Fill and finish Production Line End Effectors Improvements for Reducing Rejected Units due to Robot Pickup Failures

Abstract

Since the production of parenteral is more regulated and complicated, it makes the manufacture investment cost higher in comparison with other dosage forms. As result, is important to apply lean tools in order to reduce the waste through the manufacturing process. The manufacturing process of a parenteral fill and finish facility can be divided in four (4) principal stages: Formulation, component preparation, filling and packaging. As the process goes forward, the waste cost increment since at each step, work if invested on the product. For example, filling and packaging waste are more expensive than component preparation or formulation. This research will evaluate the factors which cause pickup failures during the filling process and provide mitigations in order to reduce the quantity of waste related to such events. Key Terms - End effectors, grippers, lean, parenteral.