INTERPHEX: Time for another dose

Attendees at this year's pharmaceutical industry show will find the latest technologies from 950 exhibitors, guidance from the industry's most knowledgeable people at the conference program, and a chance to network with peers. INTERPHEX 2005 (www.interphex.com), being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, includes a packaging pavilion sponsored by Packaging Digest and the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council. Other pavilions include Automation & Controls, RFID and the new Rockwell Automation Partner Pavilion.

Free keynote addresses start each of the three days of the show. On Tuesday, a panel discussion will look into Strong Medicine: What's next for drug development, led by Bill Breen of Fast Company magazine. Wednesday's keynote will be delivered by Rudy Giuliani on Leadership in Challenging and Uncertain Times. The associate commissioner for regulatory affairs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, John M. Taylor III, will speak on Thursday on Risk-Based Inspections: What's the FDA looking for?

The conference sessions, each of which last 50 minutes, run throughout the three days and cover packaging-related topics such as outsource packaging, RFID, bar coding, multiple-language labeling and variable-information printing. The schedule is available on the website.

An exhibits-only badge costs $75 after April 1. Exhibits plus one conference session is $150; a one-day pass for the show and conference sessions is $495; and a full conference pass plus show admission is $995.

For more information on the show, plus registration for the show and conferences, go to www.interphex.com or call 888/334-8704.

The following exhibitors have a marketing message in this issue:

Alcoa Flexible-C201: Safety-Pak® and Drug-Pak® blister lidding, Alcoa Cold Form(tm) 3000 blister materials, pouch materials and specialty films for shrink-sleeve labels and foil overwraps. Also, Integripeel(tm) foil/film lidding, the co.'s patented, cohesive, easy-to-peel lidding that secures the integrity of packaged products until opened. Page 65. Circle No. 76.

Banner Engineering-2351: PresencePLUS® P4 Edge vision sensor accurately performs more than 10,000 inspections/min??everything from fill level to label alignment. An intuitive user interface and remote TEACH feature make it easy to use. Page 9a-b. Circle No. 218.

Comar, Inc.-C233: Offers the pharmaceutical, diagnostic, health and personal care markets innovative packaging solutions. Product lines include oral dispensers, glass and plastic dropper assemblies, bottles, closures, child-resistant closures, dispensing tips and bottles, oral dosage devices, custom-molded components, glass vials and Neutraplex vials for pH stability. Page 67. Circle No. 78.

Domino Amjet-766: Offers total coding and printing solutions using the nation's leading ink-jet and laser technologies, including RFID. Variable data such as bar codes and traceability codes are printed onto products in industries such as food, beverage and pharmaceutical. Page 32. Circle No. 63.

Festo Corp.-RP19: Co. specializes in pneumatic integrated control systems for complete solutions. Offers quality engineering expertise and service. Local U.S. and worldwide manufacturing and service. Page 10. Circle No. 21.

Fusion Concepts-2867: Pfankuch Leaflet (DFU) inserting and feeding machines feed folded inserts in any orientation. Pharma-Feed and Read & Feed (RFID) solutions are innovative problem solvers. Page 69. Circle No. 82.

Hitachi America, Ltd., Power & Industrial Div.-2581: The div. supplies sophisticated industrial equipment, components and full engineering services for applications in pharmaceutical facilities, food and beverage processing, chemical plants and other manufacturing facilities. Introduces Bio Pharmaceutical validation, process simulation and a "total solution" approach to these facilities. Page 47. Circle No. 54.

Klöckner-Pentaplast of America-1645: Offers a range of domestically produced monolayer and high-barrier pharmaceutical blister-packaging films. The co.'s vinyl, PETG, APET, Barex, COC, PP, HIPS, Aclar-laminated and PVDC-coated films are quality-certified for pharmaceutical and medical device packaging. FDA-compliant TDO shrink-sleeve and wraparound films are ideal for full or partial body wrapping of bottles, cans, jars and multipacks, in addition to tamper-evident bands. Page 14-15. Circle No. 27.

