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Drying API Equipment

Industrial drying machines are designed to remove moisture from your product. But the drying process must cater to variations in the state of matter and molecular structure of the input material. Industrial dryer technology exploits the modes of heat transfer (convection, conduction, radiation, evaporative cooling) to control the moisture content.

Drying

API making equipment must observe rigorous quality control standards across the entire manufacturing process. The pharmacodynamic properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients API make them highly sensitive to their environment, making API manufacturing and production a tightly regulated field.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API)

The conical screw vacuum dryer is particularly suitable for the final drying of powders, granules, pastes and viscous slurries especially when they are brittle and/or temperature-sensitive. It is often used for active pharmaceutical ingredients, pesticides, sterile APIs, chemically produced toner and cocoa.


<h2>Gentle drying of temperature-sensitive products</h2>
The Vrieco-Nauta® conical screw vacuum dryer from Hosokawa Micron is a universal batch dryer, capable of drying volumes ranging from 5 to 22 000 liters, suitable for powders, granules, pastes, viscous slurries, heavy and sticky products. Specially designed for heat-sensitive products or products that contain solvents that are toxic or explosive. It can also be used for vacuum operations such as reaction/crystallization, heating/cooling,
sterilization, liquid/solid separation and de-aeration. Controlling the moisture content by monitoring the weight of condensate or using the Hosokawa sampler for taking samples from the product inside the dryer under vacuum.

Conical screw vacuum dryer

Pusher centrifuges are continuously operating filter centrifuges and can have several basket stages depending on the application. Widely used for processing salts, fertilizers, but also plastics, soda and cellulose.


<h2>Continuous solids throughput under the toughest conditions</h2>
Pusher centrifuges from Ferrum are continuously operating filter centrifuges that are based on the very successful Sulzer Escher Wyss design. The slurry is fed continuously to the product acceleration disc via the filling pipe. The solids are transported out of the centrifuge basket into the discharge channel, from where they leave the pusher centrifuge. The cake is cleaned in the centrifuge by adding washing liquid on to the solid cake.

Various models have been developed with basket sizes ranging from 230mm to 1200mm. The most common applications are developed in agricultural and petrochemical industries, such as filtration for obtaining zinc sulphate, lysine, nitrocellulose, sea salt, sodium carbonate, urea, Glauber’s salt, potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, linters and so on.

Pusher centrifuge

Vertical Bottom discharge Centrifuges work discontinuously, discharging the solids to the bottom. They are suitable for the demanding continuous operation in the chemical and fine chemical industry or for complex pharmaceutical applications.


<h2>Efficient and reliable process cycles with low vibration</h2>
The Vertical Scraper centrifuges VBC (Vertical Bottom discharge Centrifuge) from Ferrum include many application areas in the solid-liquid separation due to the modularity and the comprehensive range of optional equipment. The solid-liquid separation is effected discontinuously in a sequence of specific process steps. The individual process steps last from a few minutes to several hours depending on the characteristics of the product.

The most common applications are in the paint industry with pigments; herbicides, insecticides and carbofuran in the agrochemical industry; antibiotics, vitamins, APIs and other intermediates in the pharma industry; and plenty of applications in the food industry.

Vertical scraper centrifuges

A vertical peeler centrifuge is used to separate solids, usually to separate fine particles from suspension liquid feed mixtures in the pharmaceutical industry, where the scrapped solids are discharged through the bottom of the centrifuge vessel.


<h2>Excellent inspection outside and below the centrifuge basket</h2>
The Vertical Peeler centrifuge is a new development of the centrifuge type VBC-S (Vertical Bottom discharge Centrifuge - Swivel Open Housing) from Ferrum and it was specially designed for use in the demanding pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical centrifuges are used for products that can be filtered with solids concentrations from 2 w% and particle sizes of minimum 4 μm. The continuous operation of centrifuge allows all process steps are carried out simultaneously, increases the overall throughput.

The most common applications in the pharma industry are in Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), antibiotics, salicylic acid, pharmaceutical intermediate products, etc.

Vertical peeler centrifuge

Discharge solids vertically upward through manual action, optionally using a filter bag or a special suction device.


