Heating system for containers for pharmaceutical use

Abstract

A heating system for containers for pharmaceutical use includes a heating tunnel; an entry station to the heating tunnel; an exit station from the heating tunnel and a transport device for containers for pharmaceutical use having at least one transport branch defining a first transport path between the entry station and the exit station from the heating tunnel and at least one return branch defining a second transport path between the exit station and the entry station. The transport branch and the return branch of the transport device may pass through the heating tunnel.

Claims

1. A heating system for containers for pharmaceutical use comprising: a heating tunnel; an entry station to the heating tunnel; an exit station from the heating tunnel; a transport device for containers for pharmaceutical use comprising at least one transport branch comprising a conveyor belt defining a first transport path between the entry station and the exit station from the heating tunnel and at least one return branch comprising a conveyor belt defining a second transport path between the exit station and the entry station; wherein said transport branch and said return branch of the transport device pass through said heating tunnel.

2. The heating system according to claim 1, wherein said transport device comprises a plurality of trays, wherein each tray comprises a plurality of housing seats for respective containers for pharmaceutical use; each tray of said plurality of trays being configured to travel along said at least one said transport branch and said at least one return branch.

3. The heating system according to claim 2, wherein each tray of said plurality of trays comprises an upper wall and a lower wall spaced along a transverse direction from said upper wall; each housing seat comprising a through-opening in said upper wall to allow for the passage of a respective container for pharmaceutical use and said lower wall being configured to receive and support said containers for pharmaceutical use.

4. The heating system according to claim 3, wherein each tray of said plurality of trays comprises an intermediate wall placed transversely between the upper wall and the lower wall; each housing seat comprising a through-opening in said intermediate wall transversely aligned with a corresponding through-opening in the upper wall and configured to allow for the passage of a respective container for pharmaceutical use.

5. The heating system according to claim 3, wherein each housing seat comprises a through-hole in said lower wall, wherein each through-opening of the upper wall corresponds to a respective through-hole and wherein at least one perimeter portion of each through-hole is configured to receive and support a respective container for pharmaceutical use.

6. The heating system according to claim 2, wherein each tray of said plurality of trays is configured to be associated with and to be removed from at least one of said at least one transport branch and said at least one return branch.

7. The heating system according to claim 6, further comprising: at least one first pick and place device placed at said entry station and at least one second pick and place device placed at said exit station; said at least one first pick and place device being configured to remove a tray from said return branch and to associate a tray with said transport branch; and said at least one second pick and place device being configured to remove a tray from said transport branch and to associate a tray with said return branch.

8. The heating system according to claim 7, further comprising: a plurality of loading holders placed at said entry station, and a plurality of unloading holders placed at said exit station, said loading holder and said unloading holder being configured to receive and support said trays; said at least one first pick and place device being configured to insert and remove said trays from said loading holder; and said at least one second pick and place device being configured to insert and remove said trays from said unloading holder.

9. The heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a number R of return branches and a number M of transport branches, wherein M and R are integers and wherein M is greater than R.

10. The heating system according to claim 6, further comprising: a number R of return branches and a number M of transport branches, wherein M and R are integers and wherein M is greater than R; and wherein on each transport branch of said M transport branches, a plurality of trays are simultaneously present and wherein the trays simultaneously present on a transport branch are spaced from each other in the longitudinal direction by identical distances D1.

11. The heating system according to claim 10, wherein a travel time T between said entry station and said exit station of any tray associated with a respective transport branch of said M transport branches is equal to a travel time T of any other tray associated with any other transport branch between said entry station and said exit station.

12. The heating system according to claim 11, wherein an instant of association of a tray with a transport branch of said M transport branches is different from an instant of association of a tray with any other transport branch of said M transport branches.

13. The heating system according to claim 10, wherein the number of trays carried by said M transport branches in a predetermined time interval is equal to the number of trays carried by said R return branches in said predetermined time interval.

14. The heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a clean room, said heating tunnel being arranged within said clean room.

15. The heating system according to claim 8, further comprising: a clean room, said heating tunnel being arranged within said clean room; a first further clean room and a second further clean room placed respectively at the entry station and the exit station; and said first further clean room comprising an insertion opening and said second further clean room comprising an exit opening, said loading holder and said unloading holder being respectively insertable into and removable from said insertion opening and said exit opening.