Kurz Transfer Products-177: With its subsidiary, OVD Kinegram Corp., the co. is a global leader in the field of brand protection and commercial security. Designs and creates hot stamping foils and labels with a variety of unique security features. Manufactures holograms along with its proprietary, optically variable device, TRUSTSEAL®, a technology that is easy to communicate and verify, but hard to copy. Page 1. Circle No. 13.

Marchesini Packaging Machinery-673: Blister and deep-draw thermoformers, bundlers, horizontal and vertical cartoners, case packers, depackers, f/f/s, jar fillers, labelers, liquid fill/plug/cap, palletizers, sterilizers, strip machines, suppository machines, tray packers, tube fillers, wrapping/banding, wallet packaging, syringe fill/close/label, tablet and capsule counters, and bottle and cap orienters. Page 56. Circle No. 67.

Per-Fil Industries-2189: Co. engineers filling solutions for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, veterinary and biotechnology companies. Offers a complete range of automatic and semi-automatic machines for volumetric and netweight filling of powder, granular and paste products into vials, syringes, bottles, tubes and pouches. Also provides turnkey packaging lines. Page 78. Circle No. 98.

Posimat-2582: Empty plastic bottle/container handling systems: silos, hoppers, depalletizers, unscramblers, cleaners/rinsers, orienters, bulk conveyors, tabletop conveyors and air conveyors. Page 64. Circle No. 74.

ThermoSafe Brands-2555: Offers temperature-assurance solutions, serving storage and transport needs with stock Insulated Shippers in expanded polystyrene and rigid polyurethane containers. Page 66. Circle No. 77.

Semi-automatic Inspection machine

Capable of handling production speeds of up to 150 items/min, the DI-100LT inspection machine features logic technology. Standard features include a magnifying lens, a light filter, an adjustable mirror and a bottom-tyndall halogen light. High- and low-spin control, independent roller rotation and DC-speed control are also standard. Options include an intermittent mode, a digital display, an on/off foot pedal and an automatic reject mechanism, among others.

Dabrico, Inc., 815/939-0580. www.dabrico.com Circle No. 301.

High-speed digital camera

Offering the latest in CMOS chip technology and computer-enhanced motion analysis, i-Speed is a portable, rugged and fully functional high-speed digital video camera. Featuring frame-capture speeds ranging from 60 to 33,000 frames/sec, it optimizes at an 800 x 600 resolution. Imagery is stored directly by internal camera memory, with downloads to a CompactFlash card or to a PC via Ethernet. It includes a wired remote control pendant that allows for easy movement around the application.

Olympus Industrial America, Inc., 866/642-4725. www.olympusindustrial.com Circle No. 302.

Filling and closing system

The Flexofill is a filling and closing machine that's suitable for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. It has the capability to handle press-on, screw and crimp closures, spray pumps, veterinary syringes and measuring cups, among others. Manufactured to be GMP-compliant, the Flexofill features a modular construction.

Optima Machinery Corp., Kugler div., 920/339-2222. www.optima-usa.com Circle No. 303.

Barrier packaging systems

The co. introduces a range of peelable and nonpeelable, high-barrier packaging systems. Suitable for medications packaged in nasal swabs, oral melt strips, rapid-dissolving tablets and transdermal patches, they can be gravure or flexo reverse-printed in up to 10 colors. Child-resistant requirements can be accommodated.

Amcor Flexibles, 608/243-7210. www.amcor.com Circle No. 304.

Vial washer/dryer

The single-pass Model #40 exterior vial washer/dryer washes, rinses and dries the exterior of filled and capped vials. The entire exterior of each vial is exposed for cleaning as it passes through a patented zig-zag guide pattern. A low-pressure wash and rinse are used to keep the cap area dry.

McBrady Engineering, Inc., 815/744-8900. www.mcbradyengineering.com Circle No. 305.

Leaflet inserting/feeding system

Designed to handle leaflets ranging from 2- to 8-mm thick, the G&K PA 2 1/4 prefolded leaflet inserting/feeding system can transfer up to 400 leaflets/min. The unit can be configured to accommodate packaging line equipment, driven by a chain or a toothed belt from packaging machinery at a 1-to-1 ratio, or it can be used off-line with an independent motor drive. Preloading is continuous, based on delivery belt length, and an electronically controlled ejector transfers the leaflets.