<h2>Optimally designed controls for easy, efficient operations</h2>
The top discharge centrifuges from Ferrum include many application areas in the solid-liquid separation due to the modularity and the comprehensive range of optional equipment. The applications of the vertical top discharge centrifuge, range from pilot plants, small-quantity production to production applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Vertical top discharge centrifuge

The system is perfectly suited for pilot plants as well as small-quantity productions in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries.


<h2>Compact and mobile centrifugation</h2>
The mobile pilot plant centrifuge from Ferrum, combines centrifuge, control and drive components as well as inertisation system in one mobile turnkey unit. The system is perfectly suited for pilot plants as well as low volume production in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The solids are discharged vertically upward manually or using a filter bag.

Mobile pilot plant centrifuge

For transferring highly active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPI) without contamination from the isolator centrifuge to the next process step (e.g. vacuum tray dryer).


<h2>Simple and efficient handling within the isolator</h2>
The VTC isolator centrifuge from Ferrum is designed especially for the use in an isolator.

This allows the operator contamination-free transport of toxic active pharmaceutical ingredients (HAPI) from the centrifuge to the next process step (e.g. vacuum dryer).

The solids are discharged from the basket either manually or by means of a lifting device.

The system is Suitable for pilot plants as well as small production quantities in the pharmaceutical industry.

Isolator centrifuge

For slurries difficult to discharge, a scraper can improve process reliability, efficiency, and operating cost. At reduced speed, the scraper knife swings into the filter cake and scrapes out the product vertically downward via the discharge chute.


<h2>Easy to access centrifuge for the best inspection</h2>
The HPZ 630-1600 range from Ferrum for pharmaceutical centrifuges HPZ range from pilot plants and low volume production to production applications in the demanding pharmaceutical industry. Ferrum pharmaceutical centrifuges are used for products that can be filtered with solids concentrations from 2 w% and particle sizes of min. 4 μm.

When expecting the processing area and the internals, the entire housing is swiveled open. An optional front door further eases and improves inspection. The centrifuges can be operated in an automatic, semi-automatic, manual or service mode. With the Horizontal pharmaceutical scraper centrifuge, a wide range of production recipes can be saved.

Horizontal pharmaceutical scraper centrifuge

For slurries difficult to discharge, a scraper can improve process reliability, efficiency and operating cost. At a reduced speed, the scraper knife swings into the filter cake and scrapes out the product vertically downward via the discharge chute.


<h2>High solids throughput with low energy consumption</h2>
The Ferrum HCZ 1000 and 2000 centrifuges were purposely designed for high throughputs and continuous operation under the toughest conditions in the chemical and fine chemical industry. The design features are robust and very reliable in accordance to the latest standards and directives. The centrifuges are built for permanent operation under the toughest conditions.

The Horizontal chemical scraper centrifuge is widely tested for herbicides and pesticides, special applications such as ABS, iron sulphate, melamine and so on can also be developed.

Horizontal chemical scraper centrifuge

Freeze-drying is used for dehydrating high-value products that are too sensitive for conventional drying processes. The product is dried by freezing, subsequently to the sublimation and ice formation, typically with a vacuum and at low temperatures.


<h2>Mixing and freeze-drying in one step</h2>
The active freeze dryer from Hosokawa Micron uses very low temperatures and a vacuum to dry your product and to obtain it in very good quality. Due to the low temperatures usage the damage of heat sensitive products, such as enzymes, flavors, proteins, vitamins and so on is avoided. Hand traditional tray-type freeze dryers are slow and labor-intensive. Hosokawa's Active Freeze Dryer ® eliminates these drawbacks.
Typical applications include pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, collagens, <a href="https://making.com/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-api/">APIs</a> and electrolytes; Food industry and in special materials like nanomaterials, polymers, ceramics, pigments, fillers, limestone, catalysts, glass powder and salts.

Active freeze dryer

The laboratory-scale active freeze-drying is used for dehydrating high-value products that are too sensitive for conventional drying processes. The product is dried by freezing and subsequent sublimation of ice formation, typically in vacuum and at low temperatures, in a small laboratory and pilot plant scale, enabling a smooth transition to the production plant.


<h2>Start innovating with freeze-drying technology</h2>
The 1-liter laboratory-scale freezer dryer from Hosokawa Micron is quicker and less labor-intensive than traditional tray-type freeze dryers. It offers the possibility of producing loose and free-flowing powder at low temperatures and low pressures, all in one vessel. Ideal for testing and simulating processes, the lab unit is "plug and play", including controls and all necessary equipment for reliable operation in your laboratory environment. Ideally suited for pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, collagens, APIs and electrolytes; food industry and special materials like nanomaterials, polymers, ceramics, pigments, fillers, limestone, catalysts, glass powder and salts.