16. A heating system for containers for pharmaceutical use comprising: a heating tunnel; an entry station to the heating tunnel; an exit station from the heating tunnel; a transport device for containers for pharmaceutical use comprising at least one transport branch defining a first transport path between the entry station and the exit station from the heating tunnel and at least one return branch defining a second transport path between the exit station and the entry station; wherein said transport branch and said return branch of the transport device pass through said heating tunnel; and wherein said transport device comprises a plurality of trays; wherein each tray comprises a plurality of housing seats for respective containers for pharmaceutical use; each tray of said plurality of trays being configured to travel along said transport branch and said return branch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the present disclosure and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view from above of a heating system in accordance with the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a heating system in accordance with the present disclosure;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic view from above of some details of the heating system in FIG. 1 in a first embodiment;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic view from above of some details of the heating system in FIG. 1 in a second embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective schematic view of a detail of the heating system of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective schematic view of the detail of FIG. 5, with some parts removed to better highlight others; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective schematic view along the plane VII-VII of the detail of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. The following definitions and non-limiting guidelines must be considered in reviewing the description of the technology set forth herein.

(10) In the following detailed description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. For example, the present disclosure is not limited in scope to the particular type of industry application depicted in the figures. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present disclosure.

(11) The headings and sub-headings used herein are intended only for general organization of topics within the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure of the technology or any aspect thereof. In particular, subject matter disclosed in the Background may include novel technology and may not constitute a recitation of prior art. Subject matter disclosed in the Summary is not an exhaustive or complete disclosure of the entire scope of the technology or any embodiments thereof. Classification or discussion of a material within a section of this specification as having a particular utility is made for convenience, and no inference should be drawn that the material must necessarily or solely function in accordance with its classification herein when it is used in any given composition.

(12) The citation of references herein does not constitute an admission that those references are prior art or have any relevance to the patentability of the technology disclosed herein. All references cited in the Detailed Description section of this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

(13) An embodiment of a heating system in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 by reference number 10.

(14) The system 10 comprises a heating tunnel 11 configured to for the heat treatment of containers for pharmaceutical use 100. The heat treatment carried out by the heating tunnel 11 involves heating containers for pharmaceutical use 100 to relatively high temperatures, e.g. above 250 C., in order to sterilise them or to carry out a baking treatment in order to harden silicone coatings of containers for pharmaceutical use 100.

(15) The containers for pharmaceutical use 100 are, in the example shown in the accompanying figures, essentially cylindrical containers. However, containers for pharmaceutical use 100 can come in different shapes, as will be evident below. The containers for pharmaceutical use 100 can be, for example, syringes, carpules, vials and the like.

(16) As schematically depicted in FIGS. 1 to 4, the system 10 comprises an entry station 12 to the heating tunnel 11 and an exit station 13 from the heating tunnel 11. The entry station 12 is configured to allow the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 to enter the heating tunnel 11 and the exit station 13 is configured to allow the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 to exit the heating tunnel 11.

(17) As schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 10 comprises a clean room 14 with the heating tunnel 11 inside it. The clean room 14. The clean room 14 is a contamination-controlled environment whose purpose is to provide an environment that limits the presence of particles inside it by adopting air filtration systems suited to the purpose. The clean rooms are classified according to the level of cleanliness of the air inside them and, based on the amount and size of particles per volume of air, a class of merit is assigned according to the ISO-14644-1 standard. This standard provides for classes ISO 1 to ISO 9, with ISO 1 being the cleanest class and ISO 9 being the dirtiest class. In the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the clean room 14 is ISO class 5.

(18) As schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, the heating tunnel 11 comprises a plurality of mutually consecutive heat treatment chambers 15.

(19) The heat treatment chambers 15 comprise a plurality of heating chambers 16 followed by one or more cooling chambers 17. Adjacent to the entry station 12 is a heating chamber 16 and adjacent to the exit station 13 is a cooling chamber 17.

(20) Preferably, the heat treatment chambers 15 are separated from each other by shutters (not shown) and/or air blades. This makes it possible to interrupt the flow of trays 25 through the tunnel and intervene individually for short periods on a single heat treatment chamber 15 without compromising the operating and sterile conditions of the other heat treatment chambers 15.

