To allow small and medium runs to be handled quickly and efficiently, folding boxes in a variety of sizes were to be separated, labeled, checked and, where necessary, selected on a complex system outside the production line. Where possible, the solution for all these tasks was to be provided by one supplier. “The precision and reliability of the inkjet printer are of critical importance for the finishing process and the entire quality assurance procedure: the codes on the boxes must be absolutely identifiable in the optical inspection,” says Christian Riediger, the engineer in charge of the project, “otherwise even the most sensitive camera systems will be unable to supply any results.”
This is where the continuous inkjet technology of Veitshöchheim-based KBA-Metronic AG came into its own: the alphaJET C printed all the necessary pharmaceutical and data matrix codes in top quality. The codes were scanned to a consistently high quality using a variety of inspection systems, some of them not coordinated with the alphaJET C, thereby delivering the required process reliability. “Another challenge to the flexibility of the system engineering are the folding boxes with automatic folding bases which have to be handled in a wide variety of sizes,” adds Christian Riedinger. Here too, KBA-Metronic was able to hit the mark, with a test run showing that the boxes could be processed without any problem on the UDA 150-S separating line.

As general contractor, KBA-Metronic AG designed an all-in-one solution for KVP. This solution is based on the UDA 150-S in a 600 version which allows the folding boxes to be separated in an infinitely adjustable range from 80 x 40 mm to 600 x 550 mm. The UDA can handle batch sizes of between 1,000 and 20,000. The containers are positioned exactly and led to the various labeling systems. It all starts with an alphaJET C inkjet printer with two print heads that codes and prints the folding boxes precisely both along and across the running direction. A dedicated axle system was developed specially for this purpose. The alphaJET C is particularly suitable for the encryption of data with two-dimensional data matrix codes because each print head offers a vertical resolution of 48 points – the only single-nozzle inkjet system in the world to do so.
The inkjet printer receives printing data such as the 2D code, GTIN no., MHD and batch number from a production line computer and transmits this information to a downstream camera with which the unit is in constant two-way communication. The electronic control system, supplied by Pharma Control Electronic GmbH (PCE), reads the printed data and compares them for content and quality against the data received. The system reports a fault in the event of errors or discrepancies and outputs this fault in clear text on the line PC. A specially programmed handheld scanner on the line is used to feed the faulty data back to the production line computer. This ensures that no data are lost and there are no gaps in the database.
The ttPRINT 53-i, an intermittently operating thermal transfer printer newly developed by KBA-Metronic AG, was integrated into the UDA 150-S to meet the special requirements of the Asian and Arabic markets. The ttPRINT 53 can print Arabic and Asian fonts and graphics up to 53 mm wide in astonishingly sharp quality at a resolution of 300 dpi and at speeds of up to 600 mm/s (and as fast as 800 mm/s in the continuous version).

The 107 and 128 versions allow print images up to 128 mm wide to be printed, although the 53 version was sufficient for KVP’s requirements. The ttPRINT too can be linked with a camera system and compares the data just as reliably and efficiently as the alphaJET C. As an additional safety feature, the UDA is equipped with a double-layer control just before the stacking module to prevent unprinted copies from getting into the packaging process should folding boxes become jammed or glued together.
The control unit detects overlapped folding boxes and immediately signals a fault to the system. This ensures optimum production reliability from the start to the end of the labeling process. Following offline labeling, the folding boxes are loaded manually or delivered to the automatic packaging line for filling and sealing.

KVP is now operating with 18 alphaJET C printers, 4 ttPRINT printers and 1 UDA system – and the trend is upward. Implementation of the KBA-Metronic technology enables KVP to achieve almost just-in-time manufacturing, delivering significant savings in stock management and planning. The solvent recovery facility of the alphaJET C units also saves KVP a not inconsiderable quantity of solvent. Not only is this good news when it comes to the bottom line, but this recovery system also means that the emissions produced in the processes are kept remarkably low. The ttPRINT is similarly equipped with an automatic film-saving facility that sets image directly to image, avoiding costly voids in the thermal film.
“It is our job to meet the international principles of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products, the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the high quality standards of Bayer HealthCare AG. By being optimized to our own particular needs, the system solution from KBA-Metronic is playing its part in ensuring that we can meet these high requirements,” Christian Riediger concludes.

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