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Laboratory scale active freeze dryer

The laboratory conical screw vacuum dryer is particularly suitable for the final drying of powders, granules, pastes and viscous slurries especially when they are brittle and/or temperature-sensitive. Useful during research and development when only a few grams of a new substance are available. Ideally suited for testing pharmaceutical products, pesticides, sterile APIs, chemically produced toner and cocoa.


<h2>Test drying processes for sensitive products</h2>
The 5-liter conical vacuum dryer from Hosokawa Micron is used for drying off heat-sensitive materials at typical 10 - 20 mbar absolute pressure in a batch process, this orbital vacuum dryer is the right tool for laboratory-scale experiments. It can handle pasty products, cakes or high viscosity slurries and delivers reliable attempts or simulations of drying and mixing. Suitable for powders, granules, pastes, viscous slurries, heavy and sticky products. Specially designed for heat-sensitive products or products that contain solvents that are toxic or explosive. It can also be used for vacuum operations such as reaction/crystallization, heating/cooling, sterilization, liquid/solid separation and de-aeration.

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Laboratory conical screw vacuum dryer

Enable vacuum, atmospheric and pressurized processing of a variety of materials such as powders, filter cakes, pastes and viscous slurries, especially when they are brittle and/or heat sensitive.


<h2>Fast-drying in a compact, multi-functional design</h2>
The Conical Paddle Dryer from Hosokawa Micron is a vertical, centrally-driven dryer that combines extremely fast drying rates with a compact design. This combination of several processes in one vessel offers savings on investment costs, labor and space.
Originally designed for vacuum drying of solid-based materials, but can be used in a wide range of other applications requiring thermal processing or vacuum treatment of solids.
<h4></h4>

Vertical paddle dryer

A multipurpose unit in the research and development field. Some of the most common applications are galenic formulation, freeze drying experimentation, taxidermy, underwater archaeology, aliquot preservation,  diagnosis and other research.


<h2>Start your research with this multipurpose high-performance device</h2>
The LyoQuest laboratory, multipurpose and R&amp;D freeze dryer from Telstar Life-Sciences has been designed as a multipurpose unit for the research and development field. It is a small freeze dryer, more compact than most but in spite of its small size, its capacity is quite unbeatable. A state-of-the-art control system and a range of specially designed accessories make the LyoQuest a benchmark in its category.

The unit's design offers the best performance in the least possible space. Suitable for laboratories: compact and easy to install, solidly designed laboratory equipment. On a functional level, cooling management ensures optimum performance.

Multipurpose and R&D freeze dryer

Freeze dryer designed for aseptic and small-scale production of high-value products.


<h2>Industrial freeze dryer in a compact envelope</h2>
Lyotris from Telstar Life-Sciences is a lab scale production freeze dryer designed for the production of small batches of high-value pharmaceutical products. With a 1m2 loading surface and capacity for approximately 1,600 10R-type vials or 30 liters of bulk product. It has been specially designed for aseptic production in vials or in bulk and its novel fascia and door design provides easy isolator integration.

The GMP laboratory freeze dryer comes with all  the necessary components for an automatic cleaning (CIP) and steam sterilization (SIP) processes, filter integrity testing (WIT) and also incorporates an advanced SCADA system which includes Telstar's patented ‘Lyometrics' system; providing advanced real-time information on the freeze-drying process.

GMP laboratory freeze dryer

The pharmaceutical and bioprocess industries need filtration processes of particularly high quality to ensure the containment of potentially hazardous substances and avoid product contamination. Experienced biopharmaceutical manufacturers know that equipment designed for general industry use often falls short of the tight quality and hygienic standards of our industry and that producers who embrace high quality pharmaceutical grade equipment will have an advantage over competitors.
<h2>A pharmaceutical grade filter system with maximum separation and complete filter cake removal and drying</h2>
Mavag AG's smaller scale and focus on their tradition of Swiss craftsmanship ensure the impeccable product quality that customers need. The company's Filter Dryer system is an agitated pressure filter with added features that make it particularly well suited to the pharmaceutical and bioprocess industries. The unit consists of a single plate filter that effectively removes solids from the processed mixture and forms a filter cake. The filter caked can be re-suspended in a liquid slurry using the magnetically driven agitator. This allows the filter cake to be discharged without exposing the interior of the system to the surrounding environment—reducing contamination and exposure risk. The unit also includes a heated vessel and agitator, a solvent recovery system, a vacuum generator, and a dust filter. These added features allow for very thorough washing of the filter cake and complete removal of solvent from the filter cake in a completely enclosed process step.  This makes the units extremely valuable to process that require excellent containment and avoidance of cross contamination as are commonly found in the pharmaceutical and bioprocess industries.

