IBC Pedestal Blender
IBC Container blenders have long been established as the most efficient method of blending granules and powders in the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. Reduced loading and unloading times, reduced cleaning time of both machinery and room, improved containment and batch integrity have established IBC blending as the pharmaceutical industry’s technology of choice.
Efficient Blending Process
Buck Systems (part of Niro Pharma Systems group) have spent years researching and understanding the science of IBC Blending. Homogenous product blending is ensured through scientific design of the blending cage and the container geometry. The unique Prism™ technology is proven to shorten blending times. The additional shear that the Prism™ provides to the mixing process allows even cohesive poor flowing materials to be blended within the IBC.
Through the Wall Design
The Blender is installed with the main pedestal housed in a technical area and the clamping cage in the process area. An air tight wall plate is supplied as a barrier between the two rooms. The advantage of this installation is the processing room can be reduced in size there by reducing room cost and running cost. Technicians can access the pedestal from the technical side, without needing to go through the GMP production area.
Swinging Arms
The Swinging Arms feature allows a wider range of IBC volumes to be handled within the same blender. When a smaller IBC is loaded into the blender, the spacer arms are swung out into the path of the IBC, bridging the height difference of the smaller IBC. The spacer arms maintain the smaller IBC’s position at the centre of the rotation axis, and reduce the clamping time.
Process Analytical Technology (PAT) for IBC Blending
The Blender is fitted with Process Analytical Technologies - Light Induced Florescence (LIF) or Near-Infrared (NIR) systems. Buck Systems use these technologies on its Blenders to allow the measurement of actual particle movement and conditions in real time as the IBC is blended. In the laboratory, the technology allows a better understanding of powder behaviour, improving the research and development times and enhancing the process through closer control. In the production environment, the PAT allows quicker validation of new products, improved productivity and superior containment. By having the results of the completed blend available at the end of the process, the batch can go immediately to the next process, without the need to take samples and analyse the results, saving time and money. The containment of the system is greatly improved because sampling, a task that directly exposes the operator to the product, can be avoided.
Contact:
GEA Pharma Systems AG
GPS Technology Centre
PO Box 112, Hauptstrasse 145
CH-4416, Bubendorf, Switzerland
Tel: +41 61 936 37 00 Fax: +41 61 936 37 30
tc@geapharmasystems.com