Custom Designed Packaging Equipment

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Engineering Design

The design process for custom equipment remains the same, regardless of the specific application. Our engineering design team works closely with each customer to develop detailed information concerning the level of automation required, equipment specifications, OSHA requirements, flexibility, and future expandability. Based on the requirements of the application, ESS engineers and project managers will specify and integrate the best machines to meet the specifications, and create custom equipment to integrate with these components.

Our engineering team uses the latest technology in CAD and 3D modeling to streamline the design process. For robotic applications, simulation software allows our engineers to fully evaluate the complete automation process in a virtual environment that meets the specifications of the actual environment. This ensures that the design of the system, robot placement, and safety guarding will meet the needs of the application with the highest level of efficiency in the smallest possible footprint.

Assembly Systems

ESS Technologies, Inc. designs assembly machines for medical devices and diagnostic test kits. For one customer, ESS, Technologies, Inc. designed an automated medical device assembly and packaging process that integrated 16 pieces of feeding, assembly and packaging equipment, incorporating eight multi-axis robots, vision, and inspection. The resulting application reduced the customer’s required personnel from 15 to 5, doubled the production output, and took the product from individual components to a palletized load, including the validation process.

In a second application, ESS designed a diagnostic kit assembly approach that incorporates a multi-station walking beam system with product feeders and inspection systems. This concept measures, cuts and inserts a media pad into a test kit, assembles the kit, inserts a reagent and inspects each step of the process. ESS also designed the robotic tooling to pick completed test kits from the assembly line and load them in trays for processing. After the assembly process, another robotic system loads the kit along with a desiccant into a pouch for final packaging.

Many custom packaging solutions involve automating part or all of the assembly or packaging process. ESS Technologies, Inc. is a FANUC authorized systems integrator, and as such, ESS specializes in incorporating robotic components by designing custom end-of-arm-tooling (EOAT) for bags, bottles, pouches, cartons, or other materials being handled by the robot. This tooling may include options such as forced-sensing technology that tells the robot when the product is grasped properly, or when a part is seated. This results in automated packaging machines that reduce repetitive motion in loading/unloading, pick-and-place, palletizing, cartoning, and case packing applications. Click here for more information on robotics integration.

Inspection and Packaging Systems

Inspection systems for packaging lines allow the manufacturer to ensure high product quality and fully integrated systems can also be a valuable component in track-and-trace and e-pedigree applications. ESS has designed automated and robotic systems for handling and inspecting test tubes, diagnostic test kits, bundles, bottles, vials, drug delivery devices, blister packages, and more. ESS integrates net weigh filling systems with servo-controlled feedback to the filling nozzles for very precise filling applications, and carton/case checkweighers are routinely installed in cartoning and case packing systems to verify correct loading. These systems can be programmed to interface directly with the PLC and HMI or configured with a PC for data collection of weights and other inspection parameters. Automatic reject can be configured to dump the incorrect products or send them back to the beginning of the process to be reintroduced into the product stream.

ESS also offers equipment for high-speed and custom cartoning applications such as packaging products into specialty shaped promotional cartons, or developing high speed cartoning lines that can handle multiple types of product with various infeeds and rigorous inspection requirements. For example, ESS engineers designed and integrated a high speed cartoning line that filled 250 cartons per minute. The application called for five different sized cartons, each size containing a glass vial, a syringe and a leaflet. Vials were transported into the customized cartoner infeed from the filler while syringes were automatically fed from a hopper. Nine different vision inspection stations and bar code readers were used to inspect the product, read lot and date codes, and verify cartons, product, and leaflets before cartoning. The filled carton was also inspected for contents, closure, bar code, and lot/date code, and incorrect cartons were rejected. The overall line required little maintenance, and quick, tool-free changeover.

Custom Infeed for a Monoblock Filling Very Small PET Bottles

Case Packing Trays of Bottles with Topserts

Custom Infeed for a Monoblock Filler/capper Handling Very Small PET Bottles

Custom Medical Device Assembly System

Case Packer Loading Trays of Bottles with Topserts

Custom Hard Automation for Inspecting Test Kits

Conveyor System to Control Flow Through a Monoblock Filler/Capper

Custom Test Kit Inspection Station

Robotic Transfer of Blister Packages with Automatic Reject

Conveyors to Control Flow Through a Monoblock Filler/Capper

Automatic Soft Reject System for Monoblock Filler/Capper

Integrated Weigh Scale with Robotic Handling System

Custom Infeed Screw for Glass Ampoules

Automatic Soft Reject System for Monoblock Filler/Capper

Weigh Scale Integrated with Robotic Handling System

Machine Videos	Related Topics	Sales Information
Contact ESS Technologies, Inc.	White Paper: Six Steps to Evaluating Assembly & Packaging Process for Automation	Request Pricing
	White Paper: 11 Ways to Increase OEE and Productivity by Automating Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Production Lines	Leasing Options
	Medical Device Assembly Systems
	Application Note: Applications for Robotic Infeeds