Filter dryer

Drying vessels that are simple, reliable, and easy to maintain increases product quality and process efficiency in this highly sensitive industry. Experienced biopharmaceutical manufacturers know that equipment designed for general industry use often falls short of our industry's tight quality and hygienic standards and that producers who embrace high-quality pharmaceutical-grade equipment will have an advantage over competitors.
<h2>A spherical agitated dryer with uniform drying, complete product discharge, and easy maintenance</h2>
Mavag AG's smaller scale and focus on their tradition of Swiss craftsmanship ensure the impeccable product quality that customers need. The company’s Mavaspher spherical dryer line is spherical agitated dryers that use a magnetically coupled agitator blade to stir fine chemical products inside of a machined spherical vessel for the pharmaceutical and biotech production industries. The vessel is flanged and hinged at the equator for easy opening for inspection, cleaning, and maintenance. A spherical disk valve at the lowest point in the sphere provides effective product discharge. The agitator is eccentrically mounted to aid with product discharge and provided complete mixing and gentle drying to the contained products. The shape of the agitator blades is carefully controlled to maintain a small gap between the blades and the vessel walls. Options are available to convert the agitator to a chopper are available according to the customer’s needs. The hinged, spherical shape allows the vessel to be opened up fully for cleaning and maintenance access easily. It also ensures consistent product mixing and even exposure of powders to the agitator blades and discharge valve.

Spherical dryer

Conventional dryers are inefficient and can lead to significant mechanical and thermal stress on sensitive products. Non-uniform mixing can lead to lump formation and increased processing time. Vacuum dryer with eccentric agitator is designed to dry wet flowing powders from filtration and centrifuging processes.


<h2>Vacuum dry efficiently in an agitated paddle dryer</h2>
Planex® system from Italvacuum is a special horizontal vacuum paddle dryer with an eccentric agitator which revolves around its own axis while rotating tangentially to the drying chamber. It is ideal for drying wet feeds from filtration and centrifuging processes. Planex® is ideal for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), fine chemicals and intermediates. The efficient agitator action ensures perfect mixing and consumes three times less energy than conventional dryers. It also reduces the mechanical and thermal stress on the products which is important for delicate and temperature-sensitive applications. The tangential movement of the agitator prevents lump formation. Suitable for both crystalline and amorphous products, Planex® has a short cleaning downtime and complies with US FDA standards and cGMP regulations.

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Horizontal vacuum dryer with eccentric agitator

Powdered products tend to agglomerate during vacuum drying. This adds an additional step to the production process where the dried product is milled to produce a uniform grain size. Lumps may also prolong the drying process and compromise product quality.


<h2>Industrial vacuum dryer for moist masses after centrifugation or filtration processes</h2>
The CRIOX System from Italvacuum is a vacuum dryer with two sets of electric lump breaker blades inside the rotary double-cone chamber. These blades prevent product agglomeration, increase the product surface area exposed to evaporation and enhance mixing effectiveness. This results in a powder with a controlled grain size that is ready for bagging. The lump breakers significantly reduce drying time and deliver the lowest possible residual humidity, unattainable with other systems. The rotary vacuum dryer allows operation at lower processing temperatures thus preventing thermal degradation of sensitive products. It offers rotating speed control, scheduling of operating cycles, constant torque with changing speed, absorption control and ventilated cooling.

