Let's make pharmaceutical granules
Find innovative production technology for making pharmaceutical granules and connect directly with world-leading specialists
Used in the pharmaceutical industry to produce tablets and capsules, among others, pharmaceutical granules are made to enhance the uniformity and flow of powder, increase the density of the blend and reduce dust and, therefore, toxic exposure. The choice of the granulation process, whether it is wet, dry, or direct compression, as well as the selection of appropriate pharmaceutical granulation equipment, depends on the specific drug being formulated.
Stories about pharmaceutical granules
Tell us about your production challenge
Pre-granulation and formulation of granules
Granulation is a commonly used technique for particle enlargement in pharmaceutical manufacturing – mixtures are agglomerated into semi-permanent aggregates by mixing active pharmaceutical ingredients, known as APIs and excipients. The latter has numerous functions, for instance, those that promote binding and improve tablet hardness, such as binders and disintegrants, or enhancing patient acceptance with flavors. Other excipients, such as hydrophilic polymers and wetting agents, optimize or modify drug release, while antioxidants enhance stability.
The granulation process can be divided into two main types: wet and dry granulation. Dry granulation is used when ingredients are moisture or heat-reactive. It is an efficient process due to simple equipment and minimum processing required. On the other hand, wet granulation is a complex process with various pharmaceutical granulation equipment and steps. Although more costly, it is also a more widely used process, especially useful in processing soluble low-dose drugs.
Pharmaceutical granulation equipment for wet, dry, and direct compression processes
As the names imply, the process of wet granulation utilizes a liquid, while dry granulation requires no liquid. The first step in the dry granulation process is weighing all the ingredients which are then mixed until they form a uniform powder. In a process called slugging, the mixture is compressed into pallets and broken into smaller pieces using a hammer mill. To achieve a uniform blend, excipients such as lubricants and disintegrants are added.
The wet granulation technique uses the same preparatory and finishing steps with the addition of wet massing, wet screening, and drying. Mass wetting is a process during which a granulation agent is added to the mixture until it disperses uniformly. The slurry is then sieved into granules and dried. This method offers a higher level of uniformity and speeds up the dissolution process. In the direct compression process, the blend is added directly into a tablet compression machine that produces tablets.
Granulation process for tablets and capsules
Once the granulation process is finished, granules are either pressed into tablets or filled into capsules, depending on their properties. A tablet is a solid form of an active ingredient in which it is possible to pack more material than with capsules. As the tablet presses can manufacture hundreds of thousands of tablets per minute, the formulation must be designed to flow consistently and fill volumetrically to achieve consistency among tablets. Some key excipients in tablet production are lubricants to prevent the granules from sticking, fillers to bulk up tablets, and disintegrants to help the tablet break up upon consumption.
On the other hand, capsules are filled with granulated powder with uniform particle sizes that flow freely; therefore good flow properties are essential. For efficiency and accuracy, granules are filled into hard gelatine capsules with the help of an automated capsule-filler machine.
Innovating high-shear mixers in the granulation industry
Although high-shear mixers have stood the test of time, being used in granulation processes for over six decades, there have been some recent innovations in the pharmaceutical industry. Namely, high-shear mixers can work under a vacuum and dry the wet mass within itself or are provided with fluid bed processors so that all the stages are carried out within the same mainframe equipment. These mixers have the capability to handle very fine particle coating of 75 to 100 microns. The popularity of such mixers lies in their simplicity and the fact that they are used as one-stage one-step equipment from the start till the loading of the granules atop the compression table.
What is the most environmentally sustainable granulation process?
Representing one of the most carbon-intensive industries due to the complex chemistry of APIs, the pharmaceutical industry has put efforts into improving the environmental sustainability of its manufacturing process. In granulation processes, the environmental impact of production is ruled by process-level energy usage – a more complex process means more impact on the environment. Therefore, a shorter process, such as direct compression, which uses more energy, is a more environmentally friendly choice. However, this applies to drugs with good flowability, as those with poor flowability require either pre-compaction treatment, increased excipients’ proportion in the tablets, or using excipients with unfavorable sustainability profiles. Furthermore, organic solvent-free processes, such as using lipid excipients, are an excellent alternative for making the granulation process greener.
Processing steps involved in pharmaceutical granules making
Which pharmaceutical granules technology do you need?
Pharma extraction clarifier
In pharmaceutical extraction processes, handling suspensions with low solid contents poses chall...
Micro-dosing system for pharmaceutical powders in vials
When working in high aseptic environments, precise and contaminat...
Outsert application system for pharma bottles
In the pharmaceutical industry, efficient and precise application of outsert...
Stickpack filling and closing system for pharmaceutical powders
When dealing with pharmaceutical dry products, ensuring ...
Super high shear inline disperser for nanoparticle production
When producing nanoparticles, achieving consistent particl...
Double cone blender for fragile and abrasive material
In many industrial applications such as food processing and pharmac...
