Optical inspection systems and Track & Trace solutions for packaging lines in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries
scanware electronic GmbH
Bickenbach (DE)New on Amplifa
Inspection systems along the entire packaging line
scanware electronic GmbH is an owner-managed medium-sized company founded in 1989, headquartered in Bickenbach near Darmstadt. The company develops and manufactures optical inspection systems for product and packaging material inspection on packaging lines, including blister inspection systems of the SPECTRA series in black-and-white, color, high-resolution and 3D, code inspection systems, film tear detection for aluminum foils, as well as Track & Trace components for serialization and aggregation. Software and hardware development are carried out in-house, based on the real-time operating system QNX and wear-free W-LED illumination; the systems meet GMP requirements and are 21 CFR Part 11 compliant. With the line management system IMPERA, the entire packaging line including printers, scanners and inspection systems is controlled. The systems are used in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, contract packaging and mechanical engineering industries; with more than 4,000 installations worldwide and distribution partners in numerous countries, scanware operates internationally. The range of services includes consulting, project planning, installation, validation according to GAMP, GMP and 21 CFR Part 11, training and a 24-hour service.
- Site
- Bickenbach
- Processes
- Blister inspection in black-and-white (SPECTRA BW), Blister inspection in color (SPECTRA CL), High-resolution blister/product inspection (SPECTRA HR), Japan Quality product inspection (SPECTRA HR Japan Quality, up to 1,200 images per minute), 3D blister inspection with laser technology (SPECTRA 3D), Bulk inspection (SPECTRA BULK QI), Print image inspection (SIGNUM HR, up to 5,000 objects), Code inspection (barcode, ring code, DataMatrix, Pharmacode, 1D/2D codes)
- Materials
- Aluminum foil, Blister inspection in black-and-white, Blister inspection in color, High-resolution product inspection, 3D image processing system with laser technology, Bulk inspection system, Print image inspection, Line management software
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1989
- Employees
- more than 70
- Industries
- Pharma, Food, Cosmetics, Contract packaging, Mechanical engineering
- 01
Software and hardware development
- 02
Engineering and application development
- 03
Production and assembly of the inspection systems
- 04
Test field and quality assurance incl. climate testing
- 05
Validation according to GAMP/GMP/21 CFR Part 11
- 06
Installation and commissioning at the customer
- 07
Training, system care (CURA) and 24-hour service
Processes and inspection technologies
Blister inspection in black-and-white
Cost-effective inspection of presence, shape, position, circumference and size for single-product lines.
Blister inspection in color
Detects color differences and product mix-ups with capsules, tablets, dragees, oblongs and mixed blisters.
High-resolution product inspection
2–6 3CMOS cameras detect the smallest contamination and flaking, up to 1,200 images per minute (Japan Quality).
3D image processing system with laser technology
Inspects multilayer tablets, powders, flaking, deformations and well damage.
Bulk inspection system
Image-by-image inspection of bulk goods at maximum speed with AI-based QI software.
Print image inspection
Format-independent grayscale system for inspecting imprints, codes and logos on up to 5,000 objects.
Line management software
Process monitoring, device control, serialization, aggregation and deaggregation on packaging lines.
Track & Trace / serialization
Mark & Verify, tamper evidence, bundle, case and orbit inspection for complete traceability.
Film tear detection
Optoelectronic detection of pores and micro-tears in aluminum foils up to 1,000 mm width, sensitivity 25/50/100 μm.
Aluminum foil
Inspection material of the film tear detection on deep-drawing and stick pack machines.
