Equipment for the Manufacture of Pellets
- Industrial Pharmacy I
- Jan 14
- 1 min read
The choice of equipment depends on the pelletization method used. Key machines include:
1) Mixer/Granulator:
Prepares the wet mass or powder mixture.
Examples: High-shear mixers, planetary mixers.
2) Extruder:
Converts the wet mass into cylindrical extrudates.
Types:
Axial Extruder: Extrudate is forced through a die using a screw mechanism.
Radial Extruder: Extrudate exits radially from a rotating die.
Basket Extruder: Produces highly uniform extrudates.
3) Spheronizer:
Rounds the extrudates into spherical pellets.
Consists of a rotating friction plate and walls to promote rounding through centrifugal and frictional forces.
4) Fluidized Bed Processor:
Used for layering, drying, or coating pellets.
Works by suspending pellets in a stream of air and applying coating materials.
5) Coating Pan:
Used for applying drug or polymer coatings onto pellets.
Features spray guns and a rotating pan.
6) Cryopelletizer:
For cryopelletization, where liquid formulations are dropped into a freezing medium like liquid nitrogen.
