Automation in Ophthalmic Strip Manufacturing
Ophthalmic diagnostic strips — such as Sodium Fluorescein Strips and Schirmer Tear Test Strips — are essential tools used by eye care professionals for diagnostic and surgical purposes. These strips require high precision, consistency, and sterility, making automation a key factor in ensuring product quality and cost efficiency. At Alkem Global, we offer complete automation solutions for ophthalmic strip manufacturing — from chemical dipping to pouch packing — ensuring reliability, uniformity, and regulatory compliance.
10/16/20252 min read
Automatic Sodium Fluorescein Dipping and Drying Setup
The first stage of manufacturing ophthalmic diagnostic strips involves chemical coating of high-quality filter paper, typically Whatman-grade cellulose paper, with a Sodium Fluorescein solution.
In traditional manual batch processing, the dipping and drying are inconsistent — leading to variation in concentration, uneven drying, and contamination risk.
An automatic dipping and drying system solves these issues by:
Ensuring uniform chemical coating across all strips.
Maintaining controlled temperature and humidity for consistent drying.
Reducing manual handling and contamination risk.
Increasing batch traceability and productivity.
This automation enables reliable and repeatable coating quality, which is critical for ophthalmic diagnostics where even slight variations can affect test accuracy.
Automatic Strip Making Machine
Once the coated paper is prepared, it needs to be laminated with an adhesive backing paper and then precisely cut into uniform diagnostic strips.
The Automatic Ophthalmic Strip Making Machine performs:
Lamination – bonding the coated filter paper with the adhesive support layer.
Die-cutting – shaping the strips accurately according to specifications.
Batch coding and counting – marking and separating sets of strips for packing.
Automation at this stage ensures:
High-speed production with minimal rejection rate.
Consistent dimensions and adhesive application.
Ease of format changeover for various strip sizes (Fluorescein, Tear Test, etc.).
This step eliminates manual cutting inconsistencies and improves productivity dramatically.
Automatic Strip Packing Machine
Traditionally, inserting ophthalmic strips into sterile pouches is a manual, labor-intensive process. Manual insertion is slow and can increase contamination risks.
The Automatic Strip Packing Machine with robotic pick-and-place technology revolutionizes this process by:
Automatically counting and inserting strips into pre-formed sterile pouches.
Heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing the pouches with consistent seal integrity.
Integrating eye-mark sensing and batch coding for traceability.
Compatible with both Fluorescein and Tear Test Strips.
This automation ensures:
High-speed packaging with reduced labor dependency.
Enhanced hygiene and sterility compliance.
Reduced operational cost and human error.
Quality Assurance and Process Validation
Every ophthalmic strip must comply with strict medical device quality standards such as ISO 13485, GMP, and CE guidelines. Automation plays a key role in meeting these requirements by enabling:
In-line process monitoring and data logging.
Consistent dip volume and drying parameters.
Uniform adhesive bonding and cutting precision.
Accurate pouch sealing and labeling verification.
Automated testing options can also be integrated, such as seal strength testing, color density checking, and vision-based quality inspection.
Integration and Scalability
At Alkem Global, we design systems that can be:
Fully integrated (from dipping to packing in a single line), or
Modular, allowing stepwise automation according to investment and capacity needs.
Our solutions are scalable — suitable for startups, medium-scale manufacturers, and large-scale industrial setups looking to modernize their ophthalmic product lines.