In today’s rapidly changing manufacturing environment, businesses demand efficiency, flexibility, and growth-ready solutions, all while keeping the quality of your product. The challenge? Finding automation systems that not only meet your current needs but also evolve alongside your business. At MFT Automation, we specialize in designing custom automation packaging systems that scale—so you’re always on the cutting edge of your industry. Read more
The future is now! What was once thought to be science fiction is now happening right in packaging production lines around the world. With an increase in consumer demands and tightening budgets, packaging companies have turned to automation to save money and increase productivity and efficiency. Lights out manufacturing, the idea of a factory with little to no humans and therefore no need for lights, seems to be within reach with the advancements in robotics and automation. Read more to learn about 3 robotics trends in the packaging industry.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have been hot topics these past years with the rise of public-facing applications such as ChatGPT and AI assistants like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. In robotics, AI is commonly used to process and analyze data from the robots’ sensors to adapt performance and more in real-time. Machine Learning (ML) refers to the algorithms that learn from robotic data to make predictions and decisions. As the algorithm is exposed to more data, it makes more data-driven decisions. In packaging, there are hundreds of applications for AI-powered robots, from simple pick-and-place robots to automated quality control. In Pick-and-place applications, AI technologies use vision sensors to gather information and train the robot’s algorithms to detect and classify objects as well as understand the robot’s environment better. Allowing the robots to make inferences and complete the task faster. The sky is the limit with AI robotics as they are connected through the Internet of Things (IoT) and can not only utilize its own data, but also the data from the entire production floor.
Collaborative Robots or Cobots simply refer to robots that work alongside humans. There’s a huge increase in productivity and efficiency when humans work alongside robots as the robots complete difficult or tedious tasks while humans do the more complex tasks. Commonly pick and place robots and other robotic arms. In the past, humans working alongside robots was a safety concern as they were bigger, heavier, and moved faster than any human worker, the risk was just too great. Robots were guarded by cages that took up space on already densely packed production floors. Now, new advancements in sensors, AI, and programming have made it possible for robots to work side by side with humans safely. AI allows Cobots to respond to and learn human movements, making them safer while working next to humans. Cobots also include autonomous guided carts and vehicles that move around the warehouse.
Alternatives to conveyor belts, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) and Automated Guided Carts (AGC) are autonomous robots, usually mobile, guided by software predefined routes. They can be as large as a forklift or as small as a wagon, allowing for a wide range of applications. With new advancements in safety and AI, AGVs and AGCs are becoming more prevalent in warehouses for transporting materials, packages, pallets, and more. The AGVs and AGCs work side by side with humans with special safety sensors and programs to avoid collisions. Optical sensors trained with AI quickly identify obstacles, such as human workers, boxes, machines, and more to alter the AGCs path and avoid collisions. Using RFID and sensors stationed around the warehouse makes the AGVs and AGCs easy for workers and technicians to locate them. The real-time location data can be used to extrapolate productivity and efficiency statistics for managers to make data driven decisions for the production process.
MFT Automation is a proud Mitsubishi Electric Automation Diamond Solutions Partner. We integrate robotics into a variety of systems for complete packaging automation solutions. Ranging from simple pick-and-place applications to more complex packaging applications, we manufacture, design, and integrate systems for flexible and semi-rigid packaging. Specializing in 6-axis robotic arms, we work directly with customers to fit the robot to their application. Robots are available in ISO3 clean room, IP20, IP65, food grade, and chemical resistant versions. Payloads range from 1 kg to 20 kg with 150 mm to 1000 mm reaches. Contact us about your automation challenge! Call 1-651-427-1264 or contact us online.
The Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging industry experienced exponential growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Global crisis aside, the industry has always been in high demand and continues to grow, evolve and change. Pharmaceutical and medical packaging are under strict guidelines, regulations, and standards, but innovations and the ever-changing healthcare industry bring new trends every year. Here are four pharmaceutical and medical packaging trends to watch:
Climate change, finite resources, and the human impact on the planet are massive trending topics among consumers and businesses alike. Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging and practices have become a focus for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, and pharmaceutical packaging is no exception. Pharmaceutical companies are also feeling the pressure to become more sustainable from governmental agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), which issued a directive requiring manufacturers to make packaging as recyclable as possible. Biodegradable and recycled materials are now cheaper and more accessible to companies. Recyclable plastics like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have become a popular choice for packaging material, including in the pharmaceutical packaging industry. The supply chain has also worked to become more sustainable, with many companies looking to consolidate their operations into one place reducing emissions and likely saving money and time. It is in companies’ best interests to make a sustainable plan as consumers, governments, and shareholders look to an uncertain future.
