A generic solution to the automation of powder production

A computer controlled solution for the powder processing of tablet production within the pharmaceutical industry is presented. It is anticipated that this solution should assist in the automation of pharmaceutical tableting providing the link between the process inputs and outputs within a single vessel. This work is placed in context with the advances in automation currently being adopted at the pre-processing and tableting phase. A computerised single-vessel prototype is introduced which eliminates the need for the eight distinct unit operations traditionally employed for powder processing, by combining these within a single- vessel. The single vessel solution is, in the opinion of the authors, the key link in achieving unmanned operation. Validation of the single-vessel is achieved by examining the processing of lactose powder and monitoring the results. After processing the mean particle size of the product was reduced from 250æm to the order of 80æm. The results indicated that the blending could be achieved with 5% certainty