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