Automatic capsule filling machines
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, accurate and efficient capsule filling is crucial for m...
Roll compactor system for dry granulation
In pharmaceutical and powder-processing industries, achieving uniform compaction...
Pharmaceutical powders and granules dry blending
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, achieving a uniform blend of powders and...
Laboratory fluid bed granulator and coater
In many R&D labs, there’s a need for versatile systems that can hand...
Closed loop granulator for pharmaceutical production
Factories producing pharmaceutical tablets or capsules often face ch...
High shear mixer granulator for efficient wet granulation
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, achieving uniform particle si...
Double cone mixer for free flowing powders and granules
In pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing, achieving a uniform...
Pharmaceutical high-shear mixer granulator
In pharmaceutical production, ensuring uniform granulation and mixing on a larg...
Pharmaceutical granulation line
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring high product yield while maintaining stringent saf...
Laboratory twin screw extruder for small batch processing
When conducting formulation development or basic scientific re...
Bench-top mixer and spheronizer for formulation development
In the field of pharmaceutical research and development, cre...
Pharmaceutical checkweigher for milligram-level accuracy
In pharmaceutical production, precise weight measurement is cruc...
Bin blender for pharmaceutical powder mixing
In pharmaceutical and chemical industries, precise and homogeneous mixing of ...
Tablet coater for batch sizes up to 250 liters
In pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, ensuring even coating on ta...
Advanced fluid bed for pharmaceutical granulation
Achieving consistent granulation and drying in the pharmaceutical indus...
Fluid-bed granulator for top-spray applications
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring uniform particle size in granula...
Fluid-bed drying and granulation system
In pharmaceutical and nutraceutical production, processing large batches often dema...
Fluid bed granulator for pharmaceutical applications
When developing and scaling pharmaceutical formulations, finding an ...
Fluid bed combo for granulation and coating
In the pharmaceutical industry, dealing with varied processes such as drying, ...
Automatic granular product weighing system
Precise weight measurement of granular products ensures product quality and reg...
Desiccant inserter for pharmaceutical containers
In the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, maintaining product q...
Intermediate bulk container (ibc) blending for pharmaceutical manufacturing
Pharmaceutical manufacturing requires effi...
Pharmaceutical r&d granulation system
In pharmaceutical R&D, precise control over batch size, granulation, and blendin...
Single pot processor for granulation and drying
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, producing granules efficiently and safely...
Stick pack packaging line for pharmaceuticals
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, maintaining precise and reliable packaging ...
Hybrid laboratory extruders for reproducible scale-up applications
In research and development settings, the need for v...
Stuffing feeding device for extruders
Highly cohesive or exceptionally light products can pose significant challenges when ...
Roller compaction for dry granulation in pharmaceuticals
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, precise control of particle siz...
Pharmaceutical aseptic separator filter dryer
In pharmaceutical R&D, achieving precise separation and drying of produ...
Lab Pharmaceutical aseptic separator
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, handling highly potent substances and ensuring high-y...
Biodecontamination system for small pharmaceutical enclosures
In small- to medium-sized pharmaceutical environments, suc...
Pharmaceutical grade washer for large components
In biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing, frequent cleaning of l...
Wet granulation for pharmaceutical products
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, achieving precise particle size and consisten...
Single feeder operator interface for gravimetric feeders
In industries requiring precise material dosing, managing a grav...
Industrial batch mixer agitators
In industrial mixing applications, choosing the right agitator can determine the efficiency...
Cartoner for pharmaceutical products
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, efficient secondary packaging is critical to maintain...
Continuous wet granulator and dryer for R&D
Pharmaceutical laboratories need compact equipment to handle and produce small...
Dry granulator for pharmaceutical powders
In pharmaceutical industries, where large-volume production is the norm, compact...
Industrial sieving machine for pharmaceuticals
One of the physical attributes that granular pharmaceutical products must h...
Fluidized bed system for the granulation and drying of pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical industries employ several process...
Continuous roller compactor for dry granulation of pharmaceuticals
When making tablets, pharmaceutical manufacturers ne...
Granulation line for pharmaceutical solid dosage forms
Granulation is a common technique in production of pharmaceutical ...
Fluid bed dryer for pharmaceutical solid dosage form
Fluid bed drying is a pharmaceutical process carried out to reduce t...
Industrial high shear mixer granulator for drug formation
It is rather difficult to successfully produce a pharmaceutica...
Conical mill for drug formulation
The efficient size reduction of granular powders is a key step in many pharmaceutical pro...
Granulation line of mixer and fluid bed dryer
A complete granulation line allows for the mixing and granulation of pharmac...
High-shear mixer
For the efficient mixing of larger batches of pharmaceutical compounds and high-shear mixer provides the opti...
Entry-level high-shear mixer for drug formulation
For pilot and lab-scale pharmaceutical formulations, a high-shear granu...