Automatic packager for pharmaceuticals and method of operating the same. The method includes receiving a prescription to be filled by a pharmacy management system and identifying one or more bulk containers that contain medications to fill the prescription. The method also includes counting, using a pre-counter, medications from the one or more bulk containers to fill the prescription and depositing the counted medications in one or more cartridges. The method also includes placing the one or more cartridges including the counted medications at an automatic packager and dispensing the medications in the one or more cartridges. The method also includes packaging medications dispensed from the one or more cartridges into packages and verifying whether the medications are correctly packaged.

Various aspects of the subject disclosure relate to a compounder system having a cartridge that includes controllable fluid pathways. One or more rotary piston pump/valves may be used to move fluid and/or gasses through the various fluid pathways of the cartridge. For example, the cartridge may include a dedicated rotary piston pump/valve for each process that moves fluid and/or gas through the cartridge. When turning, the rotary piston pump/valve acts as a pump to move the fluid or gas, and when the rotary piston pump/valve stops turning, it effectively acts as a shutoff valve, preventing any fluid flow. Magnetic couplers for the cartridge may be provided on a pump head of the compounder system.

Various aspects of the subject disclosure relate to a compounder system having a cartridge that includes controllable fluid pathways. The cartridge may include a syringe pump for moving fluid and/or gas, and one or more syringe valves or rotary valves for controlling which of the controllable fluid pathways is open for flow of the fluid and/or gas.

Various aspects of the subject disclosure relate to a compounder system having a cartridge that includes controllable fluid pathways. The cartridge may include a syringe pump for moving fluid and/or gas, and one or more syringe valves or rotary valves for controlling which of the controllable fluid pathways is open for flow of the fluid and/or gas.

A method for operating a packaging machine having at least one electric drive motor, the drive motor driving at least one functional unit of the packaging machine in a program-controlled manner when producing packaging using the following steps: (a) loading a parameter set into the control of the packaging machine, the parameter set containing at least one load parameter which limits the torque or the current consumption of the drive motor to a maximum when producing packaging; (b) operating the packaging machine for producing packaging, the maximally occurring actual value of the torque mustered at the drive motor or the current consumed by the drive motor being measured during operation; (c) determining a new load parameter as a function of the maximum actual value; (d) saving the new load parameter in a parameter set allocated to the packaging to be produced.

A method and apparatus for producing product packages comprises operating first and second feedback control loops where product package weight is averaged and used to determine one of two possible adjustments to change the product fill rate and the volume of the product. The feedback loops operate in one of a plurality of index levels. The first feedback loop seeks to improve performance by making adjustments to the fill rate and volume of the product, while incrementally moving to more stable index levels requiring tighter tolerances and package weight averages based on more product packages. The second feedback loop seeks to preserve stability by making its own adjustments to the fill rate and volume of the product if large product package weight fluctuations are sensed. The second feedback loop can move operation to less stable index levels having wider tolerances and package weight averages based on fewer product packages.

A packaging apparatus comprising a tube forming and sealing device, a filling device, a product delivery device configured to receive a pourable product from an external product supply and to selectively feed the pourable product along a flow path to and into the filling device and a package forming unit configured to at least form and transversally seal the tube for forming packages filled with the pourable product. The product delivery device comprises a main inlet valve having a first inlet and a first outlet and a control valve arranged downstream from the main inlet valve and upstream from the filing device along the flow path and having a second inlet and a second outlet. The main inlet valve comprises a first valve element controllable into at least a closing position, an opening position and one or more intermediate positions. Additionally or alternatively, the control valve comprises a second valve element being controllable into a closed position and an open position.

The present disclosure relates generally to a method and a machine for creating protective packaging. The machine includes a controller including a processing element and a display in electrical communication with the processing element. In response to a user input or a machine operation input, the processing element selects demonstrative content corresponding to the user input or the machine operation input and the display displays the demonstrative content. Examples of demonstrative content include tutorial videos or photographs illustrating how to operate the machine, how to replace consumables used by the machine, replace or repair machine components, and/or how to package certain items using packaging materials created by the machine.

A method for dosing a product in liquid form in containers includes transferring doses of product by a dosing unit from a feed tank, controlling through a bubble sensor the doses to the containers to detect the presence and volume of gas bubbles in each dose, delivering the doses inside the containers, measuring with a weight sensor a weight of the doses in the containers, and arranging a processing and control unit to receive and process a weight signal of the weight sensor and a bubbles signal from the bubble sensor. The processing and control unit is connected to the dosing unit to modify the pre-established quantity of product supplied for each dose as a function of the weight depending on whether the bubble sensor detects a volume of gas bubbles in the doses that is lower than a predefined reference value.

An apparatus for delivering a product into a container can include a filling unit, a drive unit configured to move the container with respect to the filling unit between a first position and a second position, and a controller. The filling unit can include a pump and a filling nozzle. The controller can: control delivery of the product through the filling nozzle; control the drive unit; register an operational end position of the drive unit corresponding to said second position; assign the registered operational position as a new initial position for the drive unit; calculate a new drive unit motion profile for controlling movement of the container from said second position to said first position based on said new initial position of the drive unit; and initiate delivery of the product through the filling nozzle into the container before the drive unit reaches said operational end position.