Rotary vacuum dryer

Agitated vacuum dryers can be difficult to clean which makes them unsuitable for multi-product applications. The presence of the agitator can make cleaning jobs tough resulting in production delays or compromised product quality.
<h2>Vacuum dry wet powders in an agitated paddle dryer</h2>
CosmoDry® System is an innovative, horizontal paddle vacuum dryer from Italvacuum. It features a concentric agitator fitted with a heated shaft that can be completely dismantled for easy internal cleaning, maintenance, and inspection. CosmoDry systems are ideal for drying of wet powders in the production of pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, cosmetics, food ingredients and additives. CosmoDry eliminates friction points to reduce mechanical and thermal stresses on the product. Designed for quick, easy and complete product unloading, CosmoDry is ideal for multi-product applications. It complies with the cGMP and ATEX regulations.

Horizontal paddle vacuum dryer

Vacuum drying is used to remove moisture from sensitive materials. Drying small batches in the laboratory for R&amp;D work or removing moisture from high-potency active pharmaceutical ingredients requires careful handling and control.
<h2>Vacuum dry small batches and HPAPI's</h2>
LaboDry from Italvacuum is a laboratory-scale, vacuum tray, drying oven designed to meet small batches and high potency API production requirements. It features a separate cells construction and has been designed for glove box installation. It can be fitted with skid-mounted auxiliary accessories. LaboDry is available in in AISI 316L (1.4404), AISI 904L (1.4539) and ALLOY C-22 (2.4602) construction to meet the requirements of appropriate material for product contact. LaboDry is ideal for laboratory use and the pharmaceutical industry.

Laboratory-scale vacuum tray drying oven

Fluid bed drying is a pharmaceutical process carried out to reduce the humidity and achieve the required moisture content in the granules or powders. It also applies binders or granulation liquid to facilitate the agglomeration of wet mass before further processing. When drying pharmaceutical granules, it is essential to avoid over-drying as this could result in significant wearing down, leading to product loss. To prevent losses and poor product quality, you need a fluid bed dryer to handle continuous operation.
<h2>An efficient, robust solution to dry pharmaceutical compounds</h2>
The Fluidized Bed Dryer from Romaco Tecpharm uses the drying process to reduce the moisture content in the granules. It can be configured as a dryer, granulator, and coater. It can thus dry wet granulate, top drive granulation, and bottom spray coating. It has a capacity from 30 L to 1,540 L, with other dimensions being available on request.

The fluid bed dryer for pharmaceutical solid dosage form is constructed with an in-wall design concept. It is equipped with a side-valve for automatic loading from the high shear mixer granulator. For the drying process, hot air is passed through a vacuum generated inside the machine. The wet solids rise from the bottom and are suspended in a current of air, remaining in a fluid state. The heat transfer and the low moisture content of the air in direct contact with the wet granule allow the evaporation of the water or solvents, reducing their humidity.

The equipment has a top spray that helps in carrying out the granulation. Next, the movement of the powder in a fluidized state is combined with the spraying of a binder solution. This combination allows increasing the particle sizing, generating a granulate. Finally, the coating process is carried out by combining the spraying of the coating suspension on the micro granules in a fluid bed movement.

Fluid bed dryer for pharmaceutical solid dosage form

It is rather difficult to successfully produce a pharmaceutical solid dosage forms with the desired properties such as size, morphology, hardness and friability. You need a solution that can transform fine heterogeneous powders into homogeneous blend of granules with bigger size and higher density in a short time and with repeatability. Wet granulation is carried out to convert fine and cohesive active ingredient and excipients, into more uniform, free-flowing granules that are optimised for downstream processing.
<h2>Achieve uniform particle size distribution for wet granulation</h2>
The High Shear Mixer Granulator from Romaco Tecpharm is configured to optimize the wet granulation process. It is used to turn a fine-powder heterogeneous mixture into a uniform granulation, with increased particle size and higher density.

The equipment offers you proper flow and compactness while having a shorter operational time. It can handle capacities ranging from 25 L to 1,400 L.The bottom impeller and the side chopper enables the intensive mixing in a short period of time. In addition, the equipment uses a synchronized system to avoid extrusion effect.

The high-shear granulator for drug formation processes the solid material down to the desired particle size, and the mixture is then pumped to the fluid bed dryer where the moisture is removed, leaving behind the granular product. During the process of wet granulation, the constituents of the oral solid dosage form blend are combined, along with agglutinative solution, to form granules with a homogenous composition.

Industrial high shear mixer granulator for drug formation

Pharmaceutical industries employ several processes including drying, coating and granulation to create high-quality granules. Manufacturers can benefit from a single system that can complete all of these tasks simultaneously, increasing production yield without sacrificing the quality of the final product.