Locations
Bickenbach
DEHeadquarters: development, production, sales and service
- Materials
- Aluminum foil (inspection object of film tear detection)
- SPECTRA BW
- SPECTRA CL
- SPECTRA HR
- SPECTRA 3D
- SPECTRA BULK QI
- SIGNUM HR
- IMPERA line management
- Film tear detection (up to 1,000 mm foil width)
- Mark & Verify station
- Tamper evidence station
- 1D/2D code readers
- Climate test room for hardware stress tests
Solutions and systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blister inspection in black-and-white (SPECTRA BW)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Blister inspection in color (SPECTRA CL)Inspection | – | – | – | – | hard and soft gelatin capsules, tablets, dragees, oblongs, mixed blisters |
| High-resolution blister/product inspection (SPECTRA HR)Inspection | – | – | – | – | tablets, oblongs, dragees, hard and soft gelatin capsules, special shapes, sealed products |
| Japan Quality product inspection (SPECTRA HR Japan Quality, up to 1,200 images per minute)Inspection | – | – | – | – | tablets, oblongs, dragees, hard and soft gelatin capsules, special shapes, sealed products |
| 3D blister inspection with laser technology (SPECTRA 3D)Inspection | – | – | – | – | multilayer tablets, powder |
| Bulk inspection (SPECTRA BULK QI)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Print image inspection (SIGNUM HR, up to 5,000 objects)Inspection | – | – | – | – | tablets, oblongs, hard and soft gelatin capsules |
| Code inspection (barcode, ring code, DataMatrix, Pharmacode, 1D/2D codes)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Film tear detection of aluminum foils (sensitivity 25, 50 or 100 μm, up to 1,000 mmInspection | 25, 50 or 100 μm | 1,000 mm | – | – | aluminum foil |
| Packaging inspection (parenteralia, packaging material inspection)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Surface inspection of packaging (e.g. cosmetic packaging)Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Track & Trace / serialization and aggregation (Mark & Verify, tamper evidence, bundle, case,Inspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Line management software IMPERA (process monitoring, serialization, aggregation, deaggregation)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| AI-based inspection software QIInspection | – | – | – | – | – |
| Application development and custom constructions (housings, illumination, drawer/lift systems)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Validation according to GAMP, GMP and 21 CFR Part 11; system stress tests in the climate test roomInspection | – | – | – | – | – |
12 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optical inspection system blister/product inspection | scanware SPECTRA BW | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| Optical inspection system color inspection | scanware SPECTRA CL | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| High-resolution inspection system (2-6 cameras, 3CMOS, Camera Link) | scanware SPECTRA HR | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| 3D image processing system with laser technology | scanware SPECTRA 3D | – | – | 2009 | Bickenbach |
| Bulk inspection system | scanware SPECTRA BULK QI | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| Print image inspection system (format-independent grayscale system) | scanware SIGNUM HR | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| Line management software | scanware IMPERA | – | – | – | Bickenbach |
| Film tear detection system (25/50/100 μm sensitivity) | scanware | – | up to 1,000 mm foil width | – | Bickenbach |
| Tamper evidence sealing station | scanware | – | – | 2016 | Bickenbach |
| Mark & Verify station | scanware | – | – | 2012 | Bickenbach |
| 1D/2D code readers | scanware | – | – | 2006 | Bickenbach |
| Climate test room for hardware stress tests | scanware | 1 | – | – | Bickenbach |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality assurance
The quality management system has been certified annually according to DIN EN ISO 9001 since 2000 and applies to all areas. Hardware components undergo stress tests in the company's own climate test room; the systems are validated according to GAMP, GMP and 21 CFR Part 11.
| Evidence | Bickenbach |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
Company history
- 1989
Founding of scanware electronic GmbH in Bickenbach
- 1990
Market launch of the first product inspection system LYNX
- 1993
Development of the world's first color-capable product inspection system LYNX-ULTRA
- 1999
Homogeneous W-LED illumination
- 2000
Film tear detection; first certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001
- 2003
New generation of color systems
- 2005
Print image inspection
- 2006
1D/2D code readers
- 2007
Track & Trace application
- 2009
3D image processing system
- 2011
Bulk goods application
- 2012
Mark & Verify station; Japan Quality application
- 2013
Dry powder application
- 2014
Case inspection
- 2016
Tamper evidence station; system combination of Mark & Verify and tamper evidence
- 2017
Line manager; bundle inspection; mobile base station
- 2019
CURA support
- 2022
Track & Trace for the Dermapharm Group's corona vaccine