Aptar CSP Technologies, a premier manufacturer in the medical industry, recently commissioned a completely customized vision inspection system of Intravis at their subsidiary in Niederbronn-les-Bains, France. This system is specifically designed to inspect for various defects, to ensure that only high-quality medical desiccant parts find their way to the market, and to gather valuable insights for the optimization of production. This use case outlines the system's capabilities, the software functionalities it incorporates, and the benefits it provides to Aptar’s manufacturing process.
Inspection Capabilities
The vision inspection system installed at Aptar is equipped with several key features to ensure comprehensive quality inspections:
- Gate Flash Detection: The system identifies any excess material around the gates of the parts, which could affect the final product's performance.
- Contamination Inspection: It inspects each part for any foreign substances that could compromise quality.
- Short Shots and Flashes: The system detects incomplete parts and excess material, ensuring only fully formed parts are processed.
- Dimensional Measurement: Accurate measurements are taken to ensure each part adheres to strict dimensional specifications.
- Cavity Number Reading: The system can read cavity numbers, which helps in tracking and identifying each part during the production process.
Software Functionalities
In addition to its inspection capabilities, the vision inspection system includes advanced software functionalities that enhance its effectiveness and usability:
- Advanced person-based user management: The system's access details and selected rights are linked to individual users. The login procedure complies with 21 CFR Part 11 and GMP Guide Annex 11 regulations, adhering to the Code of Federal Regulations of the USA and the GMP Guidelines of the EC.
- Audit Trail: This feature provides a batch-based backup that logs all changes and system states, ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the production process.
- Warning threshold: This functionality issues a warning to the operator if the deviation of a measurement increases over time, predicting when adjusted tolerances may soon be exceeded. This helps in detecting trends before they become defects.
- Long-Term Image Memory: The system stores images of faulty parts for extended periods, allowing for retrospective analysis and continuous improvement efforts.
- Edge Device: Cloud-ready solution! The edge device enables Aptar to leverage cloud computing for improved data management, scalability, and remote accessibility.
Benefits to Aptar
The implementation of this vision inspection system has brought several benefits to Aptar’s manufacturing process. The most important ones are summed up in the following:
- 100% Quality Control: By detecting defects early and precisely, the system ensures that only high-quality parts find their way to the end customer, and that the risk of defective products reaching the market is minimized.
- Increased Efficiency: Automated inspection speeds up the quality control process, allowing for higher throughput and reduced downtime.
- Data-Driven Optimization: The vision system collects extensive production data, which Aptar analyzes to identify trends and areas for improvement, leading to more efficient and effective manufacturing processes.
Conclusion
The customized vision inspection system has significantly improved the quality control process for Aptar’s medical desiccant parts. By incorporating advanced inspection capabilities and robust software functionalities, the system ensures that only defect-free parts proceed to the next stage of production. This has resulted in enhanced quality assurance, increased efficiency, and valuable insights for process optimization, ultimately supporting Aptar’s commitment to manufacturing excellence.