FULL COMPACTION ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Determining whether a powder will form a good tablet is a complex process.

For over a century pharmaceutical manufacturers have struggled with powder compression problems such as capping and lamination, powder sticking to punch surfaces or die wall, and insufficient tablet mechanical strength to withstand stress in downstream processing.

Now there is a new laboratory tablet testing service to help you predict and avoid common manufacturing problems. This gives you the peace of mind that your formulation works.

This will speed up your manufacturing process, reduce material costs and save you time and money. The service is ideal for manufacturers of generic products and vitamin supplements.

THIS SERVICE WILL PROVIDE DATA ON:

  • Compactibilty
  • Compressibility
  • Tabletabilty
  • Lubrication (detachment and ejection stresses)
  • Elastic Recovery
  • Formulation comparisons using Sawai and G-ratio plots

We not only generate data but also provide an in-dept analysis and interpretation of the data and how it relates to your project. We draw on our extensive pharmaceutical compaction experience to help you with trouble shooting manufacturing problems, change control projects and formulation development.

Gamlen Powder in two separate piles

IDEAL FOR NEW SUPPLIER EVALUATIONS

Many clients are interested in identifying alternative API or excipient suppliers. Drivers of change may include quality or performance improvements, better assurance of GMP and regulatory compliance, increase reliability of supply or simply to reduce costs.

Switching material source involves a considerable amount and it is not always clear that the effort to qualify an additional source of supply will result in a satisfactory product.

Or testing service can definitively show that product made using a new API or excipient supplier is equivalent or not in terms of compaction. This reduces one of the major risk factors in changing a material supplier.

TYPICAL FULL COMPACTION ANALYSIS DATA

Tabletability Profile graph - showing an increase in green

Tabletability is the dependence of tablet strength on compaction pressure. We maximise tabletability to produce a robust tablet which will withstand handling.

Compressibility Profile Graph - showing majority of graph in green

Compressibility describes how tablet solid fraction changes with compaction pressure. High solid fraction values hinder water penetration reducing dissolution rate.

Compatibility Profile Graph showing three quarters of the graph in green and one quarter in red

Compactability is the effect of solid fraction on tablet strength. We have to balance these properties to have strong tablets without over-compaction, which hinders the rate of dissolution.

Elastic Recover Profile Graph - showing three quarters in yellow and one quarter in green

Excessive elastic recovery causes capping in many products. We can minimise elastic recovery by selecting the right excipients.

Ejection Stress Profile Graph - majority of graph is green

Ejection stress is a measure of how well lubricated the formulation. Poor lubrication results in common tablet defects such as picking, sticking and capping.

Detachment Stress Profile Graph - majority of graph is green

Detachment force is equivalent to take off force and is related to lubrication. High detachment stress values indicate that the formulation is at risk of picking and sticking problems.

Ejection Stress Vs Tabeletability Profile Graph

The ejection stress vs tabletability profile provides an ideal target for the compaction behaviour.  It is a simple and effective method of visualising and evaluating the effect of various changes a formulation.

G Ration Graph - showing majority of graph in green

Using the G-ratio simplifies your compaction data and helps you to quickly evaluate and compare different materials/formulations.

Software Graphs Key - showing good in green, borderline in yellow and poor in red
Graph to show the Ejection Stress Profile spiking and declining
Graph to show Mean Tablet Detachment Profiles spiking and then plateauing
Graph of Ejection Stress Vs Detachment Stress Profile showing an incline