Vijuk Equipment, Inc., 630/530-2203. www.vijukequip.com Circle No. 306.

Filling systems

Feige USA Series 10 filling stations easily integrate into existing networks and communicate with printers, PCs, scanners and other peripherals. Capable of filling both hazardous and nonhazardous materials, the intrinsically safe filling stations feature a failsafe spring return to prevent overflow and product leakage. They have an aseptic, drip-proof design with self-adjusting seals to prevent contaminates from being pumped back into the valve body. Filling lances are available in 316 stainless steel, Teflon®, Hastelloy®, titanium or nickel.

Rice Lake Weighing Systems, 715/234-9171. www.rlws.com Circle No. 307.

Unit-dose applicator vials

Foam-Tip(tm) plastic vials are designed for topical applications of cosmetics, oral care, pharmaceuticals and other products. A single-use foam applicator is integrated into the Twist-Tip(tm) unit-dose vial, facilitating convenient application of a range of products. Standard vials come in a 0.3-mL volume and are made of PP, but other sizes, resins and colors are available. Custom shapes can be accommodated.

Unicep Packaging, Inc., 208/265-9696. www.unicep.com Circle No. 308.

Syringe filler

The SV122 is a fully automatic syringe-filling system for nested syringes. Complying with FDA regulations, the unit can achieve a maximum output of 4,500 syringes/hr.

inova pharma systems GmbH, 920/339-2222 www.optima-usa.com Circle No. 309

Desiccant washer

Designed to keep pharmaceuticals safe from moisture damage, the desiccant washer resides where the cap joins the bottle and is designed to rest in the neck of the container. It is easily removed upon opening, making it particularly suitable for use with powdered products that require moisture protection only until being reconstituted by the end user. An alternative for applications where a drop-in desiccant would interfere with product integrity, the desiccant washer is customized to meet application requirements. An induction-seal-compatible version of the desiccant washer is available.

Süd-Chemie Performance Packaging, 800/989-3374. www.s-cpp.com Circle No. 310

Vision sensors

PresencePLUS® P4 EDGE vision sensors are designed for high-speed inspection and error-proofing applications. Able to sense and evaluate more than 10,000 objects/min, the sensors are suitable for validating the height and width of parts, label location, or for detecting the edge of materials on a web operation. It employs a PC-based user interface that's common across the entire PresencePLUS platform, and it interfaces with machines and factory networks via a built-in 10/100 Ethernet connection, RS-232 or discreet input/outputs. Other features include three bicolor LED indicators to indicate unit status and a teach function that allows the sensors to learn the elements it will inspect for. The compact, self-contained sensors are available in both in-line and right-angle versions, measuring 21/2 in. wide. The in-line model is just more than 5 1/4 in. long, while the right-angle version is just less than 5 in. long. Mounting brackets are included.

Banner Engineering Corp., 888/373-6767. www.bannerengineering.com Circle No. 311

Pharmaceutical metal detector

The highly sensitive E-Z Tec® pharmaceutical metal detector has an advanced electronic design that simplifies setup, provides instantaneous recovery from phase adjustments and requires minimal operator training. A new QuickStart feature allows users to pass sample product, test and begin production in less than five minutes. By fixing the downslope of the unit's polished, stainless-steel head at 30 deg, lengthy timing adjustments of downstream reject equipment are eliminated, the co. says, while the easy-clean chute reduces cross-contamination during product changes. The unit can be configured with an array of reject devices, alarms and relays.

Eriez Magnetics, 888/300-3743. www.eriez.com Circle No. 312.

