Robot series for Life Science applications

Made for Life Science

Stäubli Robotics has long been at the forefront of developing robots for Life Science applications. Stäubli robots are now the first choice for use in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Whether for gray, white or sterile envi-ronments, the ideal machine for each and every application can be found within Stäubli’s broad range of Picker, SCARA and articulated robots.

Indeed, they have established them-selves as the benchmark for factors such as speed, accuracy, low parti-cle emission, easy-to-clean surfaces and maximum availability. These rap-id high-precision robots are the ma-chines of choice for the manufacturer of medical devices and for pharma-ceutical production as well as in bio-technology, laboratory research and hospital automation.

Cleanroom compatibility is one of the basic requirements for use in such highly sensitive areas. Even the stan-dard versions of SCARA and articulat-ed kinematics are suitable for use in cleanrooms. For more exacting clean-room classifications and special re-quirements, Stäubli offers numerous cleanroom variants, moisture-resis-

tant HE (Humid Environment) models and stericlean robots for sterile envi-ronments.

With its unique robot program, many years of industrial experience and strong customer focus, Stäubli is a valued partner of prestigious global companies in the medical technology, pharmaceutical and lab research sec-tors as well as hospital automation.

A TX60 stericlean is used for drug clinical trials inside an enclosed isolator to fill cytotoxic drugs and other highly effective products.

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Unique expertise for all applications

▪ Manufacturing of medical devices

De-burring and polishing the surfaces of orthopedic implants

Injection molding of medical components

Assembly and handling of medical and optical instruments, e. g. blood pressure monitors, inhalers, pacemakers, IV bags …

▪ Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology

Manufacturing of drugs

Handling and packaging of IV bags, syringes, ampoules and vials

Aseptic dispensing

Loading and unloading of autoclaves and /or insulators

▪ Laboratory research

Drugs and active substances discovery

Laboratory work such as sample handling, filling culture flasks

Automation of cell cultures

Fixing of cells for high flow measurement methods

▪ Hospital automation

Safe handling of cytotoxic drugs

Filling of syringes and infusion bags

Robot-assisted transplantation

Preparing or dispensing chemotherapy drugs for individual patients

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Injection molding of medical devices

In the medical device manufacturing industry, suppliers of plastic injection molding machines are increasingly relying on Stäubli robots. Such ma-chines generally have to be approved for use in cleanroom environments, where Stäubli robots are suited to perform all precisely controlled appli-cations. There is a broad spectrum of concerns regarding single-use medi-cal parts from syringes, infusion sets, dialysis equipment and apparatus, diabetes care products up to surgery implants.

In addition to cleanroom specifica-tion, Stäubli robots of the TX series meet all other requirements for use within injection molding cells.

These six-axis robots are highly com-pact and can be easily integrated in confined spaces without disturbing the laminar flow of air. In addition, they readily cope with the high tem-peratures that occur in the plastic molding process while working with precision and reliability.

Surface treatment of implants

The polishing of orthopedic implants is one of many high-precision applica-tions in robotics. Established provid-ers rely on six-axis robots from Stäubli which, thanks to their outstanding ac-

curacy, are ideal for high-precision machining to tight tolerances of three hundredths of a millimeter. For exam-ple, the TX90 polishes free-form parts with incredible precision and excellent surface quality.

A Stäubli TX90 cr ensures maximum flexibility in the handling of parts inside an Engel victory injection molding machine.

A Stäubli TX90 takes on the demanding job of polishing artificial knee joints.

Pioneering manufacturer medical devices

When stringent safety and quality standards plus maximum precision and productivity are called for, robots from Stäubli are the first choice.

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Testing inhalers to destruction

Inside a compact robot cell, a Stäubli TX60L is in charge of testing different components for metered-dose inhal-ers. When production runs are in the millions of units, the most stringent safety and quality standards apply. Tensile and high-pressure testing op-erates in parallel with production un-der cleanroom conditions.

The handling of the parts to be tested is performed by a cleanroom Stäubli TX60L. This automation of testing rep-resents a quantum leap. In addition to a significant increase in productivity, the system facilitates adherence to the highest quality standards under

reliably reproducible conditions.

