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Technology Applications in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Technology has come to influence every sphere of our lives in the 21st Century.Technology advancement general purpose is to impact positively on our lives. The Pharmaceutical industry has not been left out with many pharma machinery being introduced. This has made Pharmacy more efficient, precise and effective. These pharmaceutical machines have also brought high standards of cleanliness and quality of drug development.Some of these machines are listed below

Tablet Press Machine

Table press Machine is designed for pressing tablets from powder or granular materials. It is usually used for small scale production or research purposes. It can be hand-operated or motorized. Features

  • It comprises of a die and a punch
  • Adjustable tablet thickness and depth of fill
  • A hand Press

How it works

A tablet is produced by the combination of pressing the two punches and a die. The bottom punch is lowered in the die and this creates a hole where the powder is fed. The depth of the lower punch is controlled to regulate the amount of powder which can fill the hole. Any excess is scrapped off. The lower punch is then covered and brought down, the cover is removed and the upper punch is then brought into contact with the powder. A force of compression is applied by the compression roles and this force fuses the powder into a tablet. The lower punch is then brought up to eject the tablet.

Fluid Bed Dryer

Fluid Bed Dryer (FBD) from Fluid Bed Dryer is pharmaceutical machinery used to dry materials by dry substances by fluidization with hot or dehumidified air. This involves drying, cooling, agglomeration, crushing and coating the materials.

Features

  • An Electrical dryer
  • A Blower to circulate air
  • Heaters
  • Stainless steel lifting jack
  • An expansion chamber
  • A stainless steel filter bag chamber
  • Flame proof impeller

How it works

Atmospheric air is sucked in the dryer thorough the filter by a fan driven electric motor. The air then passes over the electrical heaters to become hot air. The hot air then passes through the product and the substance becomes dry by fluidization. The dryer is dehumidified so as to dry the product at low temperature. The blower is controls the fluidization. A raking system prevents lump formation in the container and provides uniformity in the process.

Planetary Mixer

A Planetary mixer is a machine designed for mixing, kneading and blending of substances.

Features

  • Single or Double Planetary Blades.
  • Adjustable Floating scraper blade
  • Steel planetary gears
  • Heating, Cooling or Vacuum compartment.
  • Self-aligning bowl scrapers
  • Manual or hydraulic lifts.
  • Digital Timer

How it works

There are three main types of planetary mixers;

  • Single planetary mixer
  • Double planetary mixer
  • Commercial planetary mixer

The single planetary mixer has one rotating blade. It is used to mix materials that are not very thick. The double planetary mixer has two blades also known as twin shafts. The blades rotate around a mixing bowl that is fixed on a central axis. The blades rotate to mix materials in the bowl. A commercial planetary uses the same concept as the single and double planetary mixers. It has a huge bowl and blades which rotate around the bowl to make the mixture. A commercial mixer can operate at different pressures and temperatures. It also has an internal and external heating system fitted onto it. It mixes continuously at very high speeds. It can take in different materials and produced a homogenous discharge. These are some of the few pharmaceuticals machinery used in the industry. There are continuously being improved and can be customized for specific needs. Many more efficient and powerful pharmaceutical machinery are being developed everyday. This has made drug development easier and has extremely reduced production costs.

This article has been written by Arjun Rao, the proprietor of Shree Bhagwati Machtech (India) Pvt Ltd./