Challenges such as labor shortages, new safety standards, and more arose during the pandemic. Healthcare providers worked tirelessly to find new ways to meet the high demand and keep healthcare accessible to high-risk patients. Self-administered medications and tests have become more popular with both patients and doctors. At-home medical test kits changed the course of the pandemic, allowing people to quickly test for COVID-19 without going into a doctor’s office, allowing people to stay home and curb the spread. Patients have accessed self-administered medications in the past, but recent developments have made it easier for patients to access them. A common self-administered medication is insulin for diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. New technology such as auto-injectables like automated insulin pumps has made it convenient and fast for diabetic patients to get the medications they need and administer them themselves. These developments have assisted in the rise of more self-administered therapies for other autoimmune diseases and emergency drugs. There is a variety of self-administered medications packaging, including prefilled syringes, cartridges, vials, auto injectables, and wearables. These packages need to be durable to survive transport and the packaging needs to include labels with clear instructions and warnings. As the industry continues to innovate and self-medications become more normalized, packaging must adjust to handle these precious medications.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 10% of global pharmaceutical commerce ($21 billion) involves counterfeit drugs. Preventing counterfeit drugs is a matter of public safety and the pharmaceutical packaging industry is working hard to solve this global problem. The FDA requires drug manufacturers to guard against the duplication, substitution, and tampering of consumer drugs. To combat the tampering of drugs, many pharmaceutical packaging companies already use tamper-evident packaging designs to warn consumers if a product had been substituted or altered. Packages are also designed to have hidden overt features that prove the drug’s legitimacy when revealed. A more technological approach has also been taken by companies. RFID with track and trace technology has played a key role in keeping track of drug packages and identifying counterfeit shipments. Serialization is a trend on its own with companies keen on keeping track of their products through the supply chain.
Serialization is the process of applying a unique code to each individual product. It provides a system to track and trace a pharmaceutical product from its source through the entire supply chain. From tracking recalls to gathering supply chain data, serialization not only creates transparency but it also improves the packaging process with data-driven decisions. Some countries are making serialization a requirement. In the United States, Unique Device Identification (UDI) system tracks medical and pharmaceutical products as they move through the supply chain and into consumers’ hands. UDI barcodes are required by the FDA on all medical devices. The barcodes contain important and required information such as the lot or batch number, expiration date, date of manufacturing, and more. Serialization doesn’t stop at the individual product, tracking everything from the cases of products to the pallets is all part of tracking through the supply chain. With the success of the UDI system, other countries are adopting UDI or similar systems to track their products better and increase transparency and safety.
Keep up with all the packaging automation trends with MFT Automation! MFT Automation is a leader in packaging automation solutions with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical packaging industry. With the resources and knowledge to create high-performance friction feeders, labelers, and systems, MFT Automation works directly with customers to find the perfect solution for their automation challenge. From the first draft with our in-house Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Engineering departments to assembly in our Machine Shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools, we’ll know your system inside and out. Our Integration Engineering team works to fine-tune the equipment for your specific application and then install or integrate it into an existing system. Our systems are known for their flexibility, accuracy, and high performance. Contact us with your latest automation challenge!
The pharmaceutical industry has strict standards and regulations regarding the packaging and labeling of over-the-counter pill bottles for consumers. Different products have different requirements, and prescription pill bottles are no exception to those regulations.
The FDA requires labels for all over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (available without a prescription) to have a Drug Facts label. The Drug Facts label was created to reduce confusion by standardizing usage and safety information to be more understandable for the average consumer.
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Drug Facts label must clearly show and state the following information in order:
Name of the product
With so much mandatory information and branding to display on pill bottles, the labels are often very text heavy and with small font sizes. Some companies use extended content labels (ECLs) to keep their labels readable while still complying with health and safety information requirements. Extended content labels come in many different forms but the most common ECLs are Peel-back and Booklet labels.
Peel-back labels lay flat on the packaging and then peel away to reveal more information on the back. Booklet labels are much more extensive, both in size and the amount of information it can hold. The booklets provide several pages of information while using very little surface area with the pages laying flat as a booklet on the package until unsealed and unfolded.
Pharmaceutical companies must adhere to strict product labeling regulations, and with the abundance of vital information on pill bottle labels, the utmost care and precision is vital. The company’s credibility also lies in a successful labeling process. Skewed and improperly labeled pill bottles can make customers question the company’s professionalism and credibility.
There are many different ways to label pill bottles and the right method depends on the pill bottle’s size, type of label, and the labeling machine.
