Atlantic Zeiser helps August Faller meet regulations

Atlantic Zeiser has developed and installed an integrated printing module for Germany's August Faller that allows it to comply with regulatory demands while maintaining print quality, speed and data exchange in the production of folding cartons for the pharmaceutical market.
 
The module includes an Omega 72i DoD inkjet printer and Smartcure 75/400 UV LED curing system for folding carton production and has been designed to meet the special demands of pharmaceutical folding carton printing, coding and quality verification with wastegate control for medicinal product packaging. Using this equipment, August Faller codes, serializes, prints and verifies pharmaceutical packaging for the global market and renowned pharmaceutical producers.
 
With the Omega printing, serialization and coding solution from Atlantic Zeiser, variable data is applied in plain writing, as a 1D barcode as well as a 2D data matrix code. Directly after printing Vericam checks the quality of the grading and, if necessary, triggers a wastegate, which automatically segregates products of unsatisfactory quality to ensure a zero-fault rate in production.
 
Atlantic Zeiser said the demands of pharmaceutical customers are special in order to fully comply with country-specific marking standards for the purpose of product identification and product traceability. One such project concerns printing and coding of medicinal product packaging for the Chinese market. For this, apart from Chinese writing, a defined barcode must be applied, which contains an authentication code for product tracing, a serial number and a product code, which follow the Chinese NDC (national Chinese medicine code).
 
The Omega printer and camera-based quality control system are fully integrated into August Faller’s folding carton production line. As a result of the possibilities of individual printing with variable data in divergent forms, August Faller’s pharmaceutical customers can reduce their stock holding of pre-printed folding cartons as they can be coded and serialized during the packaging process at the various locations of medicinal product manufacture. This production step is already covered in the fabrication of the flat folding cartons at August Faller.

With the Omega technology, August Faller meets the demands for readability of codes (grading) and the integration of a wastegate function for sub-standard products, as specified by the relevant regulations. A camera system verifies the codes and checks the correctness and quality of the printed information.
 
Armin Rambach, project manager, August Faller KG, said: ‘Originally we were looking for a new coding and printing option, because extremely variable coding, serialization and printing of medicinal product folding cartons with genuine writing and barcodes were demanded by us.
 
‘We needed to apply serial numbers, authentication and product codes and other variable data on the cartons. That set us big challenges. We wanted to have an efficient and at the same time more future-proof system. With Atlantic Zeiser we found a comprehensive solution in order to meet the various requirements for print quality, speed and data exchange.
 
‘Today we have implemented this and with this high-speed line we are producing high-quality folding cartons which comply with the current regulatory demands.’
 
Pictured (top): The Omega printer for coding and serialization of pharmaceutical packages with variable bar codes and GS-1 codes