Active pharmaceutical ingredients and fine chemicals supplier, Macfarlan Smith, has improved operator efficiency at its Edinburgh plant following the installation of a Visilume VISULEX Ex Process Colour Camera System.
Installed in a Zone 1 Hazardous area and clean room environment where access to the sightports is restricted, the compact system enables synchronised monitoring and control of a pharmaceutical filter dryer from a single remote location.
Mafarlan Smith runs a state-of-the-art plant to the highest level of cGMP and prior to installing the camera, checking the contents of the dryer and controlling the drying process meant leaving the main plant and suiting up in clean room clothing which would take at least fifteen minutes.
The VISULEX camera is mounted over a sight port on the dryer vessel and is connected to a PLC in a safe area 130 metres away. The operator accesses the PLC via a SCADA System where an image of the filter dryer content is embedded on the screen along side the dryer controls.
Using this single screen the operator can, via a Hazardous area Terminal back on plant, remotely control the camera zoom and focus to monitor when solids first appear then regulate the agitator in order to smooth the mix during mother liquid removal.
“Synchronisation of dryer contents monitoring and process control through integration of the camera image with the SCADA screen is the biggest benefit of the VISULEX camera system” says Ross Martin, Process Engineer at Macfarlan Smith.
“It results in more efficient production control, because the system saves time on suiting up staff to view the filter dryer and enables one man to monitor and control the dryer, as well as supervise other processes from a single location.”
“ The availability of continuous surveillance during the filtration operation also means that there is far more confidence in the process. For example, it is much easier to check that the cake is smooth during the mother liquor removal and before the wash is applied. This helps to ensure product quality”.
This compact VISULEX Ex Process Colour Camera System is ATEX approved for Zone 1 and IP65 rated. Standard software enables remote control of zoom and focus, and has an image capturing facility for saving historical images for quality control and other purposes. The camera system can be connected to a single dedicated screen, via a PC or networks up to 550 metres away.
BACKGROUND
Macfarlan Smith, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Matthey plc, is a manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and fine chemicals. It is also a world leader in the production of alkaloid opiates and other controlled drugs. The company operates a state-of-the-art plant to the highest level of cGMP, and offers a comprehensive contract manufacturing facility ranging from the development of novel synthetic processes, through labscale production to the provision of multi-tonne custom synthesis, including the toll extraction of active principles from natural processes.
A high level of product containment is maintained throughout the production cycle and all products are isolated in controlled environment finishing suites.
Visilume Ltd. was established in 1982 and is now a leading supplier of safe and effective process equipment for vessels, pipelines and other plant used for process viewing, pressure and vacuum relief and clamping. The company offers a comprehensive range of engineered solutions to meet the needs of all branches of the processing industry, including the pharmaceutical, food and drink, chemical, oil and gas, power generation and water treatment sectors. As established suppliers, Visilume offer premium specifications, value pricing, experienced technical support and a wide range of standard products and bespoke solutions.
Process Colour Camera System
VISILUME SYSTEM IMPROVES EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY
Active pharmaceutical ingredients and fine chemicals supplier, Macfarlan Smith, has improved operator efficiency at its Edinburgh plant following the installation of a Visilume VISULEX Ex Process Colour Camera System.
Installed in a Zone 1 Hazardous area and clean room environment where access to the sightports is restricted, the compact system enables synchronised monitoring and control of a pharmaceutical filter dryer from a single remote location.
Mafarlan Smith runs a state-of-the-art plant to the highest level of cGMP and prior to installing the camera, checking the contents of the dryer and controlling the drying process meant leaving the main plant and suiting up in clean room clothing which would take at least fifteen minutes.
The VISULEX camera is mounted over a sight port on the dryer vessel and is connected to a PLC in a safe area 130 metres away. The operator accesses the PLC via a SCADA System where an image of the filter dryer content is embedded on the screen along side the dryer controls.
Using this single screen the operator can, via a Hazardous area Terminal back on plant, remotely control the camera zoom and focus to monitor when solids first appear then regulate the agitator in order to smooth the mix during mother liquid removal.
“Synchronisation of dryer contents monitoring and process control through integration of the camera image with the SCADA screen is the biggest benefit of the VISULEX camera system” says Ross Martin, Process Engineer at Macfarlan Smith.
“It results in more efficient production control, because the system saves time on suiting up staff to view the filter dryer and enables one man to monitor and control the dryer, as well as supervise other processes from a single location.”
“ The availability of continuous surveillance during the filtration operation also means that there is far more confidence in the process. For example, it is much easier to check that the cake is smooth during the mother liquor removal and before the wash is applied. This helps to ensure product quality”.
This compact VISULEX Ex Process Colour Camera System is ATEX approved for Zone 1 and IP65 rated. Standard software enables remote control of zoom and focus, and has an image capturing facility for saving historical images for quality control and other purposes. The camera system can be connected to a single dedicated screen, via a PC or networks up to 550 metres away.
BACKGROUND
Macfarlan Smith, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Matthey plc, is a manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and fine chemicals. It is also a world leader in the production of alkaloid opiates and other controlled drugs. The company operates a state-of-the-art plant to the highest level of cGMP, and offers a comprehensive contract manufacturing facility ranging from the development of novel synthetic processes, through labscale production to the provision of multi-tonne custom synthesis, including the toll extraction of active principles from natural processes.
A high level of product containment is maintained throughout the production cycle and all products are isolated in controlled environment finishing suites.
Visilume Ltd. was established in 1982 and is now a leading supplier of safe and effective process equipment for vessels, pipelines and other plant used for process viewing, pressure and vacuum relief and clamping. The company offers a comprehensive range of engineered solutions to meet the needs of all branches of the processing industry, including the pharmaceutical, food and drink, chemical, oil and gas, power generation and water treatment sectors. As established suppliers, Visilume offer premium specifications, value pricing, experienced technical support and a wide range of standard products and bespoke solutions.
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Photo:
VISULEX Camera and Ex Light on a Stainless Mixing Vessel
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