Robotics for sustainable and future-proof factory planning

Weimar, May 2024 – At ACHEMA (10-14 June 2024), the leading international trade fair for the process industry, Glatt Ingenieurtechnik will be presenting the GFC 16 (Glatt Fluid Bed Coater) process module and the Pharma OSD Future Factory, a digitally integrated containment pharmaceutical process plant.

The GFC 16 process module, which the market leader for fluidised bed technology and spouted bed technology will be showcasing at ACHEMA in Frankfurt, expands the performance spectrum of pilot systems at the Glatt Technology Centre in Weimar. It has been specially designed for demanding continuous coating applications in the non-pharmaceutical sector. The developers paid particular attention to the fluid mechanical behaviour of the system along with the gentle infeed and discharge of raw materials, and coated products. Thanks to its design, the module offers all the usual injection options and is suitable for use across a wide range of particle sizes.

The new fluidised bed coater module carries out continuous coating and layering processes in the fluidised bed. Thanks to the optimised design, it achieves a particularly homogeneous distribution of the coating material, resulting in denser, more uniform coatings than with comparable systems. Furthermore, sensory properties can be positively influenced, and higher-quality particles produced, all of which are better protected against environmental factors.

One application example is the coating of fertilisers with biopolymers to specifically control the release of ingredients. The new, continuously operating fluidised bed apparatus is therefore a possible process variant for specific customer projects.

Factory of the future becomes reality

Glatt addresses the topic of robotics in pharmaceutical production with the Pharma OSD Future Factory. In the fast-moving world of pharmaceutical and biotechnological production, automation and robotics are essential. As a system integrator, Glatt accompanies customers on their journey to the factory of the future. Using the example of a digitally integrated containment pharmaceutical process plant, Glatt experts will demonstrate their expertise in the integration of hardware and software functions into advanced, holistic automation systems, ranging from MES and DCS/SCADA to robot and AGV systems. The use of robots in pharmaceutical production has been completely reimagined, especially for solid moulds, by the process stations being arranged in such a way that the robot system can optimally serve the various stations and eliminate the need for complex vertical and horizontal handling techniques.

 Fully functional and integrated systems

In addition to automation, the focus is on the digitalisation and networking of processes and systems. Glatt’s in-house team of experts can develop the best solutions for individual customer projects, with highly experienced process and automation engineers, as well as plant engineers with the necessary technical disciplines. Glatt thus offers system integration through to the fully installed and functional process plant at the customer’s premises, and all from a single source.