RB specialises in pharmaceutical manufacture, manufacturing well-known brands such as Lemsip, Gaviscon and Durex. RB is continually developing new products. When a product is developed, a manufacturing solution is required. This is initially done on a small scale “pilot plant”, which allows the optimisation of the manufacturing process before it is scaled up.
RB have recently developed a new variant of an indigestion remedy, resulting in the need to construct a new pilot plant. They need to develop an automated solution to manufacture the product. The Research and Development Director (R & D) is exploring the use of an automated control system and robots in the process.
The automated processes being considered include: batch manufacture; continuous extrusion of product; moving product along a conveyer belt; sealing and labelling bottles. Key process parameters include: the speed at which items are filled; the temperature of the manufacturing environment; the bottle containing the correct quantity of remedy (determined by volume).
RDUTC students have been recruited to the RB Project Team. The R & D Director requires them to produce a report advising the Project Team on:
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