The fast six-axis machine ensures low cycle times. Furthermore, the cell scores in terms of service and main-tenance as well as low energy con-sumption. Used in combination with ingeniously refined solutions, the compact and reliable TX60L provides

excellent inspection quality and prod-uct safety within a confined space.

Wet chemical treatments in a cleanroom

The cleanroom compatibility, com-pact design and enclosed structure of Stäubli robots make them ideally suited for integration into production facilities with wet chemical treatment processes.

They have proven their worth in all manner of wet chemical applications such as cleaning, rinsing and coat-ing, as well as electroplating, condi-tioning and electro polishing of med-ical products. The high-performance, high-precision six-axis TX series en-sures maximum availability and out-put in sensitive production facilities.

A Stäubli TX60L skillfully handles a range of inspection tasks in the mass production of metered-dose inhalers.

The wet chemical handling of implants, stents and syringes is no problem for the ultra-precise TX60 HE.

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Filling and closing machine for syringes

This innovative system for filling and closing syringes achieves a max-imum output of up to 4,000 units per hour. The manufacturer uses a stainless steel machine with lami-nar-flow-friendly design incorporating an accurate TX60 stericlean robot.

In addition to boosting productivity versus glove boxes manual work the TX60 extends the capabilities of the system and brings flexibility to the handling, filling and closing process-es. Thanks to the Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) resistant robot, fur-ther tasks like decontamination are no longer limited to being automated in Class A environment.

Robots in aseptic drug manufacturing

The manufacture of drugs poses par-ticular challenges. In order to estab-lish the highest safety standards, the industry relies on the so-called Ad-vanced Aseptic Processing (AAP) sys-tem. This is a comprehensive package of measures aimed at systematically avoiding contamination whilst using the latest automation technologies.

With its TX stericlean series, Stäubli has developed the world’s first robot that can work permanently in asep-tic production areas. This is due to its unique enclosed structure, to the use of stainless steel for stressed parts

and to its special surface treatment. The process safety and reliability of the stericlean robot conform to the stringent requirements of the AAP system and ensure comprehensive protection of the product groups.

Stericlean robots are GMP compliant and meet ANSI/RIA R15.06 standards.

The use of the robot enables a wider range of products to be processed with optional extended work content.

Stericlean robots from Stäubli facilitate automation processes under aseptic production conditions, as shown here in the manufacture of medicines.

Pharmaceutical production under time-critical conditions

In drug production, maximum output is essential. Stäubli robots score particularly well in terms of ultra-short cycle times.

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Automatic packaging of parenteral bags

Two Stäubli robots demonstrate their cleanroom performance in a pro-duction line for the automatic filling and packing of parenteral bags. The smaller RX160 is responsible for han-dling the bags, while the larger TX200 exchanges the heavy trays.

To ensure that production is not inter-rupted, the CS8C robot controller for the TX200 coordinates all processes – from buffering the bag feed to syn-chronizing all handling operations. In this way, continuous production is maintained.

Manufacture and filling of infusion bags

The requirements for equipment used in the production of infusion bags with integrated filling are by no means straightforward: the criteria that are foremost in any user’s specification are stringent quality and hygiene stan-dards, systematic cleanroom suitabil-ity, unrestricted flexibility, maximum output and minimum demands on space.

In a pioneering facility for the pro-duction and filling of infusion bags, a Stäubli TX60 ensures a consistent output of up to 7,200 units per hour.

Even in its standard version, the ro-bot already complies with the ISO 5 cleanroom classification and is there-fore perfect for use at the filling stage.

In addition, the six-axis robot is fast, accurate and reliable. The flexibility of the robot allows the processing of the IV bags in multiple variants. An-other important criterion in choosing the TX60 is its compact design which allows a uniquely space-saving plant layout.

The fully automated plant can produce and fill well over 100,000 IV bags per day working in three shifts.

The TX200 robot conveys the tray at high speed and with accuracy.

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1

The robot picks the nests from a euro pallet and places them on a conveyor belt

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Class C: Opening the outer packaging

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Class B: Sterilizing the exterior of the tubs

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Class A: Remove the cover sheet and fleece liners (Tyvek)

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Class A: Filling and in-serting plunge stoppers in the nest

Complete packaging line for filling of syringes

Comprehensive array of robots and software solutions for packaging lines

To complement its ultra-fast four-ax-is and six-axis robots, Stäubli offers a range of innovative software solutions for the control of packaging applica-tions.

