These speedy BD robot arms store and retrieve medications in seconds

The Vmax robot arm with a gripper (not shown) takes scanned medication packages and places them where space is available. The arm is driven in this left and right direction by an Igus Dryspin nut on an Igus lead screw with about a 1-in. pitch. [Image by Paul Dvorak]

It’s not difficult to see hospitals and pharmacies challenged by dispensing thousands of drugs with speed and accuracy. As the number of drugs rises, so do security issues. To address both, the Rowa Division of BD in Germany has introduced two machines.

The Rowa Vmax provides for the automatic storage and retrieval of boxed pharmaceuticals while the Smart System can collect and blister pack a daily dose of medications for individual patients.

The rapid storage and retrieval are possible because of a lead screw and nut from Igus (Cologne, Germany), a manufacturer of many plastic and associated parts. Stefan Niermann, the Igus head of business unit dryline linear & drive technology, says BD engineers had looked for a lead screw with a long pitch and low friction and selected the Igus products in part because the nut operated with less than half the friction of competing products.

Get the full story on our sister publication Drug Delivery Business News.