Syntegon has added a new member to its highly successful AIM 5 inspection range: the fully integrated syringe inspection line not only features a de-nester and a re-nester, but also comes with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) function by default.

“When drugs are administered intravenously, any contamination or particle in the product is unacceptable”, says Dr José Zanardi, responsible for vision inspection development and applications at Syntegon. “Our innovative and fully integrated inspection line handles syringes with utmost care and uses AI to further increase inspection accuracy.”

The next step in Artificial Intelligence

Earlier this year, Syntegon installed the first fully validated AI-equipped visual inspection system on the market. Now the company is taking its AI capabilities one step further by offering customers the integrated AIM 5 syringe line with selectable AI by default. It is available for the inspection of the flange, the stopper, and the cylinder. Syntegon’s AI vision system has a proven ability to increase detection rates and decrease the number of false rejects, especially in difficult products like highly viscous parenteral solutions with air bubbles, which are sometimes hard to differentiate from harmful particles.

Gentle handling and reduced footprint

The line is designed for especially gentle handling: the robotic de-nester removes the syringes from the nest and places them precisely in a single infeed lane, while the re-nester gently puts them back into the nest after inspection. No glass-to-glass contact occurs during the entire process, ensuring maximum product protection at all times. Thanks to the integration of the de-nester and re-nester, the line features a significantly reduced footprint. Moreover, it can be operated via a single, user-friendly Human Machine Interface (HMI).

Innovation based on proven technology

The inspection line, which achieves an output of up to 18,000 inspected syringes per hour, is based on the AIM 5 series from Syntegon, which is used by many customers around the world. Its modular design consists of a pre-inspection, a pre-spin and a main inspection module. Visual particle inspection is performed using the proven Static Division (SD) technology. A high-voltage leak detection (HVLD) module can be integrated for CCI testing. “Customers from all over the world have been relying on the AIM 5 for 20 years now”, Zanardi says. “In the new line, we have combined the synergies of the core inspection machine with state-of-the-art robotics, and boosted it with default AI applications.”

About Syntegon Technology

Syntegon Technology is a leading global process and packaging technology provider. Formerly the packaging division of the Bosch Group, the company, headquartered in Waiblingen (Germany), has been offering complete solutions for the pharmaceutical and food industries for over 50 years. About 6,000 employees at 30 locations in more than 15 countries generated a total revenue of 1.3 billion euros in 2020. The portfolio of intelligent and sustainable technologies includes stand-alone machines, as well as complete systems and services. Fields of application in the pharmaceutical industry are the production, processing, filling, inspection and packaging of liquid and solid pharmaceuticals (e.g. syringes and capsules). In the food industry, the portfolio includes process technology for confectionery as well as packaging solutions for dry foods (e.g. bars, bakery products and coffee), frozen foods and dairy products.