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Abstract
Efficiency within the pharmaceutical packaging process is critical for supplying patients and maintaining a profitable business. This report focuses on improving the efficiency of a blister packaging line at the Mt. Vernon, IN site within the AstraZeneca network. This report discusses the narrowing of the problem of sub-optimal line performance to a manageable project aimed at improving a major source of lacking operability and efficiency at the thermoformer on blister line 17. The consistent issues and equipment downtime on line 17 were analyzed, and excessive downtime was discovered relating to the lidding web walking at the thermoformer. This web walking phenomenon was discovered to occur when the lidding material of the blister would become misaligned when navigating the lidding printer, causing defective blisters and a lidding printing process that was difficult to control. This issue is detailed in this report as well as the web alignment system targeted at improving the line with regards to cost, efficiency, and operability.
This web alignment system was designed to be integrated into the lidding printer to provide a meaningful process control with substantial efficiency gains. In this project, a cost savings analysis was conducted based on the alignment system proposal to provide justification for the project. A lidding web alignment system was then designed using a chosen device from a vendor to integrate this automated solution into a limited space with highly specific design requirements. The design decisions made for this system are detailed in this report with engineering reasoning. This system was ultimately tested and qualified to be used during commercial production on line 17. This system was ultimately integrated effectively into the lidding printer and provided an efficiency improvement and cost savings, even exceeding the project goals, for AstraZeneca to better serve its patients and its business.