(21) In the heating tunnel 11 there are a plurality of heat conditioning devices 18. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 2, at least one thermal conditioning device 18 acts on each heat treatment chamber. The thermal conditioning devices 18 may be air heaters 19 or air coolers 20. The air heaters 19 are active on the heating chamber 16 and the air coolers 20 are active on the cooling chamber(s) 17. In each heating chamber 16, the temperature can be controlled and maintained at predefined values usually above at least 200 C. In each cooling chamber 17, the temperature can be controlled and maintained at predefined values usually close to room temperature (e.g. about 25 C.). In the heating chambers 16 closest to the cooling chambers 17 the temperature can be kept lower than the mentioned 200 C. to avoid thermal shocks to the pharmaceutical 100 containers.

(22) As schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the system 10 comprises a conveyor device 21 for containers for pharmaceutical use 100. The transport device 21 has the function of transporting containers for pharmaceutical use 100 inside the heating tunnel 11. In particular, the transport device 21 transports the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 between the entry station 12 and the exit station 13 of the heating tunnel 11.

(23) The transport device 21 comprises at least one transport branch 22 and at least one return branch 23. In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, there are three transport branches 22 and one return branch 23. However, there may be any number of transport branches 22 (depending on production requirements) greater than one and fewer return branches 23 than transport branches 22. In the following, explicit reference will be made to three transport branches 22 and one return branch 23.

(24) The transport branch 22 and the return branch 23 pass through the heating tunnel 11 in a longitudinal direction. The transport branch 22 defines a first transport path P1 through the heating tunnel 11 between the entry station 12 and the exit station 13 and the return branch 23 defines a second transport path P2 through the heating tunnel 11 between the exit station 13 and the entry station 12.

(25) The transport branches 22 and return branches 23 are implemented by one or more conveyor belts 24.

(26) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each transport branch 22 comprises a conveyor belt 24a and the return branch 23 comprises a conveyor belt 24b. In this embodiment, the conveyor belts 24a, 24b of the transport branch 22 and return branch 23 are independent of each other.

(27) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, each transport branch 22 comprises a conveyor belt 24c and the return branch 23 comprises a conveyor belt 24c. A single conveyor belt 24c with several longitudinal sections or longitudinal branches implements both the transport branch 22 and the return branch 23. In this embodiment, each transport branch 22 is defined by a respective longitudinal section of the conveyor belt 24c and the return branch 23 is defined by a further longitudinal section of the conveyor belt 24c. Connecting sections are provided at the ends of the longitudinal sections of the conveyor belt 24c. These connecting sections define an entry connecting section 22a at the entry station 12 and an exit connecting section 22b at the exit station 13. In other words, in this embodiment, each transport branch 22 and the return branch 23 are associated with a respective conveyor belt 24c that can form a single conveyor belt through the connecting sections.

(28) For example, the entry connecting section 22a and the exit connecting section 22b each comprise one or more 180 bends (not shown), movable integrally with the conveyor belt 24c, and intended to connect each transport branch 22 with a return branch 23. In this way it is possible to pick up only the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 exiting the heating tunnel 11 and to avoid the lifting the trays 25 by a first pick and place device 33 and a second pick and place device 41 (described in more detail below).

(29) In fact, by means of the 180 bend mentioned above, and optionally with the help of one or more deflectors (not shown) these trays 25 are directly diverted from the transport branch 22 to the return branch 23.

(30) In both embodiments, the conveyor belt 24a (or the longitudinal sections of conveyor belt 24c) of the transport branches 22 move from the entry station 12 to the exit station 13 and the conveyor belt 24b (or the longitudinal section of the conveyor belt 24c) moves from the exit station 13 to the entry station 12.

(31) The transport speeds of the conveyor belts 24a (or the longitudinal sections of the conveyor belt 24c) of the transport branches 22 are identical to each other.

(32) At least in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the conveyor belt 24b of the return branch 23 has a higher transport speed than the conveyor belt 24a of the transport branches 22.

(33) The system 10 further comprises a plurality of trays 25 each configured to house a plurality of containers for pharmaceutical use 100, as depicted in FIG. 6.

(34) As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, each tray 25 comprises a plurality of housing seats 25a, in particular one housing seat 25a for each container for pharmaceutical use 100.