The user-friendly VALtrack standard software tool is ideal for convention-al conveyor tracking tasks. It can be used independently of any additional

software to coordinate all common queuing methods (overflow, bypass mode, area distribution), maintaining constant production flow.

Stäubli’s innovative LINEmanager load-sharing software is the perfect tool for highly complex sorting and packaging tasks. It takes on the en-tire coordination of the packaging line

by precisely matching the speed of all the robots as well as the feed and dis-charge conveyors.

Example

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Class C: Taking the nest from the tub and the syringes from the nest

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Class C: Checking the syringes

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Class C: Syringe buffer

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Class C: Placing the syringe in the nest and the nest in the tray

Class C: Assembling the backstop, inserting the plunger rods and labeling

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Blister machine – secondary packaging

PACKAGING AREA

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Systems for a wide range of tasks

Experts specializing in automation have been developing ever more in-novative robotic solutions for appli-cations in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry as well as for

scientific research. Using tabletop automation and compact cleanroom robots of the TX series, customer-ori-ented high-performance solutions can be realized within a confined space. These robots are the first choice for a variety of applications ranging from drug discovery to geno-typing and from sample handling to High-Throughput Screening (HTS).

Automation in the hi-tech laboratory

More and more laboratory operators are going down the route of full auto-mation to manage the steadily rising number of samples. In this particular laboratory – one of the world’s most advanced – thousands of samples are pipetted each day. The robotic sys-tems in use facilitate the analysis of around 10,000 samples within a six-hour shift.

Six-axis robots from Stäubli are re-sponsible for the handling of the micro

titer plates between the various sta-tions of the system. Accuracy and path-following behavior of the robot are vital criteria in laboratory analysis. To ensure error-free pipetting, the mi-cro titer plates (MTPs) must be accu-rately positioned. The robots must be fast, but at the same time work me-ticulously. The Stäubli TX60 accom-plishes these tasks with flying colors.

A Stäubli robot performs complex tasks in laboratory research.

Accuracy and path-following behavior of the robot are vital criteria in laboratory analysis. The Stäubli TX60 sets the benchmark.

Hi-tech solutions for laboratory research

The time factor plays a crucial role in research. Modern robot-assisted processes provide fast, reliable results.

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High-precision dispensing of drugs

In an innovative plant concept, a Stäubli TX40 cr takes on the job of combining toxic drugs for chemo-therapy. The six-axis robot can mea-sure out the cytostatic doses highly accurately, transferring them to am-poules, syringes or infusion bags. The robotic handling of cytotoxic drugs is of significant benefit. Patients can rely on accurate dosing by the robot which is itself monitored by an inte-grated QA system. Clinical staff does not come into contact with dangerous substances during the manufacturing process.

Safe filling of syringes and IV bags

Day in day out, a wide range of drug doses are combined in hospital phar-macies for administration to individ-ual patients by means of injection syringes and infusion bags. To safe-guard quality standards in the perfor-mance of this sensitive task and at the same time prevent a risk to hospital staff arising from skin contact with the drugs – some of which are highly toxic – increasing use is being made of ro-bot-assisted automation equipment.

In such an automated cell, the high-precision Stäubli TX60L cr (cleanroom) robot takes on the job of

filling the syringes and infusion bags with the appropriate drug dosages. The six-axis robot picks up the re-quired vials and syringes from mag-azines in the cell, draws the requisite dose from the suction station and de-posits the labeled syringe on a chute. The system, which works with stan-dard drug pouches, syringes and in-fusion bags, is suitable both for indi-vidual patient-specific dosage and for mass dispensation in large volumes.

A TX60L cr ensures safe and accurate dispensation of individual drug doses.

The TX40 cr proves its effectiveness in the high-precision dispensing of cytostatic solutions for hospital pharmacies.

Hospital automation with cleanroom robots

When it comes to the health of patients, there is no room for error. Robotic solutions from Stäubli combine patient safety with high performance.

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Gray, white or sterile environments: Stäubli is the robot of first choice

For any production environment from specification D to A, the optimum machine can quickly be found in the wide range of Picker, SCARA and articulated robots.

