Nutraceutical Solutions

The nutraceutical industry is moving – hustling to automate and move away from labor-intensive, costly, and space-hungry batch production. The start/stop batch model no longer allows nutraceutical manufacturers to meet marketplace demands – or stay competitive with those who already have moved on.

Automating the inspection process alone can significantly reduce labor cost, assure quality, and accelerate speed-to-market. In addition, SYMETIX® systems can eliminate process bottlenecks - reducing cash tied up in WIP (work-in-process), reducing the likelihood of "crossover contamination," and lowering material handling labor and risks.

Because footprint in ultra-sanitary plants is expensive, boosted capacity enabled by automation means you realize more return on physical plant assets – more output per square foot.

And importantly, SYMETIX enables consistent, controlled, and measurable production, allowing you to certify your manufacturing process by achieving and documenting process capabilities.

Browse through the overviews below, download brochures, read detailed news releases and contact us to help you get started today.

Download PDF Brochure for SYMETIX Overview

Optyx®SG/N Optical Inspection System

OptyxSG/N does for softgels, capsules and tablets what subjective, slow and fatigue-prone human eyes and hands can't: it works fast and unblinkingly hour after hour, shift after shift, 24/7, without variation.

Designed for cost-effective, high-speed bulk flow automated inspection of nutraceutical solid doses, OptyxSG/N detects and removes size and shape irregularities – such as softgel “bananas,” bulges, broken and malformed doses, bubbles and stains – as well as millions of subtle color defects that industry experience has proven to be impossible for manual inspectors to reliably detect with any precision or consistency.

A "stand-alone" system, OptyxSG/N is available in two configurations: The basic, 2-camera configuration uses 2 proprietary state-of-the-art full-color linear cameras to image doses on the belt, enabling ultra-precise shape and dimensional measurement of each dose, as well color verification for the detection of dose flaws and foreign doses. The advanced 4‑camera configuration provides comprehensive inspection with the addition of an additional 2 cameras that view doses from below - “in-air” – as they leave the end of the belt, in an advanced, proven inspection technique used in thousands of Key Technology sorting systems worldwide. In the OptyxSG/N, SYMETIX uses these additional 2 cameras to detect surface flaws and color defects on the bottom of doses – for the ultimate in all-surface inspection performance. In both configurations, OptyxSG/N captures and analyzes the image of each dose, comparing its characteristics against previously-defined conformance criteria. Optyx/SG removes a dose that fails to meet these criteria while still airborne, with a surgically precise pulse of air – in a millisecond.

Similar to other OptyxSG family members, the OptyxSG/N is typically installed immediately prior to packaging to ensure final product quality. To further assist inspection line performance, the OptyxSG/P can include control and change part permissives for other finishing line components of the SYMETIX Continuous Softgel Finishing Line™ product family, including the Impulse™/P continuous size grader, and the PulseScrubber™ continuous softgel polishing system (available in June 2007).

OptyxSG/N can inspect up to 1,000,000 doses per hour, depending on application (actual performance may vary with dose size; SYMETIX Application Engineering will gladly conduct testing on your product and provide you with specific throughput and performance guarantees). That’s important to know in light of increasing competition and critical profit margins. Speed, throughput and reduced labor mean rapid return on investment.

SYMETIX designed OptyxSG/N using ISPE¹ GAMP 4 guidelines for proven automation performance. It monitors processes in real-time on the production line, taking product conformance to a higher level, and is ideally suited to bulk-packaging lines.

SYMETIX can offer "turn-key" end-of-line inspection and packaging solutions customized to meet your requirements, as well as validation assistance.

Download PDF Brochure for Optyx/SG

Solutions For a More Continuous Process

By automating and linking process components, pharmaceutical products can leave encapsulating and keep moving until they’re packaged and ready to ship. The SYMETIX Continuous Softgel Finishing Line™ product line offers comprehensive solutions for totally automating your softgel finishing lines.

SYMETIX offers additional capabilities for tablet, capsule and softgel applications:

Impulse™/P Vibratory Size Graders to automatically remove over- and under-sized product early in the process. The stainless steel bed and frame and quick-remove screens are sanitary and fast to clean. And your production line keeps rolling, with a unique system to prevent blocking. Unlike traditional diverging bar graders, SYMETIX vibratory size graders have nearly three times the throughput, a minimum of moving parts, faster clean-up, vastly reduced maintenance, and no “pinch points” for worker safety concerns.

PulseScrubber™ Continuous Softgel Polishing Systems provide continuous softgel polishing at rates from 500,000 to 1,000,000 doses per hour. A non-solvent based polishing system, PulseScrubber removes mineral oil and leaked content from softgels- automatically and continuously. As opposed to tumbler-based polishing, PulseScrubber requires no manual product transfer and eliminates the risks associated with product staging between batches. As opposed to clipped media in softgel dryers, PulseScrubber has a self-contained, automatically-fed media system. This means consistent polishing without human intervention. And, unlike dryer-based polishing, PulseScrubber can also be used in a standalone mode.

Impulse™ Electromagnetic Feeding Systems to transfer product to packaging. These compact units feature instant start/stop, handle pharmaceuticals gently, and precisely meter your product. Controls adjust for different products and processing conditions, with many options in drive sizes, conveying surfaces, and system configurations.

Fully Automated Finishing Line Design Services - SYMETIX automated finishing lines dramatically reduce finishing line labor costs, and product security risks. In conjunction with CHANGSUNG continuous dryers, SYMETIX can offer complete, professionally-engineered "encapsulator to box" automation solutions, including bulk packaging, and

VAC-U-MAX² vacuum transfer integration.

For additional softgel applications, see Pharmaceutical Solutions.

Ask about SYMETIX Application Development Services to devise, verify and link new solutions to your own pharmaceutical manufacturing challenges.

¹International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) GAMP4

²VAC-U-MAX is a trademark of VAC-U-MAC Corporation, Belleville, New Jersey, USA