How the Huanghai MJ180 Finds, Tracks and Rejects Every Defective Pouch Before Cartoning
The Huanghai MJ180 cutting and packaging machine. The NG reject outlet and conveyor sit at the right end.
Key Takeaways
- The web guiding station keeps the web on track, so slitting, cutting and inspection all land in the right place.
- Film vision inspection checks every pouch for an empty pouch, a double film or a misaligned film; code vision inspection verifies every batch number and expiry date.
- Defects found by either vision station are removed automatically by one reject unit at the end, and good pouches go straight on to cartoning.
- It works for both oral thin films (ODF) and transdermal patches.
For oral thin films and transdermal patches, one film is one dose. Cutting and packaging is the last step before the product leaves the production floor. A defect that slips through here is cartoned and shipped with the good units, and ends up in a patient's hands.
The Huanghai MJ180 ODF cutting and packaging machine builds a complete quality chain into this stage: web guiding sets the position, two vision stations find the problems, and the reject unit removes defective pouches at the very last step. Here is how that chain works, following one pouch through the machine.
The Path of One Pouch Through the MJ180
- Web guiding: As the roll feeds in, the web first passes the web guiding station, which holds it in the correct position. Every cut and every inspection downstream depends on it. See why web guiding comes first.
- Peeling and slitting: The film is peeled from its base liner, slit into lanes and laid onto the composite packaging film.
- Film vision inspection: Before heat sealing, while every film is still fully visible, a camera checks each pouch position for an empty pouch, two films stacked together or a film placed off-center. See the three defects film vision inspection catches.
- Heat sealing: The films are sealed into the packaging and production keeps running; any problem found upstream is already logged in the system.
- Laser coding: Each pouch is printed with a unique identifier, batch number, production date and expiry date, so every unit carries its own code.
- Code vision inspection: Optical character recognition (OCR) checks every printed code. Missing, wrong or unreadable codes are all logged.
- Die-cutting: The packaging is cut into individual pouches with an easy-tear notch.
- Reject: Every pouch logged as defective is removed here automatically. Good pouches travel on the conveyor into a collection bin or bag, then on to cartoning.
Cutting and vision inspection station on the Huanghai MJ180.
Two Vision Stations, One Reject Unit
Customers often ask: with both film vision inspection and code vision inspection, do I need two reject units? No.
On the MJ180, the two vision stations detect and log. Each time a defective pouch is found, the system records it and calculates from the web speed when that pouch will reach the reject outlet. At that moment the reject unit opens automatically and removes it. Whether the problem was found during film inspection or during code verification, it is removed at this one point at the end.
The reject unit sits after die-cutting, as the final step of the packaging process. Every problem logged upstream is acted on here, so a single unit closes the whole quality chain.
Vision inspection and reject can be combined to fit your product: film vision inspection when film appearance is the priority, code vision inspection when serialization and traceability are the priority, or both, with one reject unit handling both kinds of defect.
Better to Reject a Few More Than Miss One
To cover even a small timing error, the MJ180 usually rejects the pouches immediately before and after a defective one together with it. This is standard practice on pharmaceutical packaging lines: a few extra rejected pouches cost very little, while one defective pouch reaching the market costs a great deal. Read why packaging lines reject the neighboring pouches too.
After the Reject Station
Good pouches pass the reject outlet and run on the conveyor straight into a collection bin or bag, then on to cartoning. Many pharmaceutical manufacturers add a manual check before cartoning as one more safeguard.
Rejected pouches are not necessarily scrap. A manufacturer that wants to save material can have staff re-inspect them and return the good ones to cartoning.
The Whole Line Is Built for Quality
- Upstream, the Huanghai MJ150 series coating machines have online tension control and online web guiding, with key process parameters recorded in real time.
- The Huanghai MJ180 cuts to ±0.1 mm with rounded, burr-free corners. Its electrical components, sensors and PLC are imported Siemens, inside a sterile dustproof enclosure on a thickened stainless-steel frame.
- Customer installations of Huanghai coating and packaging machines have passed GMP conformity verification.
Frequently Asked Questions
With film vision inspection only, what does the reject unit remove?
The reject unit removes the pouches that vision inspection marks as defective. With film vision inspection, it removes empty pouches, double films and misaligned films. Add code vision inspection and code defects are removed as well.
With both vision stations, do I need two reject units?
No. Defects found by both vision stations are logged in the system and removed at the end by the same reject unit.
Will the reject unit also remove good pouches?
To make sure nothing is missed, the system usually rejects the pouches immediately before and after a defective one. Rejected pouches can be re-inspected by hand and the good ones returned to cartoning.
Is the Huanghai MJ180 suitable for transdermal patches?
Yes. The MJ180 cuts and packs both oral thin films and transdermal patches, with each machine configured for one of the two applications.
Next Step
See how the Huanghai MJ180 ODF cutting and packaging machine fits your film size and output.