Hands Off! NMR Drives Non-Contact Check Weighing System

12/29/2004

BOC Edwards Pharmaceuticals has developed a non-contact check-weighing system for use in a drug powder filling line. The company says the system, based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology, is already in place at a major U.S. pharmaceutical facility. The company had previously developed a similar system for liquid filling lines.

NMR weighing depends upon magnetism inherent in atomic nuclei; measurements of the mass of a sample are derived from the number of hydrogen atoms present. While NMR has been used for other purposes, such as for medical imaging, BOC claims that this is the first pharmaceutical manufacturing application.

The Non-Contact Check Weigher (NCCW) is built into the filling line, monitoring every container that passes by. Products with weight discrepancies are identified and rejected immediately. The NCCW also eliminates the need to remove samples from the line to obtain precise measurements, eliminating waste and downtime.

The benefits for process monitoring and control are obvious, says Dr. Paul Stewart, director of technology for BOC Edwards Pharmaceutical Systems. Stewart also maintains the system does not diminish throughput. “I believe it is the most significant innovation in check weighing in 50 years,” he says.

For more information, visit www.edwards.boc.com.