This is a technology or a series of techniques that are used to process materials in the state of powder, molten liquid, and aqueous solution into granular materials of a certain shape and size.
You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.
· Improve fluidity, convenient for packaging and tableting.
· Prevent segregation of various components due to differences in particle size and density.
· Prevent dust flying and adhesion on the wall.
· Adjust the bulk density to improve solubility.
· Improve the uniformity of pressure transmission in the production of tablets.
· Improve the mobility of the products.
· Easy to take, easy to carry, and increase the value of goods.
The granulation technology has a wide range of industrial or commercial applications
It is most widely used in solid preparations, especially granules and tablets.
There are different methods and techniques for granulation. They include:
-Wet granulation
-Dry granulation
-One-step granulation
-Spray granulation
Let&#;s have an in-depth look at each of these granulation methods.
Wet granulation: Adding a binder or a wetting agent to the drug powder to make a soft material, sieving to make wet granules, and then granulating the wet granules after drying.
The particles made by the wet granulation technique have the advantages of better surface modification, beautiful appearance, strong wear resistance, and good compression formability, and are most widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.
Firstly, the liquid in the adhesive wets the surface of the drug powder to generate adhesion between the powder particles, and then forms particles of a certain shape and size under the action of the liquid bridge and the external mechanical force. After drying, it is finally consolidated in the form of a solid bridge.
A complete wet granulation mainly includes processes such as making soft materials, making wet granules, drying wet granules and granulating.
Here are the most conspicuous steps that are followed during a wet granulation process:
1. Making soft materials:
Mix the fine powder of the raw and auxiliary materials weighed according to the prescription, add an appropriate amount of wetting agent or adhesive and mix well to form a soft material.
The most critical parameters for wet granulation include:
· The type and amount of binder should be determined according to the nature of the material
· The concentration and mixing time of the added binder should be flexibly controlled based on different varieties;
· Soft Material quality. Due to the difference of raw materials and auxiliary materials, it is difficult to set a unified standard. Generally, it can be formed into clumps by grasping by experience, and it can be broken apart by light pressure with fingers.
· The length of the wet mixing time has a lot to do with the soft material of the particles. The longer the wet mixing time is, the greater the viscosity and the harder the particles will be.
2. Wet granules:
Here, the soft materials pass through the screen to form granules. When the particles fall from the sieve like a long strip, it indicates that the soft material is too wet, and the wetting agent or wetting agent is too much. On the contrary, if the soft material is powdery after passing through the sieve, it indicates that the soft material is too dry and should be adjusted appropriately. Commonly used equipment: swing granulator, high-speed stirring granulator screen: there are four kinds of screens: nylon wire, galvanized iron wire, stainless steel, and plate.
3. Drying of wet granules:
The wet granules obtained by sieving should be dried immediately to avoid agglomeration or deformation under pressure (a stainless steel plate can be used to spread out the prepared wet granules and turn them from time to time to solve the agglomeration and deformation of the wet granules. problem).
Drying temperature: depends on the nature of the raw materials, generally 50-60&#;; for some drugs that are stable to moisture and heat, the drying temperature can be appropriately increased to 80-100&#;.
Dryness: control by measuring the water content. Granules require that the water content of the granules should not exceed 2%; tablet granules retain appropriate water according to each specific variety, generally about 3%. Drying equipment: commonly used are box-type (such as drying room, oven) drying, boiling drying, microwave drying or far infrared drying and other heating and drying equipment.
4. Granulation:
After the wet granules are dried, they need to be sieved and granulated to break the agglomerated granules to meet the granularity requirements of granules or tablet compression requirements. (1) Granules: Use a sieve that is smaller than the sieve used to make wet granules and within 10 mesh (No. 1 sieve) to properly break the part that cannot pass through the sieve, and then according to the particle size requirements, press The lower limit of the particle size specification, pass 60 mesh or 80 mesh (No. 5 sieve), and then classify, and take the granules between 10-80 mesh; (2) Tablets: the granules can be made of a sieve with a larger mesh than the wet granules. network.
5. Blank granule method: For drugs that are unstable in humidity and heat and have a small dose, auxiliary granules and other drugs that are stable to humidity and heat can be granulated by wet method, and after drying and granulating, the drugs that are not resistant to humidity and heat Mix well with particles. The method of using only auxiliary granules to make dry granules and then mixing the medicine and granules (tableting or dispensing) is called the blank granule method.
