycle times, high quality standards and
flexible and easy retooling of the products. The end result was that manufacturers could
react quickly to the required cycle time and smaller batch sizes that are being produced. In
addition, an autonomy time of over 1.5 hours can be guaranteed.

2. Fully stocked pharmacy
 A further example comes from Apotea, Sweden's first fully stocked pharmacy which only
trades online. It has the largest assortment – over 18,000 prescription free products and 8,000
prescription drugs – for humans and animals.
 To stay competitive, Apotea needed to expand capacity and improve production flows for
customers that demand fast turnaround and free deliveries. It has no physical stores and only
operates online and from stock warehouses.
 The scale of the operation is immense, with Apotea delivering 170,000 packages to customers
every week.
 “Our customers want fast deliveries, they want it to be cheap and they prefer to have it free of
charge. This is our challenge and something that we focus on every day,” said Maria
Alriksson, business development manager at Apotea.

 So robots were brought into sort and stack packages in the logistics centre. In particular, it
automated some of its operations at its new logistics center in Morgongåva. On a busy day
about 35,000 packages leave the center to be delivered to customers across the country. In
order to handle the large order flow, three ABB general purpose industrial robots were used
to fulfill the need for a quick and efficient work flow.
 The robots have boosted productivity by 30% and have also improved sustainability and
freed up time for employees to do more qualified work.

3. Redesigning a whole assembly line
 A further example comes from FlexLink. The company is a manufacturer of flexible,
modular conveyors and industrial automation equipment, it automates processes in the
medical sector. And in this case, it was tasked with redesigning a whole assembly line
to achieve a work rate of 60 blister pack pieces per minute.
 The job was previously completed manually, but with automation, the objectives were
precise handling, positioning and even folding. The aim was to improve quality control
and employ measures to prevent jamming when handling medication blister packs.
 Flexlink chose a FANUC Delta robot and a robot arm, both supported by a vision
system. The delta robot picks up the pieces in motion and in bulk on the conveyor belt
load, the Delta is able to retrieve the medication that arrives in a random position as
well as carrying out a quality check.
 It also places the medication in order. Using a dual fingered gripper, the robot arm then
picks up the medication and places them in blister packs.

 The choice of a compact delta robot for the first retrieval was taken based on the need
to better exploit the available space and to achieve excellent performance levels in
terms of speed and precision. This enabled us to eliminate further conveyors and
devices who would have to put the pieces in order."
 The system achieved its goal of 60 pieces per minute.

FUTURE ASPECTS
 The current focus of the industry tends to be on giving robots vision. Specifically, the rise
of machine vision technology. This, combined with the advancement of the Internet of
Things (IoT), gives machines the ability to process images and understand what they are
“seeing.”
 As this technology continues to proliferate, the next step is giving robots the ability to
apply these things to learn on their own. For example, a robot can currently be programmed
to pick up and place items, but in the future, it will combine machine vision with machine
learning to figure out its own programming through trial and error.
 Another major trend that will continue into the future, are collaborative robots. This
reflects the focus of the industry towards creating robots that are simpler, easier to
program, and able to integrate into current processes.

 To make these robots safe, there’s a large market for safety sensors that ensure humans can
work alongside the robots without any significant risks. Machine vision will contribute to
this as well, offering robots the ability to “see” when someone is in their workspace.
 All of these things contribute to robots that can be placed anywhere on the manufacturing
floor. The future will continue to enhance technology like 3D embedded vision,
multispectral, and hyperspectral imaging.
 This, combined with artificial intelligence and deep learning, will empower industrial
robots to improve themselves and keep pace with the human workers around them.
 We’re already seeing companies like Fanuc working on robots that can teach themselves,
so this aspect of the future is already becoming a reality. All of this will also be fueled by
massive growth in the industry as whole.

 The industrial robot industry is expected to grow 175% over the next nine years, which will
result in more competition and innovation, which will drive these modern technologies
forward. Collaborative robots will continue to become safer and their costs will go down as
the industry expands and offers more options.
 While robots are largely involved in automotive manufacturing, as they become smaller
and more accurate, it’s predicted that robots will also enter the electronics manufacturing
sector to assist with building complex things like smartphones or microchips.
 By 2025, it’s expected that the demand for electronics manufacturing robots will match the
automotive industry. We’re already seeing growth across all robotics industries.

Robotics in Pharmaceutical Industry Uses and Applications

Robotics in Pharmaceutical Industry Uses and Applications

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