Accurate, safe, efficient – that is what automated powder dispensing is and can offer you.
A critical area in manufacturing and especially in pharmaceutical research and development, from blending, granulation, and tableting, automated powder dispensing brings precision to achieving exact dosages, in addition to maintaining safety.
Saving time and delivering highly reproducible results, this post looks at what automated powder dispensing is and the critical role it can play in pharmaceutical environments.
Powder dispensing: Lab vs manufacturing
Powder dispensing is the precise measurement followed by transfer of dry, granular, or single powdered doses into vials and capsules.
However, powder dispensing does vary from lab to lab and from singular production for research and development to mass production.
The key differences between research and development labs and large-scale manufacturing lines include:
- Scale – within laboratories, we understand the focus surrounds research, formulation, and testing. In comparison, manufacturing focuses on scaling these tried and tested lab formulations and reproducing these for large-scale production (industrial batches).
- Equipment – a manufacturing production line uses large-scale equipment and often robotics and automation to mass-produce. However, pharmaceutical dispensing requirements can range from micrograms to grams with strict tolerances, requiring very precise equipment and technology.
- Priorities – scientists require high accuracy, reproducibility, and flexibility. Manufacturers require high volumes, speed, and compliance with strict regulations.
Limitations of manual processes
Powder dispensing can of course be carried out manually. However, powders can be challenging to handle and they rarely behave the same way twice, making the measuring process tricky to ensure consistency.
Especially as we know there is a need to ensure uniformity with the exact ratio of ingredients, and we understand that larger powders must also flow consistently without clogging.
However, powders can and do have a wide range of physical properties and vary in density and particle size, affecting consistent measurement and flow.
Powders can also include hazardous and sometimes unknown substances, posing a risk to health and safety.
Whether in the lab or larger production runs in manufacturing, you must be able to trace all measurements and process data accurately, which, when done manually, increases the risk of human error.
In addition, manual processes are not only repetitive, which can negatively affect productivity, but are also at a higher risk of bottlenecks occurring in workflows.
Manual powder measuring and dispensing takes a considerable amount of skill, experience, and time to ensure accurate weightage.
What automation changes
Now we look at automated powder dispensing.
Suitable in Research and Development, clinical trials, and manufacturing, automated powder dispensing solutions provide accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency.
Allowing you to dispense precise, single powder doses in vials and capsules with complete measurement accuracy.
Whether you require bulk dispensing or customised single dispensation, investing in dispensing automation allows you to manage material by weight (weighing small sample sizes easily), ensure complete traceability (adhering to stringent compliance regulations), and provide mass-batch consistency (improving accuracy and efficiency) with automated vial filling.
Within the pharmaceutical sector, automated powder dispensing has become vital in:
- Eliminating human error
- Reducing manual handling risk
- Reducing waste
- Avoiding and preventing any cross-contamination
- Guaranteeing better accuracy
- Accelerating formulation/production
- Integrated software records all batch details, meeting all compliance regulations.
Strengthening systems by providing more hands-free time, reducing errors, and guaranteeing consistency, automated powder dispensing supports:
- Point of care testing
- Acceleration of production lines
- Reduction in the number of unnecessary tests
- A reduction in the time to results
- A simplification of the testing procedure
This innovative technology provides high-quality, excellent accuracy, and a cost-effective solution to eliminating inaccuracies in the measuring process by automating all fill and weigh production tasks.
Gironex
Our precision powder dispensing technology brings precise, accurate, and safe dispensing to the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
Supporting an increase in productivity, you can now dispense, with precision, from 0.1 milligrams to 5 grams of powder into vials or capsules with an accuracy of 2%.
The technology will not compromise the quality of the powder, and all information is documented, meeting compliance regulations.
With Gironex technology, you can:
- Achieve better accuracies across complete weight ranges
- Dispense various powders without damaging them or making concessions on the precision or dispensing speed
- Cover typical mass ranges with limitless dispensing capabilities
- Improve quality and safety
- Free up capacity
- Scale production
Today, tailoring treatments, preparing patient-specific doses, and supporting further opportunities in research and development is available and cost-effective.
Reliable, easy to use, and offering low operating costs, is now the time to review your current processes and see how investing in and integrating automation can support growth?
Book a call to review your processes with our team today.