Dispensing pump

The IDS-2000ARH industrial dispensing pump is designed for industrial production and process applications requiring precision, low-volume fluid control. The CE-approved unit integrates the patented CeramPump® valveless piston-pumping principal with precision stepper control. The design accomplishes all fluid control functions while eliminating valves that can clog and fail. The unit features multiple dispense and continuous modes, and it interfaces with either a PC or a PLC. The pump provides precision piston stroke adjustment using an easy-grip flow control ring graduated in 450 divisions, resulting in accuracies of 1 percent or better, the co. reports. Its low dead-volume pumphead design ensures maximum bubble clearing and provides a typical stroke-to-stroke precision of 0.5 percent. The integrated pump and electronics are housed in a rugged, stainless-steel enclosure.

Fluid Metering, Inc., 800/223-3388. www.fmipump.com Circle No. 313

Pharmaceutical packaging services

The co. offers a selection of strategic services that are designed to increase brand value, reduce cost and complexity, and protect brands. The core product line includes olding cartons, literature, p-s labels, combination packaging and Fix-a-Form® multipanel labels. The co.'s security kit integrates multiple security technologies and 18 security layers into a folding carton, primary label, security seal and Fix-a-Form Informaxx multipanel booklet. Nosco® Security Protection services manage anti-counterfeiting, diversion and track-and-trace with single- or multiple-layered security features, which are customized to meet application needs.

Nosco, 215/766-9729 www.nosco.com Circle No. 314.

Variable-speed drives

The L200 Series of micro variable-speed drives features side-by-side mounting capability, built-in timing logic and analog-input math (PLC) functions, DIP-switch hand-off-ratio and an RS485 modbus RTU communication interface. An optional NEMA 4X keypad kit allows flexible panel mounting. The units are said to be easy to install, use and maintain.

Hitachi America, Ltd., 914/524-6645. www.hitachi.us/inverters Circle No. 315.

Coupling technology

Smart Coupling(tm) technology integrates RFID technology into couplings and package closures or inserts to automatically exchange product data at the exact time and location of connection. It's suitable for use in food and beverage applications such as soft drink or juice dispensing systems and bag-in-box applications. The insert portion of the couplings contains an RFID tag that's programmed with unique product information. The body of the couplings reads the tag and communicates with a selection of devices, including computers and PLCs using standard data interfaces. The coupling features the co.'s exclusive thumb latch for quick, one-handed disconnections, while an audible click confirms secure connections. Multiple flow sizes ranging from 1/4 to 3/8 in. are available in a selection of materials. Couplings are available that conform to listing requirements of NSF standard C-2 for food equipment. Standard metric terminations like Hose barb, NPT and Flaretek® are also offered.

Colder Products Co., 866/671-9165. www.colder.com Circle No. 316.

Decoder

Designed for high-speed inspection and machine-vision applications, the CanaVision 2D Matrix decoder system provides online production monitoring and quality assurance, data and image capturing and archiving, and proactive cause discovery and trend analysis. It features robust camera optics, optics lighting fixtures and accessories, and an open machine vision Intel processor. Other features include machine vision and image processing modules on a Microsoft platform, GUI operation menus and an administration database and the capability to generate SPC reports and statistics. A touchscreen and video display unit facilitate operation.

Global Controls, 866/702-0064. www.globalcontrols.ca Circle No. 317.

Toothed-belt axis with roller guide

The DGE-RF offers high speed and a flexible design for a range of applications. Designed for working strokes up to 5 m with low noise, its capable of operating in a contaminated environment. Its guidance system comprises precision rollers that operate on a hardened steel surface. The unit can lower maintenance because roller bearings maintain lubrication well, the co. says.

Festo Corp., 631/435-0800. www.festo.com Circle No. 318.

Vision sensors

The In-Sight 5400C color and 5401 high-resolution vision sensors are the latest additions to the co.'s 5000 Series of industrial-grade vision sensors. The 5400C is designed to perform a range of color inspection tasks across a variety of industries. The 5401 is a high-resolution version of the In-Sight 5100 vision sensor. It offers a resolution of 10243768 and is suitable for high-accuracy gauging applications. Both sensors are self-contained and meet IEC specifications for shock and vibration. They have an IP67 rating for dust and washdown protection, eliminating the need for separate industrial enclosures. Other features include a spreadsheet interface and the co.'s In-Sight Explorer software.

Cognex Corp., 508/650-3000. www.cognex.com Circle No. 319.