Here are some top benefits of using wet granulation process:
Mixing the raw and auxiliary materials, spray the adhesive and stir, make the adhesive mist and meet the raw and auxiliary materials to form granules, and carry out drying and other operation steps together to complete in one equipment, so it is called one-step granulation method, also known as fluidized spray granulation.
Jiangyin Chenyuan Machinery Product Page
It can be mixed, granulated, dried in one equipment, and can also be coated. It is easy to operate, saves time, and has low labor intensity.
The obtained granules have small density, uniform size, good fluidity and compression formability. The only downside is the particle strength is small.
Spray granulation: mix the raw and auxiliary materials with the binder, continuously stir to make a drug solution or suspension with a solids content of about 50%-60%, and then spray it into the hot airflow in the drying chamber through a high-pressure sprayer with a pump, The method of quickly evaporating water to directly make spherical dry fine particles.
Obtain solid powder particles directly from liquid, with a large specific surface area of the droplets, high temperature of hot air, very fast drying speed, the extremely short heating time of particles, and relatively low temperature of dried materials, suitable for processing heat-sensitive materials.
· High equipment costs
· High energy consumption,
· High operating costs.
In recent years, spray drying granulation technology has been used in the production of antibiotic powder injections, the preparation of microcapsules, the study of solid dispersions, and the drying of traditional Chinese medicine extracts.
After mixing the powder of medicine (adding diluent if necessary), it is directly compressed into blocks with suitable equipment, and then broken into granules of the required size.
This method relies on compression force to generate binding force between particles. It can be divided into heavy pressing methods and rolling methods.
Heavy pressing method: also known as the large tablet method, the solid powder is first pressed into a 20-25mm diameter chip on a heavy-duty tablet machine, and then crushed into particles of the required size.
Rolling method: The drug powder is rolled into flakes by a rolling machine, and then broken into particles of a certain size by a granulator.
Dry granulation is often used for heat-sensitive materials, drugs that are unstable in contact with water, and drugs that are easily formed by compression. The method is simple, labor-saving and time-saving. However, attention should be paid to the crystal transformation and activity reduction that may be caused by compression.
Dry granulation and wet granulation are the two most common granulation methods for tablets. But, what is the difference between the two?
The table below gives a summary of the disparities between these two types of granulation:
Dry Granulation
Wet Granulation
Dry granulation is the process of forming granules without using a liquid or any other solution
We granulation is the process of forming granules by adding a liquid
The process requires finely powdered compounds, roll compactors and tablet pressers
The process requires powder particles, a sleeve and granulating fluid
Entails direct compression of fine powder
Involves mixing powder particles and granulating fluid. The mixture is passed through a sleeve to make tablets
Dry granulation is usually deployed when manufacturing tablets whose compounds are highly sensitive to heat and moisture.
Wet granulation is deployed when you want to preserve the stat of components that have been used for making tablet
There is no doubt that granulation technology has been improving steadily. The machines used for the process have been undergoing continuous improvements and refined to the utmost precision. Here are some of the most recent advances in the granulation line technology:
- Pneumatic granulation technology: This granulation technology utilizes compact roller and air classification techniques to produce high-quality granules that have free-flowing characteristics.
- Steam granulation technology: This technology is similar to the wet granulation method only that steam is used in the place of wet fluid. A jet of steam is injected directly to the particles to facilitate granulation.
- Moisture activated dry granulation technology: This technology is used as an alternative to the wet granulation method. It works as a result of a combination of water and granulating agent.
Now that you know what granulation technology is and the different types of granulation, the next step is to get the right equipment for the job.
In this context, you should consider purchasing a quality granulation line in China.
Take time to analyze the intricate features of the granulation line before you go ahead to purchase the equipment. Look at the technical specifications of the granulation line to ascertain whether it will meet your manufacturing needs.
The recent advances in granulation technology mean that there is a high chance of getting a granulation line that will exceed your expectations. It will be able to process your products fast, safely and efficiently.
Granulation is a critical process that is used in the production of tablets for the pharmaceutical industry. It affects the general physical state and even the effectiveness of the tablet.
There are different granulation technologies and each has a unique working mechanism. This means that the final product from each granulation technology will be different from the other.
As a pharmaceutical company, choose a granulation technology that you think will be ideal for your company.
Once you have made up your mind on this, you will choose a granulation line manufacturer that supplies the best equipment.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Granulation Series Exporter.