Wrap labeling is the ideal labeling method for most pill bottle labeling. As the technique’s name implies, the label wraps around the pill bottle. One belt rolls the label off of the backing and holds it against the bottle. The other belt spins the bottle over the label. These two actions move the container forward while applying the pressure needed to create a tight bond with the label adhesive.
Another version of the technique uses rollers to move and secure the labels onto the bottles. The pill bottles travel on their side down a roller conveyor to the labeler which sits over the top of the conveyor. The labeler dispenses a label when it senses the bottle and the rolling motion of the bottle wraps the label around the bottle. A roller helps secure the label as it travels down the roller conveyor.
As long as the labels do not need to be placed on a certain part of the bottle, wrap labeling is one of the most effective and fast ways to label a large amount of bottles as the technique uses the motion and momentum of the bottle to label.
The Booklet to Web System is ideal for creating extended content labels as it is explicitly designed for booklets. Booklets can be difficult to label accurately as they commonly skew as they travel down the conveyor for labeling. The Booklet to Web System uses the proven and patent Lead Edge Registration technology to eliminate this problem.
Hard carcass belts pull the rigid folded edge of the booklet forward into lugs to quickly square the products with accuracy and precision that carries into the final placement onto the web. This avoids pushing against the open trailing edge of the ECL, which may not properly register the products. With the ability to be mounted directly onto a web printing system, the Booklet to Web system easily integrates into existing lines for more productivity.
After the booklet is integrated into the label, the label can be applied to the bottle easily with a labeler. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler system is also recommended for peel-back labels and normal labels. The MFT Bottle Labeler aligns and applies labels with consistent pinpoint accuracy. The MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler’s adaptable design is configurable to label pill bottles of all sizes and even rectangular or irregularly shaped ones. The labeler handles labels of varying sizes up to eight inches, from large bottles to smaller bottles.
The robust labeler includes customizable computer controls, a 1000-watt brushless servo motor for unwind and rewind, and durable stainless steel shafts to provide maximum life expectancy. If larger production requirements are needed, the MFT Impresso Bottle Labeler is highly mobile and easily integrates with third-party components.
MFT Automation has over 25 years of experience in the automation industry helping thousands of customers design, build, and integrate high-performance solutions. Our success is made possible by our engineering-oriented and customer-driven approach to finding the best automation solution for a customer’s application. With an expansive catalog of standard robust equipment that can easily be integrated into existing production lines or its own stand-alone solution. We focus on tailoring the solution to the application and not the other way around.
MFT Automation has an abundance of in-house resources that include Mechanical, Electrical, and Software engineers, and a machine shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools. Our connections and partnerships allow for limitless opportunities and resources to create the perfect system. We work with customers from the first solution draft to integration to installation and training. Contact us with your latest labeling automation challenge, online or call us at 1-651-427-1255.
Keeping track of inventory is one of the top priorities of internal operations for any business. A common way stores and companies track inventory is with barcodes which can be scanned to identify the product and its price. With barcode labels, products can be tracked from production to the point of sale, or even to contact a customer if there is a major recall on the product. There are two major types of barcodes used in the world.
Universal Product Code (UPC) is a unique 12-digit number assigned to a product or item by the Global Standards Organization (GS1). The GS1 manages global barcode standards, as companies cannot create their own UPC numbers. UPCs are widely known as the primary way businesses track inventory. The basis for UPCs was created by a group of trade associations from the grocery industry to increase efficiency while stocking shelves and decreasing check-out times at their grocery stores. Now, each industry dictates its own requirements for the UPCs. Though not legally required, UPCs are usually necessary to sell through traditional retailers and online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and more.
UPCs are made up of a country code number (the code for USA and Canada is zero (0)), a company number code, and a product number code. With these parameters, there are billions of UPCs in the world with each company having hundreds to thousands of UPCs in its inventory. Each product and its variations need its own unique UPC code. For example, for every t-shirt design, there are size variations from extra small to extra large, meaning a company needs five UPCs (one for each size) for just one t-shirt design.
The rest of the world uses International Article Numbers (also known as European Article Numbers or EANs) to track their products. With the popularity of UPCs growing in other countries, EANs were created to increase the number of codes for the different European, Asian, and African countries. The GS1 organization also assigns the EANs to companies. EANs have 13 digits and countries have specific codes while the USA and Canada’s country code is zero (0). Multinational companies can have both UPCs for their products sold in USA and Canada and EANs for products sold internationally.
