Crest Solutions vial counting systems cover a wide range of vial types. All our solutions are designed for the actual environment, providing reliability, fail-safe operation and accuracy.

Manual counting of vials in trays is time consuming, costly and frequently unreliable.

Crest Solutions have developed a system designed specifically to count vials in trays that eliminates the need for manual intervention.

The system complies to all relevant 21 CFR part 11 requirements and ships with a full GAMP documentation package.

How it works

The industrial vision solution includes the machine to hold the vial trays, mounted camera unit, lighting configured for optimal image capture and a touch panel PC as the operator console. The system uses a smart lighting system where the light colour can be set per product. This allows the system to cater for the full spectrum of colours.

The system utilises Crest Solutions SecureBase software to ensure FDA 21 CFR part 11 compliance.

Flexible system operation

The vision system allows rapid changeover for counting of trays of different sizes, as well as trays containing vials of different sizes.

An interchangeable template on the working surface holds trays for inspection and allows trays to be placed and replaced in minimal time for each count cycle.

For counting vials of different sizes, the system uses individual caps as reference points and thus can quickly be configured to identify differing vial sizes. This makes the system flexible to the needs of manufacturers producing several product lines and packaging.

Verification of pre-defined vial counts

The system software will verify if a pre-defined number of vials are contained in a particular tray. If the count from the vision system and the desired number are the same, then the result is clearly indicated in a large green text box on the operator panel as Vial Count Correct.

If the count from the vision system does not match the predefined number of vials, then a warning prompt will appear in a large red text box on the operator panel as Vial Count Incorrect by +/- Number of Vials.

Individual vial count mode

Alternatively, the system can be set to a partial count mode where the number of vials present in the tray is recorded in real-time. In this instance, the operator panel will display the vial count result.

Label printing

The system has an integrated printer to produce individual labels displaying the results of the vial count for placement on the sealed trays. This further eliminates manual intervention.