Device and method for the force-controlled closure of pharmaceutical containers

A device (10) for closing pharmaceutical containers (12) via closures (14), the device comprising:

• a first holding device (16), which lies in a first plane (18), for receiving at least one pharmaceutical container (12),
• a second holding device (20), which lies in a second plane (22) parallel to and spaced apart from the first plane (18), for receiving at least one closure (14) of the closures (14) for closing an opening (24) of the at least one pharmaceutical container (12),
• wherein the first and the second holding devices (16, 20) are alignable or aligned with each other such that the at least one closure (14) and the opening (24) of the at least one pharmaceutical container (12) are aligned with each other,
• the device (10) further comprising at least one pressure unit (34) with a pressure element (26) and a counter element (28), wherein
• the device (10) comprises a drive device (30), by which the counter element (28) and the at least one pressure unit (34) can be moved relative to one another along a closure movement axis (32) orthogonal to the first and second planes (18, 22), wherein
• during a closure movement the at least one pressure unit (34) and the counter element (28) both move towards one another, the at least one closure (14) and the at least one pharmaceutical container (12) are brought into contact between a pressure element (26) and the counter element (28) and are pressurized between the pressure element (26) and the counter element (28) in such a way that the at least one closure (14) is pressed onto or into the at least one pharmaceutical container (12) with a contact force in a direction of the closure movement axis (32) in order to close the opening (24) of the at least one pharmaceutical container (12),
• wherein the pressure element (26) is mounted to be translationally movable relative to the at least one pressure unit (34) in the direction of the closure movement axis (32), and a movable mounting of the pressure element (26) is configured in such a way that a maximum contact force exerted on the at least one pharmaceutical container (12) and the at least one closure (14) during the closure movement is predetermined, wherein the movable mounting of the pressure element (26) is designed in such a way that the maximum contact force on the at least one pharmaceutical container and the at least one closure is specified by the movable mounting of the pressure element (26), such that when the at least one closure is pressed onto or into the at least one pharmaceutical container, the contact force or the contact force for a closing process results when the at least one closure comes into contact with the at least one pharmaceutical container and the closing process for the at least one pharmaceutical container continues until the maximum contact force is reached and that when the maximum contact force specified by the movable mounting is exceeded, the pressure element moves translationally in a direction opposite to a direction in which the at least one closure and the at least one pharmaceutical container are moved towards each other along the closure movement axis towards the at least one pressure unit, such that the contact force applied by the pressure element to the at least one closure and the at least one pharmaceutical container is not increased further and the closing process is completed, such that during this movement towards or into the at least one pressure unit, the pressure element can maintain the maximum contact force or the pressure element can reduce or completely release the contact force but not increase the contact force over the maximum contact force, such that the closing process of the at least one pharmaceutical container is dependent on the maximum contact force, which is specified by the movable mounting, and is not path-dependent and when the maximum contact force is reached, a press-on/press-in process is terminated, and a pressure or force with which the at least one pharmaceutical container and the at least one closure are pressed onto each other is not increased any further, wherein this termination criterion is independent of a distance the pressure element or the at least one pressure unit has already moved and wherein after the maximum contact force has been reached, the pressure element gives way in a direction of the at least one pressure unit.