- New technology checks containers for particles using several images which are independent of one another
- Low False Reject Rate (FRR) by automatic immediate re-inspection
- Also suitable for difficult to handle products such as suspensions

CVT Slitec™ represents the new generation of high-performance inspection machines. The new technology removes any movement of the camera or lighting system. As well as its mechanical advantages, it also maximizes the inspection time per container. Slitec™ was developed by Moeller & Devicon, the inspection specialist of Bosch Packaging Technology.

Slitec™ splits up the area covered by the camera`s field of view into a number of ``virtual`` cameras, which then take several pictures of each individual container, independently of one another. As containers move past these cameras, this highly reliable system readily identifies any particles allowing the failed containers to be separated out.

An important criterion for the quality of an inspection for particles is the False Reject Rate (FRR), which indicates the proportion of ``good`` containers wrongly identified by the inspection system as ``bad``. By combining two independent testing stations with the automatic recirculating feature it minimizes the FRR. This allows a fully automatic, immediate re-inspection in the event of a contradictory result from the two testing stations for the same container. This also supports customers` Process Analytical Technology activities.

Special customer-specific checks are also possible. These include, cosmetic checks for all types of packaging media for cracks, scratches and chips, as well as packing-specific checks, such as the quality of crimping, cap color on vials or cartridges, neck distortions in ampoules, and defects in the needle shield or plunger stopper in syringes. The appropriate inspection modules may be configured individually and specifically for the application.

During an inspection, the way the containers are handled by the machine is also of particular importance. For the particle inspection, the completely free accessible containers are rotated using individual servomotors for each container. This means that checking of ``difficult`` products like suspensions is possible.

Additionally, Moeller & Devicon offers support and assistance in validation of Slitec machines™. As a result of the extensive pre-validation available for the machine, which is carried out at the factory, the pharmaceutical manufacturer can save up to 50 percent of the validation time they would normally require. This enables him to react flexible on the sometimes rapidly changing market requirements.

Contact for reader and press inquiries:
Patrick Farinato
Manager Communication
Bosch Packaging Technology Division

Bosch Packaging Technology
Sigpack International AG
Rheinstrasse 36
CH-8212 Neuhausen am Rheinfall
Phone: +41 52 674-6228
Fax: +41 52 674-6350
Email: patrick.farinato@sigpack.com
Internet: www.bosch.com/pa

The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2005, some 250,000 associates generated sales of 42 billion euros. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861- 1942) as ``Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering,`` the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of some 270 subsidiaries and more than 12,000 service centers in over 140 countries.

The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. 92 % of the shares of Robert Bosch GmbH are held by the charitable foundation Robert Bosch Stiftung. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.