Assuming that containment systems could partially replace clean rooms then is the development of very compact roller compactor for dry granulation interesting. The company FAYTEC AG develops mobile roller compactor, which can be integrated into existing enclosures. For this reason, it attracted the attention of the containment manufacturer Weiss Technik AG. A workshop visit gives Insight into the development of this technical innovation and the resulting cooperation.
In pharmaceutical production become active Substances, in particular during the production of cancer drugs, more and more toxic. Therefore, the claim increases to employee protection. Also shifts the demand is increasing small-scale production. At a price of around two Swiss francs per cubic meter preconditioned air in the cleanroom, would be the trend in the pharmaceutical industry therefore in the direction of containment goes, explains Christian Scherrer, sales engineer at Weiss Technik and added: “It can be done to a certain extent replace costly large clean rooms. » For this to succeed, must also production equipment be built so that they to fit into existing housing to let. The young company FAYTEC AG in Zurich, Tann shows this by way of example using small roller compactor. Of the Founder and owner of the company Dominique Fayet has been mainly for the past five years the focus on large production roll compactor for the pharmaceutical and food industry set and expanded now his assortment. He initially placed a customer order first version for the company ACTELION ago. “Our goal at the time was to build one dry granulation plant for laboratory use, who was small, mobile and so flexible that they are indifferent insulators place fined. Their basis was only allowed 0.7 × 0.7 meters », he recalls himself. Furthermore, the goal of ACTELION was a massive reduction in cleaning time too to reach. Since then, two series are ready for the market to mature and the company plans the production of large quantities. Small designed, but with a lot of potentials.
The mechanical engineer has to develop roller compactor for dry granulation specialised. They serve the production of medicines where a density increase and segregation the substances should be prevented. The granules often form the precursor to Tablet manufacturing. The trend, if possible away from the elaborate wet granulation, is with this high-tech roller compactor continue to progress.
The compactness of such laboratory roll presses is a big challenge; especially then, when large fixe plants serve all their functions as a benchmark. In addition, the extensive compulsory books, which calibration procedures, risk analyses and document production parameters, further challenges.
Ribbon is not equal to ribbon
In the production of a high-quality ribbon – the pressed Powder tape that leaves the roller and that is then processed into granules – is the Densification and deaeration of the powder feed crucial. The FAYTEC roller compactor allows horizontal and vertical feeding via two metering screws. This guarantees regular press forces on the product without powder jam. The rollers of the press are supported one-sided. «The parallelism of the rollers decides about the quality of the ribbon. In the design of one-sided bearing support, the gap of the sealing’s should be as minimal as possible during transport. The hydraulics compensated the angle error, »explains the developer.
Employee safety and easy handling
Dominique Fayet is especially proud of the reduction of the components to be cleaned – it is around a third less than otherwise. With a quick hand, the products touched machine parts away and reinstalled. On big plus also offers the cleaning devices with the wash-in option Place. The worker safety with the short cleaning time was here explicitly taken into account. The facilities should be added in laboratories and industry small amounts serve as they do in research occur, but also in the actual production can be used.
Easy pressing heat-sensitive products
The feature of temperature control: For heat-sensitive products can be the press rolls cooled or for hydrophilic powders to be heated. That’s why FAYTEC roller compactors are in the spotlight quality and performance rather to the Rolls-Royce under the laboratory presses. Installed were only the highest quality components like the hardened rolls with finer ones knurled cut. Your performance is convincing with the machine type CP 200 with 1-40 kg throughput per hour. Thanks to the most modern manufacturing processes became the strict budget plan from the customer not exceeded and therefore own the laboratory roller compactor, especially for global production sites. The one from Siemens originating SIMATIC control allowed optional remote maintenance via modem. The electronics and software were in close cooperation with the company HME Hans Meyer Engineering AG integrated into the Basel region (Switzerland).
Collaboration with containment producer
With these advantages, it is obvious that the startup company in Tann to the attention of Weiss Technik AG and his department of pharmaceutical technology pulled. The specialists for cleanroom containment solutions in the life science industry supply the areas Pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, food industry, microelectronics, medical technology as well as research institutes and laboratories customised solutions. This is how the containment system «WIBOBARRIER »from Weiss Technik an ideal supplement to the roller compactor. The stable air curtain, the discharge airborne particles and the protection against turbulence allow thanks to a 3-zone principle a containment system that of cleanliness class 5 according to DIN ISO 14644-1 corresponds. Christian Scherrer emphasises because also: “These little presses are just as good as big ones, as they are allow testing. Usually, laboratory machines have too small press rolls, than that they are a scale-up to the major production facilities would allow. Here, however, this will be a batch report for each test variant created, all relevant production parameters recorded. » The two companies now have intensive cooperation. First installations could already in February to be delivered in 2018. This was the foundation for a fruitful, innovative partnership laid.
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