The main advantage of barcodes is their scannability, made for quick data capture and unobtrusiveness on the packaging. The barcode has to be readable otherwise it will not scan and important data tracking data can be lost. Let’s quickly cover some best practices and standards for your UPC labels:
To guarantee readability, UPCs must follow specific design standards. First, The area on the left and right side of the UPC barcode is required to be free of all printing. This area is known as the ”Quiet Zone”. Quiet zones are required on both ends to read the barcode from either direction to prepare the scanners for the barcode and tell the scanner when to stop.
The level of contrast between the background and barcode bars is important to maintain readability. In the same vein as contrast, the transparency of the package can cause problems. Transparent packaging, such as plastic bags or containers can be problematic as barcodes have trouble being read on the transparent material. It’s recommended that the background of the UPC on transparent packages be opaque white to increase the contrast with the dark bars.
The standard size of a UPC code is 1.469 inches wide by 1.02 inches high, including all the numbers on the bottom. The maximum recommended size, 200% of the standard size, is 2.938″ w x 2.04″ h. The minimum recommended size is 80% of the standard size or 1.175″ w x .816″ h.
The best location to place UPC barcodes on the product is anywhere that is easy to scan and find. Generally, UPCs are located on the bottom or backside of a product so the barcode doesn’t conflict with the packaging design. Though recent advancements in sensor and scanning technologies have boosted a new design trend of creatively incorporating the barcode into the packaging’s design. These vanity barcodes are still functional but they come in odd shapes and different colors and extraneous designs. But most companies stick to the standard design and many industries set their own specific standards for design and location.
Large companies with mass-marketed products often integrate UPCs into the packaging design but small businesses might not have the resources. Labeling is a fast and cost-effective way to apply UPCs to your products. MFT Automation has a wide range of high-performance labelers for automating your UPC and barcode labeling process. From high-speed labelers to print and apply labelers, MFT Automation has a barcode labeler to fit your labeling needs. Compact and modular, our labelers are built to seamlessly integrate into existing production lines.
MFT Automation’s Impresso Labeler is small and compact for maximum flexibility and can be easily integrated into existing production lines or exist as a piece of standalone equipment. The state-of-the-art, high-performance labeler features a 1000-watt brushless servo motor for efficient unwinding and rewinding and durable stainless steel shafts provide maximum life expectancy.
Most companies have a high volume of products to label with barcodes and UPC labels. A high-speed barcode label applicator will help you keep up with demand. With independently powered, synchronized servo drive motors for unwind, rewind, and drive, the High Speed Modular (HSM) series can function at high speeds while maintaining accuracy and precision while placing labels. Flexible and compact, the HSM series can be easily integrated into existing systems or be a standalone piece of equipment without sacrificing space in your production lines.
The MFT Print and Apply Labeler system prints and adheres labels to most flat surfaces from packaging, and cartons to folders, pouches, and more. Print and apply labeling is a good technique for barcode labeling as it can print UPC and barcode labels on demand. The system has a modular design with the ability to use different print engines for the customization of print quality. Customization gives the option to match the printing engine to a customer’s existing print engine so there is no learning curve in maintenance for a new print engine, making it perfect for labeling applications.
Integrate one of our high-performance labelers into our innovative Track and Trace system. The Track & Trace system offers turnkey product handling for serialization coding/printing, and an inspection and rejects system providing a trackable data file. A powerful infrared sensor allows for accurate count using double-detect and overlap detection. This integrated manufacturing system is equipped with a highly adaptable software package that ensures flexible and precise controls.
MFT Automation has been helping customers design, build, and integrate high-performance automation solutions for over 25 years. MFT Automation’s equipment, systems, and services are known for their flexibility, accuracy, and performance. Our success is made possible by our engineering-oriented and customer-driven approach to finding the best possible automation solution for customers’ applications.
With an abundance of in-house resources including Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, and a machine shop with modern CNC and lathe machine tools, we work with customers from the first solution draft to installation and integration. Contact us with your latest automation challenge, online or call us at 1-651-427-1255.
The fast-paced food packaging industry works hard to keep up with the growing demands of consumers and recently has been trying to overcome the recent global events and concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased public interest in food safety with many consumers demanding transparency and pushing for more regulations and requirements for food packaging. This public outcry has incentivized companies to eliminate even more human contact from their food packaging production lines. To meet the growing food safety and output demands of consumers, the food packaging industry is once again turning towards more automation. Let’s explore some of the applications and trends in the food packaging industry.
MFT Automation is a proud Diamond Partner with Mitsubishi Electric Automation. We provide a robotic, end-of-arm tooling option for a wide variety of packaging solutions.
