 Richard Bahr MGS President and CEO Visit Website |
Richard has 20 years of experience in management with MGS. He has overseen and directed the building of a growing organization and building of the MGS reputation in the marketplace. Richard has provided key leadership in initiating the development of at least one new product each year since becoming President in 1996. He has sat on multiple industry panels and is frequently sought after for commentary on pharmaceutical packaging automation, most recently regarding compliance packaging formats. He currently serves on the PMMI board of directors.
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Automation Q&A
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Asked October 14th, 2009
This response is from my colleague Don Sonntag, division manager at ProSys Innovative Packaging Equipment:
There are several options available for filling and closing a container with a dual-chamber pump (some options listed may not be feasible for all pump container styles):
1) Manual System - Single-Fill Head, Double Pass: designed for low production speeds (less than 20/minute) features manual container and closure loading, then semi-auto filling and closing Product A. System is then cleaned and changed over, pump containers are then run through a 2nd time for filling and closing Product B. This manual system requires multiple operator involvement but offers an economical entry-level cost and requires the pump container to be run through the system twice.
2) Manual System - Double-Fill Head, Single Pass: designed for low production speeds (less than 20/minute) features manual container and closure loading, then semi-auto filling and closing Product A then filling and closing Product B. This manual system also requires operator involvement but only requires the pump container to be run through the system once.
3) Automated System - Single-Fill Head, Double Pass: for moderate/high production speeds, features automated pump container and closure loading, filling and closing Product A. System is then cleaned and changed over, pump containers are then run through a 2nd time for filling and closing Product B. This style of automated system features less handling for the operator and automated feeding of the pump container and closure, but requires the pump container to be run through the system twice. System cost is based on production speeds and level of automation required.
4) Automated System - Double-Fill Head, Single Pass: for moderate/high production speeds, features automated pump container and closure loading, filling and closing Product A and filling and closing Product B. This style of automated system only requires the pump container to be run through the system once. System cost is based on production speeds and level of automation required.
Pumping: many options are available for feeding product to the fill stations from drums or bulk storage tanks. Actual pump system design is determined by storage type, product viscosity, and flow rates required by the filling machinery.
