TABLETING
Te tool material must be balanced to give optimum tooling performance and durability. Tese properties should include anti-stick, abrasion and corrosion resistance, compressive strength, hardness and resistance to chipping and cracking. As the main component to interface with the final product, punches and dies must be metallurgically robust to ensure tool longevity and a lack of production issues. It is important to also consider the tool coating. With the correct coating or treatment in place, some of the biggest challenges that can delay production such as wear and sticking, can be prevented.
Example of a coated punch tip
the tablet together but can also have a negative effect by increasing the adhesion forces between the granule and the punch tip faces, leading to sticking. Te formulation may have a high
moisture content but the environment in which the tablet is being compressed can compound the issue. Excess humidity in the compression room or areas where the formulation is stored prior to compaction can significantly increase the moisture content, affecting the product’s adhesion to the punch tips.
A good solution to solve sticking as
a result of high moisture content is the application of an anti-stick coating. Tis helps the tablet tooling to repel rather than attract moisture to the steel. Coating technology has advanced considerably
over the years, and when used in conjunction with high-quality tooling steel, tool coatings are increasingly seen as an acceptable means of solving production problems such as sticking. Tey allow for better tableting efficiency and output by reducing the requirement for tools to be taken out of production for additional cleaning and maintenance work to remove problematic residue.
AGGRESSIVE FORMULATIONS New tool materials and treatments created through years of extensive research are also helping to solve production problems due to aggressive formulations. Some ingredients are particularly
abrasive and comprise hard and sharp elements, causing damage to the punch tip faces when under compression. Trough repeated cyclic compression, these abrasive ingredients can scrape away at the punch tip surface and the bore of the die resulting in low quality tablets. Hard granules can also impregnate
Sticking can even impact production
the surface of the punch tip under high compression forces. Adherence of the granules due to pitted and worn surfaces of the punches can cause many problems that will negatively affect production including capping, de-lamination and sticking. Tis abrasive action can be countered by advanced tooling materials and coatings selected for their wear resistant properties. Te correct choice of tool steel can make a significant impact on production.
MAKE OR BREAK Understanding a tablet’s formulation can either make or break production. If the characteristics of the formulation being compressed are not understood, the result will be a production run filled with problems. It is important that the tooling reflects the compressed formulations to ensure a quality, fault-free tablet. By choosing and testing tooling materials and coatings selected for their specific properties, overall equipment effectiveness will be improved, production will be enhanced, volume numbers will increase and downtime due to production problems will be reduced. It is important to contact an experienced tooling manufacturer who understands the science behind tablet production and can introduce innovative solutions to tableting problems to maximise production capability.
iHolland offers punches with the Pharmacote coating
Andy Dumelow is with iHolland.
www.iholland.co.uk
www.scientistlive.com 43
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