As a highly regulated sector, the pharmaceutical industry has to comply with a lot of laws and regulations. Companies not only have to ensure quality and purity for every single production step, but also document it and reliably store the corresponding data. This is the reason why pharmaceutical companies benefit in particular from digitalization and automation.
As a trusted partner, Pepperl+Fuchs provides pharmaceutical companies with a wide range of products that support the complex production and quality assurance. This includes HMI systems and solutions that are recisely geared toward the diverse requirements in pharma production. Since the individual process steps and operating locations pose different challenges, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a broad portfolio of HMI systems that are suitable for different ambient conditions.
The fully modular "One Fits All" design of the VisuNet FLX series enables precise configuration of HMI systems and solutions for applications in the pharmaceutical industry, which are available for ATEX/IECEx Zone 2/22 and Division 2, and non-hazardous areas. The housings made of stainless-steel with special surfaces easily meet GMP regulations. They are particularly easy to clean and resistant to aggressive and corrosive substances. The stainless-steel version is available as stand-alone HMI system or for panel mounting.
The VisuNet GXP series provides users with modular, field-maintainable HMI systems for life science applications up to Zone 1/21. With a stainless steel housing, VisuNet GXP components are resistant to all chemicals and detergents commonly found in the life sciences sector—and the GXP is the industry’s lightest RM for Zone 1/21 life science applications.
As the pharmaceutical industry itself, the requirements for HMI systems are diverse and standard products cannot always exactly meet them. In this case, Pepperl+Fuchs supports users with customized solutions. The experts at the Solution Engineering Centers (SECs) develop and produce individual solutions adapted exactly to the application.
Pepperl+Fuchs' industrial Box Thin Clients (BTC) are suitable for use in harsh industrial environments. With a robust aluminum housing they can withstand demanding environmental conditions and are suitable for 24/7 operation. Therefore, the BTCs always reliably enable access to virtualized applications and information from central servers.
Pepperl+Fuchs offers not only the hardware for pharmaceutical production, but also the necessary software. The Windowds® based VisuNet RM Shell firmware is preinstalled on every VisuNet remote monitor and box thin client. Using standard Ethernet technology, it allows access to both virtualized and conventional PC-based process control systems. The add-on tool VisuNet Control Center enables efficient, centralized configuration and maintenance of multiple thin clients.
For users who prefer the Linux based IGEL operating system, Pepperl+Fuchs offers the VisuNet thin clients also with preinstalled IGEL OS.
When new medicines come onto the market that promise relief or even a cure for a large number of people, large quantities have to be produced quickly—in the highest quality and purity. In our amplify article, read how HMI systems support the personnel in the large-scale production of pharmaceuticals.