Filling systems in the pharmaceutical industry

When filling ampoules, a triflex® R e-chain® increases the service life of a robot

At Bayer AG, fully automated systems are used in the filling of medicines. A high-precision pick & place robot places the filled ampoules pallet by pallet into a lattice box before they are processed further. A robot was used earlier for this purpose, but it had outlived its useful life. The stresses repeatedly led to cable ruptures. Since a triflex® R energy chain was installed, it has become a thing of the past. The round design slides over the outer contour of the robot and cannot hook and tilt. A defined minimum bend radius in all directions also significantly extends the service life.

Profile

Requirements: high movement loads stressed the cables and led to cable ruptures. The task was to make the handling system operationally safe and also to bring it visually up to date. The number of free-hanging electrical and pneumatic cables should be bundled.
Industry: medical technology, pharmaceuticals
Success for the customer: the triflex R guides the countless electrical and pneumatic cables safely and compactly. Due to the round design, the energy supply system slides over the outer contour of the robot and cannot get caught or jammed. Defined minimum bend radii also significantly extend the service life.

triflex® R Robot Dress Packs

Problem

Bayer AG's parenteral medicine plant meets all the requirements for the production of modern medicines. Medicinal products for parenteral use enter the tissue or the bloodstream directly - i.e. bypassing the digestive tract - by injection or infusion. Parenterals are therefore subject to the highest quality requirements, especially with regard to microbial and particulate purity. In the filling area, for example, fully automatic systems are used. After the bottles have been cleaned, sterilised, filled and sealed in various steps, a high-precision pick & place robot is used. It places the filled ampoules or medicine vials pallet by pallet into a lattice box before they go to the inspection, packaging and shipping areas. A robot was used for this operation in the past, but it had outlived its useful life. Due to the stresses, cable breaks occurred time and again. The specific movements that the robot performs place a great deal of stress on the energy cables. The task now was to make the handling system operationally safe and also to bring it up to date visually. The number of free-hanging electrical and pneumatic cables should be bundled.

Solution

By bundling cables the entire plant achieve a compact, organized, and high-performance workspace. Thanks to its round design, the triflex® energy chain system seamlessly glides over a robot’s outer contour, preventing snags, jams, and downtime—an essential feature in confined spaces like lattice boxes. This upgrade also ensures a consistent minimum bend radius in all directions, reducing cable wear and increasing system longevity. It excels in dynamic, multi-axis applications.

Benefits of this solution included a consistent alignment of the energy chain, reduced space requirements and interference points, and elimination of unnecessary external forces, optimizing robot efficiency With this upgrade Bayer was able to avoid cable jams, reduce maintenance costs, and enhance operational reliability with a high-flexibility energy supply system designed for modern automation environments.