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PHARMACY AUTOMATION SYSTEM

3D PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Direct Digital Manufacturing Allows Quick Production of Custom Products “The machine paid for itself within months of purchase.”

Real Solution ScriptPro’s Fortus system employs FDM technology to produce parts. Using FDM, each bezel is manufactured to precise tolerances to accept only one vial size. According –Bill Thomas, ScriptPro Real Challenge ScriptPro (Mission, KS), a manufacturer of automated pill-dispensing systems for pharmacies, was one of the early adopters of direct digital manufacturing, having employed the process for several years before it became a more widespread technique.ScriptPro uses a Fortus 3D Production System to manufacture selected parts for the pill-dispensing systems. Automating the vial (i.e. pill bottle) filling process allows pharmacists to spend more time counseling patients. And prescription wait times are reduced, leading to greater customer satisfaction for the pharmacy. The system communicates with the pharmacy computer to fill, label, and deliver up to 150 prescriptions per hour. One such system, the SP 200, is expected to fill from 60 and 80 percent of the prescriptions in most pharmacies.The machine comprises three sections, the robotics cabinet, the electrical cabinet, and the control center. A robotic arm picks up a vial, takes it to the dispensing cell for filling, then places it on a conveyor. The conveyor stops long enough to add the label, then moves the vial into a collated-collection station that places the vials in order by patient name or status. One of the challenges in designing and manufacturing the robotic dispenser was the large variety of vial sizes available to pharmacies. Although most pharmacies use just a few vial sizes for the majority of their pills, they may select from several manufacturers’ products, which means that ScriptPro’s machines must support a variety of vial types and be customized for each pharmacy. The most critical component of the SP 200 is the bezel that accepts the vial. The bezel is designed so that the user cannot put the wrong vial into the machine. Each SP 200 has three vial receptacles and six bezels to accommodate a variety of vial sizes.
Image 1: Pharmacist using ScriptPro SP 200 Automated Pill Dispensing System. Image 2: CAD image of a bezel for the SP 200. The machines have a variety of bezel styles to support various vial (pill bottle) types. Machines are customized for each pharmacy. How Did FDM Compare to Traditional Processes for ScriptPro? ProcessCost EstimateLead Time I.M. Tooling & Production$31,65060 daysFDM Direct Digital Mfg. $6,750 1 day SAVINGS$24,900 (79%)59 days (98%) Image 3: Some of the machine’s bezels are produced via direct digital manufacturing because the custom configuration calls for low volumes of these parts.