For medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, maintaining product quality standards is paramount; defective or contaminated products can pose significant risks to patients and create serious liability issues for manufacturers. Industry regulations demand that manufacturing information be printed on outside packaging or the devices themselves to ensure traceability throughout the supply chain. This helps manufacturers more effectively manage recalls, address counterfeiting, and prepare for medical emergencies.
Ward Automation, based out of Sligo, Ireland, is a leading manufacturer of world-class customized automation solutions for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Its innovative manufacturing solutions, such as automating the pre-filled syringe manufacturing process and verifying label batch data, rely on Cognex’s machine vision technology to help customers increase throughput of high-quality products, reduce product defects or costly product recalls, and achieve traceability throughout the supply chain. All its processes and procedures follow Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP5) guidelines. ‘Quality by Design’ is a fundamental internal principle that is adhered to by every team member at every stage of the manufacturing process.
Ward automation’s customers face a variety of obstacles
As a leading provider of machine equipment to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, Ward Automation has a deep understanding of its customers' manufacturing challenges:
- Ramping up production for new products often comes with low production rates, slow set-ups, defective items, and quality issues
- Maintaining high product quality while facing increased demand and throughput requirements
- Having employees perform manual quality inspections results in inconsistent quality
- The ongoing labor shortage creates the dilemma of whether to immediately invest in automation or delay full production until enough operators can be hired
- Tackling these challenges is a priority for manufacturers, and automating production processes is a key component of that strategy.
Ward Automation addresses these challenges for customers by building innovative machines with high-quality components, including machine vision systems from Cognex, to ensure its designs are long-lasting and easy to maintain. Some automation application examples include:
- Multi-component assembly machines where Cognex In-Sight 2D vision systems guide robotic assembly operations and measure components, such as syringe needles, to validate manufacturing specifications
- Filling applications where vials, bottles, syringes, or cartridges are checked for defects, scratches, and chips using Cognex VisionPro Deep Learning software
- Packaging systems for medical devices that use Cognex In-Sight 2D vision systems for verifying UDI text and barcodes and proper labeling
According to Kenny Ward, Business Development Manager at Ward Automation, “Our customers demand high-quality automation solutions, and they are not willing to take risks when it comes to quality. It’s critical that there are no gaps left in the inspection process, and this is where Cognex technology shines.”
For example, a leading manufacturer of medical catheters needed to increase throughput to meet customer demand. Manual assembly and packaging of the catheter was time-consuming, and scaling production with operators wasn’t feasible for quality and efficiency. The manufacturer needed a solution that both met its throughput requirements and delivered flawless products off the line. Ward Automation designed a way to automate the assembly process, including assembly, coiling, and packaging. The embedded Cognex vision systems check label quality and read UDI codes for traceability. The solution met the customer's goals of increased throughput, high-quality product, and traceability compliance.
“Working with Cognex shows our customers that they are working with a company that places as high an emphasis on product quality inspection as they do themselves,” added Ward.
Where it started
Ward Automation is a Cognex Certified System Integrator (CSI) and has been incorporating its machine vision technology into its solutions for over fifteen years.
The company first chose Cognex machine vision solutions because it considered it to be a top-tier machine vision company with whom vision engineers were familiar. It can also easily consult technical experts on more complex vision requirements. When asked to summarize his perception of Cognex briefly, Ward replied: “Collaborative, experts, cutting-edge, and forward-thinking.”
Initially, when the technology was less advanced, Cognex products were used for basic measurement checks (such as verifying lengths of syringe needles) and confirming parts were assembled correctly (caps on glass vials). Now, inspection requirements have become more complex, such as identifying defects that vary in size, shade, and location – which are difficult for traditional vision tools to resolve. To solve these challenges, Ward Automation uses Cognex AI-based technology to perform advanced inspections quickly and accurately.
Where we are now
Over time, as machine vision technology has evolved and application requirements have become more complex, Ward Automation began to use Cognex products to perform more precise inspections using rule-based and AI-based tools, such as checking seals on foil packaging that are highly reflective or detecting highly variable cracks on syringe cartridges.
Ward explains a key reason it prefers Cognex vision systems for its machines, “The assembly and filling machines that we typically create for our customers are expected to be in service for more than 20 years, and we appreciate that Cognex vision systems are exceptionally reliable and long-lasting, which means fewer upgrades and less downtime for our customer.”
Where it's going
Ward Automation prides itself on delivering innovative automation solutions that feature state-of-the-art components, and embedded vision applications, such as quality inspection or UDI code verification, are no exception. As pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies' offerings have become more complex and packaging has become more eco-friendly, detecting defects has become more challenging; Ward Automation has started testing Cognex AI-based technology, such as In-Sight ViDi deep learning tools, for proof-of-concept applications, such as inspecting seals on foil packets and crack and defect detection on glass vials. “We see Cognex as a leader in machine vision technology and look forward to working with them as they bring more innovations to the market over time,” stated Ward.