(35) Each tray 25 comprises an upper wall 26 comprising a plurality of through-openings 27. The through-openings 27 are equidistant from each other and evenly distributed on the upper surface 26, as shown in FIG. 6. The through-holes 27 have a counter-shaped shape to a longitudinal section of the container for pharmaceutical use 100. In the embodiment illustrated, in which the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 are essentially cylindrical, the through-openings 27 are circular. In the event that the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 are all identical to each other, as in the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, all the through-openings 27 are identical to each other. The size of each through-opening 27 is essentially the same as the size of the longitudinal section of a container for pharmaceutical use 100. In other words, each container for pharmaceutical use 100 is inserted to size in a respective through-opening 27, as shown in FIG. 5.

(36) Each tray 25 further comprises a bottom wall 28 spaced in a transverse direction from the top wall 26. The upper wall 26 and the lower wall 28 are connected to each other by spacers 29. The lower wall 28 receives and supports a portion of the lower end of each container for pharmaceutical use 100, as schematically shown in FIG. 5. For this purpose, as further illustrated in FIG. 7, the lower wall comprises a plurality of through-holes 30 wherein each through-hole 30 is aligned with a corresponding through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26. The through-holes 30 are of such a size and/or shape that the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 cannot pass through the through-holes 30 themselves. For this purpose, the through-holes 30 comprise a perimeter portion 30a which makes at least partial contact with the lower end portion of the containers for pharmaceutical use 100. In a first embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, each through-hole 30 has a substantially identical shape to the shape of the corresponding through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26 and a smaller size than the size of the corresponding through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26. In this case, the perimeter portion 30a of the through-hole 30 is completely contacted by the lower end portion of the containers for pharmaceutical use 100. In a further embodiment not illustrated, each through-hole 30 is shaped differently from the shape of the corresponding through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26 and is of a size that prevents the container for pharmaceutical use 100 from passing through the through-hole 30. In this case, the perimeter portion 30a of the through-hole 30 is only partially contacted by the lower end portion of the container for pharmaceutical use 100. For each through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26 there is a respective through-hole 30 in the lower wall 28.

(37) Each tray 25 further comprises an intermediate wall 31 interposed in a transverse direction to the upper wall 26 and the lower wall 28. The intermediate wall is advantageously connected to the upper wall 26 and the lower wall 28 by spacers 29. The intermediate wall 31 comprises a plurality of through-openings 32. The through-openings 32 are equidistant from each other and evenly distributed on the intermediate surface 31, as shown in FIG. 7. The through-openings 32 are identical in shape and size to the through-openings 27 in the upper wall 26. The through-openings 32 are transversely aligned with the through-openings 27 of the upper wall 26. For each through-opening 27 in the upper wall 26 there is a corresponding through-opening 32 in the intermediate wall.

(38) The through-openings 27 in the upper wall 26, the through-openings 32 in the middle wall 31 and the through-openings 30 in the lower wall 28 define the housing seats 25a.

(39) Each tray 25 is configured to be coupled to and removed from the transport branch 22 and return branch 23 of the transport device 21.

(40) In this regard, the system 10 comprises at least a first pick and place device 33 placed at the entry station 12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there is only one pick and place device 33. The system 10 also comprises a plurality of loading holders 34 also located at the entry station 12 (depicted in FIG. 1). The loading holders 34 are configured to receive and house a plurality of trays 25. The first pick and place device 33 is configured to move and operate between the plurality of loading holders 34, the transport branches 22 and the return branch 23. The first pick and place device 33 is also configured to handle the trays 25, preferably to handle one tray 25 at a time. In the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the first pick and place device 33 comprises an arm 35 with six degrees of freedom. As an example, the first pick and place device 33 may be an anthropomorphic arm. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, each tray 25 comprises gripping handles 36 to be properly gripped and moved by the first pick and place device 33.

(41) A loading chamber 37 is provided at the entry station 12. The loading chamber 37 is configured to accommodate the first pick and place device 33 and the plurality of loading holders 34. The loading chamber 37 is placed inside a first further clean room 38. The first further clean room 38 is ISO class 6. The loading chamber 37 serves as an intermediate chamber between the external environment and the heating tunnel 11. The first further clean room 38 comprises an insertion opening 39 which allows the introduction and removal of loading holders 34 and trays 25 from the external environment into the first further clean room 38 and loading chamber 37. The first further clean room 38 comprises a passage opening 40 which allows the introduction and removal of trays 25 from the heating tunnel 11 into the first further clean room 38 and the loading chamber 37.