<h3>Coating, granulation, and drying granules by tangential fluid bed method</h3>
The Fluidized Bed System BFS from Bohle, is a system that can perform multiple processes such as coating, granulation, and drying to turn fine solids and dry powders into granules. The cone is equipped with a specially slotted air distributor plate which allows complete fluidization of particles while the tangential motion helps in achieving a uniform coating without the particles adhering to one another. Due to a relatively low fluidization height, the system does not require a high-volume expansion saving costs and production floor space.

The system can also be equipped with an online moisture measurement system using NIR technology to precisely identify moisture levels during the granulation and drying. The BFS has at least 6 filter elements that can be cleaned separately and ensure good uninterrupted airflow. To make it simple to use, the entire system is PLC controlled.

Fluidized bed system for the granulation and drying of pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical laboratories need compact equipment to handle and produce small amounts of granules from a mixture of wet and dry elements for R&amp;D applications. Furthermore, the granulation process requires short residence times in drying the products to easily identify and remove the defects without discarding the entire batch.


<h2>Automatic feeding, granulating, and quick drying of pharmaceutical  products</h2>
The QbCon 1 from L.B. Bohle is a continuous wet granulating and drying system for pharmaceutical laboratory scale applications. The system performs three processes: feeding, granulating, and drying. It features a twin screw granulator with a hinged barrel for easy access to its parts. The unit comes with a multi-position feeder and interchangeable ports, ensuring accurate gravimetric feeding of dry powder and using a pulsation-free pressurized feeder for granulation liquid.

The wet granules are gently dried by a moving fluid bed that provides short residence times and consistent product output. Its narrow residence time distribution allows easy traceability from the initial product to the final tablet or vice versa. The drying process parameters, such as airflow, temperature, and conveying speed, can be controlled and adjusted according to product requirements. The system allows for sampling wet and dry granulations without interrupting the ongoing processes. The system also has an innovative filter cleaning system to prevent clogging for longer hours of operation. The unit also features a complete WIP (Wash-in-Place) cleaning.

Continuous wet granulator and dryer for R&D

Powder containment is the cornerstone of chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Floating particles do not only represent efficiency loss but serious hazards too. Lack of tightness during the powder discharge process leads to cross-contamination and operational health risks.


<h3>Dock transfer systems squarely in place</h3>
The ASBV active/passive valve interface by Andocksysteme locks into position, minimizing exposure of material during powder discharge. The system has two split valves – one active, one passive – that can be easily and reliably centred on each other at a tolerance of ± 14 mm.

Once the units are docked, the valve discs open simultaneously, preventing exposure of the products during transfers. The dust-tight environment achieves contamination values lower than 1µg/m3.

The ASBV solution is fitted with EPDM seals and are optional with a wide range of materials, such as PTFE, offering top-range chemical resistance. All seals are made from FDA-approved materials and can handle a wide range of temperatures as well as explosion-proof executions.

Washing the ASBV interface is simple as the system can be connected to a WIP loop to flush out residual powders. These containment solutions serve applications with an exceptional performance and are easy to be integrated. Moreover, high quality parts and reduced complexity drives simple maintenance.

High containment split butterfly valve

Andocksysteme is a specialist in developing and engineering high-quality containment docking and solutions for bulk material.

The rise of high-potency ingredients (HPAPI) is taking medication into unchartered territory. Since the turn of the century, the pharmaceutical industry has developed a wave of targeted therapeutics formulated with more potent drugs in smaller doses.

Besides producing a more effective action against their biomedical targets, these innovative medicines are also lighter on excipients and provoke fewer side effects for patients. However, they do cause considerable side effects for manufacturers.


<h3>Higher potency can be too much of a good thing</h3>
HPAPI materials pose a risk of toxic exposure to operators. Process technology is designed to meet EHS guidelines, protecting handlers from hazardous substances. At the same time, it must also adhere to GMP standards to prevent contamination. However, the real danger lies at the inlets and outlets of the machines, as <a href="https://andocksysteme.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andocksysteme</a> Product Manager Duncan Ehrmann points out.

“It is all well and good when a mixer is blending chemicals, or a dryer is reducing moisture,” says Duncan. “But things get tricky while the materials are transferred from the mixer to the dryer.”

