Why It's Vital To Choose The Right Inspection Technology For Different Drug Products

By Andrea Sardella, Pharma Inspection Product Development Manager, Stevanato Group

Billions of injectable doses are administered to patients worldwide every year, with strict safety guidelines regulating pharma manufacturing processes. Patient safety and product quality are top priorities – so the need for efficient, technologically advanced and highly accurate automatic inspection systems is greater than ever.

Automatic visual inspection offers several advantages – including process consistency, speed and cost effectiveness. But it's important to choose the most appropriate camera-based technology for different drug and container features.

Inspection machines featuring still cameras are suitable for small containers such as ampoules, cartridges and vials – and they guarantee efficient detection of cosmetic defects and particles up to a size of 50µm. Containers are rotated at high speed and stopped in front of the camera, setting particles in motion by inertia. This solution drastically reduces maintenance costs, as all the inspection components are mounted in a fixed position.