(42) The system 10 comprises at least one second pick and place device 41 placed at the exit station 13. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there is only one pick and place device 41. The system 10 further comprises a plurality of exit holders 42 also placed at the exit station 13 (depicted in FIG. 1). The unloading holders 42 are configured to receive and accommodate a plurality of tray 25. The second pick and place device 41 is configured to move and operate between the plurality of unloading holders 42, the transport branches 22 and the return branch 23. The second pick and place device 41 is also configured to move the trays 25, preferably to move one tray 25 at a time. In the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the second pick and place device 41 comprises an arm 43 with six degrees of freedom. By way of example, the second pick and place device 41 can be an anthropomorphic arm. The gripping handles 36 of the trays are configured to be correctly gripped by the second pick and place device 41.

(43) At the exit station 13 there is an unloading chamber 44. The unloading chamber 44 is configured to accommodate the second pick and place device 41 and the plurality of unloading holders 42. The unloading chamber 44 is placed inside a second further clean room 45. The second further clean room 45 is ISO class 6. The unloading chamber 44 serves as an intermediate chamber between the external environment and the heating tunnel 11. The second further clean room 45 comprises an insertion opening 46 which allows the introduction of trays 25 from the heating tunnel 11 into the second further clean room 45 and into the unloading chamber 44. The second further clean room 45 comprises an exit opening 47 which allows the introduction and removal of unloading holders 34 and trays 25 from the external environment into the first further clean room 38 and loading chamber 37.

(44) In the example embodiment described above and illustrated in the accompanying figures, when a plurality of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 are to undergo heat treatment, a first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is brought into the loading chamber 37 and inserted into an empty tray 25 in the loading chamber 37, e.g. placed on the loading holders 34. Alternatively, the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 already placed in a tray 25 is brought together with the tray 25 to the loading chamber 37. The first pick and place device 33 picks up the tray 25 containing the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 and associates it with one of the transport branches 22. Alternatively, the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in a tray 25 on the entry connecting section 22a and the tray 25 reaches one of the transport branches 22.

(45) The association of the tray 25 with the transport branch 22 (or its inlet into the transport branch 22) occurs at a first instant of association t1.

(46) In the meantime, a second set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in another empty tray 25 as described above. This tray is associated by the first pick and place device 33 with a further transport branch 22 (or enters the further transport branch 22) at a second instant of association t2.

(47) Similarly, a third set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in another empty tray 25 in the manner described above. This tray is associated by the first pick and place device 33 with a further transport branch 22 (or enters the further transport branch 22) at a third instant of association t3.

(48) Referring to FIG. 3, the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed on the lowest transport branch 22 for those looking at FIG. 3, the second set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed on the central transport branch 22 for those looking at FIG. 3, and the third set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed on the highest transport branch 22 for those looking at FIG. 3.

(49) Referring to FIG. 4, the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 enters the lowest transport branch for those looking at FIG. 4, the second set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 enters the central transport branch for those looking at FIG. 4, and the third set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 enters the highest transport branch for those looking at FIG. 4.

(50) The instant of association t1 precedes the second instant of association t2 which in turn precedes the third instant of association t3. The first instant of association t1 is temporally separated from the second instant of association t2 by an amount equal to that which temporally separates the second instant of association t2 from the third instant of association t3.

(51) In the time between the first instant of association t1 and the second instant of association t2, the tray 25 deposited first has travelled a distance D1/2 on the respective transport branch 22. In the time between the second instant of association t2 and the third instant of association t3, the tray 25 deposited second travelled a distance D1/2 on the respective transport branch 22 and the tray 25 deposited third travelled a distance equal to D1 on the respective transport branch 22. The distance D1 is equal to the length in the longitudinal direction of the tray 25 multiplied by a factor F equal to 2.

