Customised development for multinational pharmaceutical company

The challenge

BD, one of the world’s largest medical technology companies, faced a critical challenge in one of its production processes: the internal cleaning of vacuum transfer conduits used to transport manufactured material between different areas of the plant.
With continued use, dust accumulated inside these ducts and had to be removed to comply with strict pharmaceutical industry regulations and the company’s high internal hygiene standards.
The manual methods available were insufficient:
– Cleaning the interior was practically impossible.
– It involved production stoppages, dismantling ducts or periodic replacement with new units.
– The process was slow, costly and carried a risk of cross-contamination.
BD also needed the inside of the ducts to be not only clean, but also disinfected, applying alcohol in a specific proportion during cleaning and removing any residue with a certified cloth that left no traces.

The solution

ICS analysed the process and designed a robotic solution specifically tailored to BD’s needs.
The project consisted of developing a pipe brushing robot capable of:

1. Brush the inside of the duct.
– Custom-designed brushing head.
– Hose of sufficient length to reach the duct without dismantling it.
– Adjusted force and speed to remove dust without damaging the surface.

2. Spray alcohol during brushing.
– Integrated spraying system with density and flow rate set by BD.
– Simultaneous disinfection during the brushing process.

3. Perform a double pass with a certified cloth.
– Quick change of the head after brushing.
– The cloth removes any residue or moisture without leaving fibres or fluff behind.
– The duct is completely clean, dry, and disinfected.

Results obtained

Thanks to this bespoke development, BD has achieved:

– Full compliance with pharmaceutical regulations and standards.
– Elimination of technical stoppages due to dismantling or replacement of
pipes.
– Increased productivity and process efficiency.
– Longer service life of pipes.
– Safer, faster and fully controlled process.

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