Automated drug handling for pharmacies

Several hundred patients, who stay in the hospital for an average of seven days, can be supplied with the medication they need around the clock, reliably and without errors. Every hospital pharmacy has to cope with this task. It is therefore faced with a challenge, with a great deal of effort in terms of organisation, administration, personnel and testing technology. However, established pharmacies are also faced with the challenge of supplying care facilities and elderly people with a large number of medications according to medication plans that are compiled more and more individually. In the future, this effort can be simplified and made safer at the same time - with the Rowa Dose System, a development by Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany GmbH.

A prerequisite for the rapid and error-free provision of medication to the blister unit is a "fast" circulation system, which must also be characterized by high availability. A long service life in 24/7 operation was therefore part of the list of requirements for the Rowa designers, as was low abrasion - after all, the downpipes transport unpackaged medicines.

For the same reason, a completely self-lubricating linear and cam guide was sought. Other important aspects in the selection were the ability to drive tight curve radii and the lowest possible friction, which not only saves drive energy, but also minimizes vibrations and keeps the noise level low.

The solution was found - not for the first time in the development of Rowa systems - in the igus construction kit for the bearing and drive technology. drylin W profile guides made of hard-anodised aluminum are used as horizontal guides for the downpipes, but in an extra wide or high design that can absorb higher tipping forces and ensure stable guidance of the downpipe at all times. igus has now included this variant in the standard range.

A "real" special solution is used on the narrow sides of the circulating system. Here 180 o-Curves with a radius of only 80 mm can be realized. This is only possible with customer-specific milled parts that igus manufactures for this application. The tight cornering also requires specific plastic gliders that master the entry into the tight corner even at high speeds.

At the same time, the individual design offered the opportunity to implement another special function: the guides on the narrow sides can be opened in order to replace individual bearings. This requires manufacturing with very high precision, because the plain bearings run over this section every time - and with high frequency, because in each Rowa Dose system there are several hundred guide elements of the type drylin W 10 with sliding foils made of the high-performance polymer iglide J with incorporated lubricant installed.