(52) Meanwhile, a fourth set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in another empty tray 25 as described above. This tray is associated with a fourth instant of association t4 by the first pick and place device 33 on the transport branch 22 in which the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 was inserted. Alternatively, the fourth set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is inserted into a tray 25 on the entry connecting section 22a and the tray reaches, at the fourth instant of association t4, the transport branch 22 into which the first set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 had entered.

(53) Likewise, a fifth set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in another empty tray 25 as described above. This tray is associated with a fifth instant of association t5 by the first pick and place device 33 on the transport branch 22 in which the second set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 was inserted. Alternatively, the fifth group of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is inserted into a tray 25 on the entry connecting section 22a and the tray reaches, at the fifth instant of association t5, the transport branch 22 into which the second group of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 had entered.

(54) Likewise, a sixth set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is placed in another empty tray 25 as described above. This tray is associated with a sixth instant of association t6 by the first pick and place device 33 on the transport branch 22 in which the third set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 was inserted. Alternatively, the sixth group of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is inserted into a tray 25 on the entry connecting section 22a and the tray reaches, at the sixth instant of association t6, the transport branch 22 into which the third group of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 had entered.

(55) The fourth instant of association t4 follows the third instant of association t3 and precedes the fifth instant of association t5 which in turn precedes the sixth instant of association t6. The fourth instant of association t4 is temporally separated from the fifth instant of association t5 by an amount equal to that which temporally separates the fifth instant of association t5 from the sixth instant of association t6. Moreover, the fourth instant of association t4 is temporally separated from the third instant of association t3 by an amount equal to that which temporally separates the fourth instant of association t4 from the fifth instant of association t5.

(56) During a first waiting time between the fourth instant of association t4 and the first instant of association t1, the tray 25 first deposited travelled a distance D1+D1/2 on the respective transport branch 22. During a first waiting time between the fifth instant of association t5 and the second instant of association t2, the tray 25 deposited second travelled a distance D1+D1/2 on the respective transport branch 22. During a first waiting time between the sixth instant of association t6 and the third instant of association t3, the tray 25 deposited third travelled a distance D1+D1/2 on the respective transport branch 22.

(57) Thus, on each transport branch 22 the trays 25 simultaneously transported inside the heating tunnel 11 are separated from each other by equal distances D1. These distances are measured (as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4) between the end of one tray 25 and the beginning of the tray 25 preceding it.

(58) In this way, one tray 25 arrives at the exit station 13 from the heating tunnel 11 at a time, i.e. two or more trays 25 never arrive at the same time.

(59) In the embodiment in FIG. 3, when a tray 25 containing a set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 has passed through the heating tunnel 11, this tray 25 is picked up by the second pick and place device 41. The picked tray 25 is placed in an unloading holder 42 and the set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 that has undergone heat treatment is withdrawn from the tray 25 to be sent to subsequent processing stations. Alternatively, the set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is withdrawn from the tray 25 without being placed in an unloading holder 42.

(60) Alternatively, in the embodiment in FIG. 4, when a tray 25 containing a set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 has passed through the heating tunnel 11, the tray 25 exits the transport branch and enters the exit connecting section 22b. From this tray 25, the heat-treated set of containers for pharmaceutical use 100 is picked while the tray travels through the exit connecting section 22b.

(61) The removal of any tray 25 from any transport branch (or its exit from any transport branch 22) occurs at a different removal time from the removal time of any other tray 25 from any transport branch (or its exit from any transport branch 22).

(62) The time separating two temporally successive removal times is equal to the time separating two temporally consecutive instants of association.

(63) A second waiting time separating two successive removal times from the same transport branch 22 is equal to the first waiting time separating two successive instants of association on the same transport branch 22.

(64) In the embodiment in FIG. 3, the tray 25 from which the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 have been removed (whether it has been deposited in an unloading holder 42 or not) is associated with the return branch 23.

(65) In the embodiment in FIG. 4, the tray 25 from which the containers for pharmaceutical use 100 were removed reaches the return branch 43 via the exit connecting section 22b.

(66) In both cases, the empty trays 25 travel along the return branch 23 (without losing their sterility) and reach the entry station 12 again.

(67) In the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the empty trays 25 travelling along the return branch 23 are spaced in the longitudinal direction by identical distances D2. These distances D2 are smaller than the distance D1.

(68) The preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above to explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the present disclosure. However, as various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, including all materials expressly incorporated by reference herein, shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiment but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.