There is no such thing as a fully closed system; discharge will always release particles into the air. So, the challenge is to minimize that amount to the greatest extent possible.

The industry answer is the split butterfly valve principle, joining the ‘mouths’ of two systems and opening them synchronously. But engineering the concept into an actual pharma-grade interface is another story.
<h3>Big on seals, small on parts</h3>
Andocksysteme developed a valve solution that achieves contamination values lower than 1μg/m3. A primary contributor to this degree of containment is the minimalist construction of the interface. Designed with the bare minimum of separate parts, the valves significantly restrict roaming space for flowing powders.

"We designed  our technology with large seals  to cover the openings," explains Duncan, "A bigger seal exerts higher pressure, locking the active/passive valves tighter together.”

The state-of-the-art system meets the OEB 5 levels of protection required when handling ingredients with high pharmacological and toxic effects.

HPAPI particles move around a lot during processing. Their manufacturing cycles are long and winding, but high-containment valves hold them safely within that loop.

Closing the containment loop in HPAPI manufacturing

Pharmaceutical

Pharmaceutical powders provide longer shelf life and better stability than liquid dosage forms. But the processing of pharmaceutical powders is crucial for growing segments besides pharmacy. Functional foods and cosmetics formulated with active ingredients and excipients depend on powdered forms to fulfill their promises.

Pharmaceutical powder

Pharmaceutical developments walk side by side with health advances to provide new medicines, treatments, and therapies that have increased life quality and extended life expectancy by years. Pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment helps deliver products to a great deal of the population, but there’s a significant share that doesn’t benefit from them yet. Over 2 billion people cannot get the medicines they need, according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and local production might be a way to provide for these people.

Pharmaceuticals

The building blocks of matter have driven the imagination of philosophers, scientists, and artists for millennia. But, for manufacturers, these elements have a more concrete existence as powders. Powder processing technology conditions these primary materials to create a vast range of products, from chemicals and foods to pharmaceuticals and ceramics.

Powder

Among all dosage forms in use today, tablets constitute the most common one. They are pharmaceutical solid dosage forms containing active ingredients and excipients such as diluents, binders, glidants, and lubricants. Using tablet making equipment, these solid dosage forms are made by compression of granules or powder blends and then shaped by molding.

Tablets

Italvacuum is specialised in vacuum drying technologies for the processing of wet feed materials to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or fine chemicals.

Without friction, we would not be able to walk, jot down notes, or slice a pie. Friction resists the relative motion of two objects that come in contact, generating grip between their surfaces.

But if you’re drying high-potency API, friction is the last thing you need. The force exerts mechanical and thermal stress on the ingredients that could destabilize the materials and compromise the quality of your end product.
<h3>A poor work of friction</h3>
High-potency <a href="https://making.com/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-api">active pharmaceutical ingredients (API)</a> require thorough drying to ensure homogeneity in the production process. Once crystallized and isolated from organic solvents, the ingredients must be prepared into free-flowing materials ready for precision dosing, formulating, and formatting.

The drying step is a delicate process that converts the particles into workable materials without altering the chemical profiles developed during filtration. Vacuum drying is a cornerstone of this production stage. The method removes a high rate of bound moisture from materials at relatively low temperatures.

But the vacuum method solves one challenge and creates another. The agitator inside the drum spreads the ingredients over a broader area to expose trapped moisture to vaporization. Therefore, the blades on the agitator make direct contact with the surface of the HPAPI particles. This process creates friction at a millimetric level, producing heat.
<h3>It's a dryer, not a heater</h3>
Dario Penco, a technical engineer at <a href="https://www.italvacuum.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Italvacuum</a>, says that adding thermal energy during the drying stage overheats the blend: “Subjecting sensitive materials to friction during the drying stage adds unnecessary heating and risks degrading the ingredients.”

The emergence of high-potency drugs has made this challenge even more pressing. The slightest distortions in the composition of the particles create a ripple effect across the manufacturing line.

Production engineering is developing new ways to overcome this hurdle and minimize friction occurring in a vacuum dryer. Novel design approaches to the blade profile reduce the physical contact with the materials and limit thermal stress significantly. Keeping temperatures at a constant ensures higher-quality pharmaceutical ingredients. And just like well-baked pizza, everyone wants a slice of that.

Lowering heat stresses on API by reducing friction

Find production technology for Drying API, and connect directly with leading machine manufacturers worldwide