Automated Weight Sorting for Pharmaceutical Quality Control | Harwell Dosimeters

Project Requirements

Harwell Dosimeters needed a robust and highly accurate solution to weigh Alanine Pellets, which are used to quantify absorbed radiation dose.

Key characteristics of the pellets included:

• Material: Alanine (amino acid) bound in wax

• Shape: Cylindrical with square edges

• Dimensions: ~5 mm diameter, ~3 mm length

• Weight: ~60 mg per pellet

When irradiated, the response of alanine is quantitatively related to the radiation dose absorbed. This means even small weight variations can directly affect dose measurement accuracy.

As a result, Harwell required:

• Accurate individual pellet weighing

• Reliable rejection of out-of-specification pellets

• A system capable of supporting pharmaceutical-quality control requirements

• Reduction of manual weighing and associated error risk

The CI Precision Solution

Due to the size, geometry, and critical application of the Alanine Pellets, Harwell required a highly accurate and versatile automated weight sorting system capable of maintaining consistent performance.

Initially, Harwell Dosimeters sent batches of pellets to CI Precision for external check-weighing. Following consistent improvements in quality control and efficiency, they decided to bring automated weight sorting in-house.

As demand increased, Harwell invested in CI Precision’s SADE SP weight sorters, expanding their installed base over time to include:

• Three SP-B40 benchtop weight sorters

• Two SP140 weight sorters

CI Precision’s SADE SP systems were selected because they could reliably handle the small size, low mass, and precise geometry of the pellets while delivering the high accuracy required for this application.

System Performance and Quality Impact

By implementing automated weight sorting, Harwell Dosimeters achieved:

• Accurate, repeatable weighing of individual pellets

• Automated rejection of nonconforming units

• Elimination of error-prone manual weighing steps

• Automated batch reporting to support quality documentation

• Improved efficiency in meeting strict QA and regulatory requirements

The SADE SP weight sorters replaced time-consuming manual processes with a consistent, validated, and auditable approach to pharmaceutical quality control.

Outcome

Automated weight sorting enabled Harwell Dosimeters to scale their quality control processes while maintaining confidence in radiation dose measurement accuracy. The system supports reliable manufacturing, improved data integrity, and efficient compliance with stringent quality assurance expectations.