The benefits for you:

▪ Production safety and higher productivity

▪ Long machine life cycles and faster processes delivering high availability

▪ Improved working conditions, reduced risk of accidents, protection of staff

▪ Shorter cleaning and decontamination time

▪ Higher reliability of your equipment

▪ Consistently high quality and improved quality control

Classifications Standard Cleanroom Sterile

Robot series

TP80 TS40/TS60/TS80 TX40 – TX200cr (TX40 – RX160L)orscr (TX40 – TX90XL)

stericlean (TX40 – RX160L)

Load-bearing capacity

0.1 – 1 kg 2 – 8 kg 1.7 – 130 kg 1.7 – 34 kg 1.7 – 34 kg

Reach 800 mm 400 – 800 mm 515 – 2,594 mm 515 – 2,010 mm 515 – 2,010 mm

GMP / ISO class

B/C 6/5

B/C 6/5

A/B 5

A 4 (cr) or 2 – 3 (scr)

A 4 (fully H₂O₂- resistant)

Mounting options Wall Floor/wall Floor/wall/ceiling Floor/wall/ceiling Floor/wall/ceiling

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Robots for aseptic processes

With the development of the world’s first stericlean robot, Stäubli Robot-ics has succeeded in automating pro-cesses in the medical and pharma-ceutical industries which had been previously been considered off limits to robots.

Thanks to its pioneering design, the stericlean robot can work permanent-ly in the type of Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) environments that are frequently encountered in the field of

Life Science. This represents a break-through for robot-based automation under aseptic conditions.

All stericlean robots are characterized by their special enclosed structure which qualifies them for protection class IP65.

All stressed parts are constructed from stainless steel. Before the robots receive their finishing coat of paint, the surfaces are subjected to a spe-

cial treatment that increases corrosion resistance and ensures reliable oper-ation in VHP environments. The final coat is applied in high surface quali-ty. All stericlean six-axis robots com-ply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines.

Stäubli has established itself as a leading partner for the automation of aseptic processes.

Tested in critically conditions

of decontamination from

a chemical solution with

35 % of H₂O₂

Wrist, IP67, special surface treatment; critical parts made of stainless steel

Fully enclosed arm assem-bly with special surface treatment

Electrical and pneumatic user connections available on the forearm

Special seals

Vertical cable outlet; system and user interface are shielded under the robot base

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Dev

elop

m

ent Studio Maintenance Studio

Stäubli Robotics Suite – the right software for designers, programmers and users

Stäubli offers software solutions for the development and maintenance of robotics applications. It includes powerful software hosted on an open hardware architecture of the CS8 controller, as well as a multi robot capable 3D simulation and offline software workbench.

Stäubli Robotics Controls

Set of Software hosted on the robot controller for powerful and flexible solutions adapted for all.

Multi robot capable 3D simulation and offline application development software package.

Development Studio

Remote access to the controller with 3D visualization of the robot cell.

Maintenance Studio

VALproducts solutions

Ready to use market solutions.

Advanced robotics language offering high-end programming capabilities.

VAL3 language

"Ready to connect" solution to drive Stäubli robots with third party multi-axis controllers.

uniVAL drive

VA

L 3 uniVAL

VALproducts

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To make sure you are getting the best out of your robot system, Stäubli offers an extensive training program. Programming, operation and maintenance of the robot can be performed in-house with well-trained personnel.

Training

Focus on the customer

As long as a dependable robot is making the decisions on the proper dosage of medication or the correct functioning of a medical device, the highest safety standards will apply. Stäubli Robotics has been well established in highly sensitive Life Science applications for many years now and understands the rigorous, industry-specific requirements. In addition to pro-viding groundbreaking robotics solutions, Stäubli Robotics has also driven up standards in service quality by systematically expanding its Customer Service department.

From feasibility studies to cycle time analysis and process optimization, Stäubli Customer Services provide optimum support to users at every phase of their project.

Customer support

The After Sales Service team, on the other hand, keeps an eye of the many and varied robots that have already been installed. Their guiding principle is: “System availability up – response times down”. Minimum response times and maximum parts availability guarantee immediate sup-port in an emergency.

After Sales Service

“We have been impressed by the knowledgeable and readily accessible Stäubli hotline. Excellent support is guaranteed.”

Marc Mangels, Uhlmann Pac-Systeme

GmbH & Co. KG

SU

PPORT TRAIN

ING

AFTER SALES

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