August 2024

Indirect and Direct Loading of Pharmaceutical Blenders via Vacuum Conveying

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Pneumatic conveying by vacuum is a popular method of transfer for the loading of blenders in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. One of the distinct advantages of vacuum systems is the inward suction created by the vacuum source and resulting reduction of any outward leakage of dust which may occur in pressure conveying systems. Vacuum loading of blenders typically falls into two categories: indirect loading via pneumatic sequencing systems or direct loading, where the blender becomes the primary vacuum receiver.

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The Importance of Particle Size Distribution in Pharmaceuticals

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The analysis of particle size distribution is an important parameter for FDA process validation. The narrower the particle size distribution range, the more product there is being produced that meets the exact particle size specifications for formulation and bioavailability. Both Conical Milling and Hammer Milling are successfully used to regulate particle size and shape, and achieve consistent tight particle size distributions, leading to quality products and efficient production systems. The choice of whether to use Conical Milling or Hammer Milling will be decided by several factors including an evaluation of the type of product that is needed to be processed, and the results required.

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Bulk Bag Discharger and Flexible Screw Conveyor for Table Salt

Application Notes & Case Studies /

This customer had existing equipment to deliver salt into their auger filler. The salt comes in bulk bags as a solidified block and is conditioned offline in a warehouse using a hydraulic bag conditioner. The primary issue for this application was to maintain a consistent, uniform material supply into the auger filler for it to operate properly. The customers’ existing discharge station features a small agitator that would break up material into irregular sized chunks that would not provide a uniform material supply into the auger filler. This results in off-spec filled packages that would need to be reprocessed.
Understanding the application requirements, NBE conducted a test with the customer at our Innovation Center and Application Workshop. We used a bulk bag discharger with integral lump breaker (with screen), along with a screw conveyor, to unload the bag and process it into a consistent supply of material. The salt was broken down back to nearly original particle size. The customer was thrilled with the outcome.

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Liquid Slurry System for Water and Sodium Chloride

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The customer needed a replacement system to combine and dissolve sodium chloride with water into a brine to feed their downstream process. Their existing system was labor intensive, unreliable, and hard to keep clean. Looking to make enhancements in those areas, along with improved safety and accuracy, NBE provided a bulk bag unloader equipped with E2, dust collection, crumbler, flexible screw conveyor, and safety caging. The sodium chloride is fed into a fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) tank to be combined with water, utilizing a Brawn mixer to agitate the contents along with a high-shear inline mixer to shear the sodium chloride particles and quickly dissolve them. High accuracy of additions is achieved with load cells on the dry addition and a magnetic flowmeter on the water side. Conductivity instrumentation is installed in the mixing tank to verify correct solution concentrations. Sodium chloride solutions are very corrosive, so special materials such as Hastelloy, AL6XN, FRP, and CPVC were chosen for various components. NBE provided a full control package including PLC and HMI set up for automatic operation.

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Semi-Automatic Drum Filling System for Resins and Hardeners

Application Notes & Case Studies /

This packaging system is designed to fill lined 55-gallon open-head steel drums with viscous resins and hardeners in a continuous fashion semi-automatically. Two systems were supplied to optimize through put and isolate product mixes. The equipment features a removable supply manifold utilized to transfer product to the filling zone. Two profile cut valves with infinite positioners control the flow of product to the direct fill nozzles based on feedback from the net weight scales. The F-Style design includes two infeed conveyors, two net weight filling stations, two turntables, and a common accumulation conveyor. The accumulation conveyor includes a continuous inkjet printer for applying date, lot, and weight information, a heated vacuum sealer, and a manual lidding station. With a roller height of just 6.5” the low-profile conveyors were designed with ergonomics in mind. The polycarbonate enclosure serves to improve operator safety while also maintaining a low moisture environment within the filling zone through utilization of dry air nozzles throughout.

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