Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1087673
Tablets & Capsules March 2019 33 occurs. If the deduster is pressurized, will pressurization cause dust to be blown into the production room? The tablet press, deduster, and tablet collection con- tainers all connect in a series, and the press and deduster may each have a separate dust collection system. If so, you must balance the dust collection systems correctly. If they aren't balanced and the press' dust collection airflow is stronger than the deduster's dust collection airflow, tab- lets could be pulled back into the press. Dust collection airflow can also cause problems with the tablet flow out of the deduster and into the tablet collection container. Equipment malfunction. Determine how you will handle any equipment malfunction. What is your plan during an upset condition? What if you have to open the machine during production? Do you have a plan in place to open the machine safely in an emergency using per- sonal protective equipment? Metal detection. Determine your need for metal detection. Identify how you will introduce metal-detec- tor test tablets in a closed manner. How will you remove the test tablets in a contained manner after they have passed through the metal detector? How will you remove rejected tablets from the metal detector in a contained manner? Diverter. Determine whether you need a diverter at the deduster discharge. A diverter allows you to use mul- tiple collection containers to avoid having to shut down the press and deduster while you swap containers. WIP versus CIP dedusters The main issue preventing fully automated deduster cleaning is that dedusters have many nooks and crannies that are difficult for an automated system to clean in a verifiable and fully validated manner. As a result, WIP dedusters are much more common than CIP dedusters. In theory, CIP would seem to save cleaning time, but in reality, the effort of validating a consistent clean for every product is extremely time consuming. You need to store the CIP recipes electronically in the machine's con- trol system. In addition to the cleaning process, you also need to validate the drying process to ensure that the deduster is completely dry before production starts again. Both WIP and CIP dedusters require much thought and coordination to be effective. WIP and CIP deduster suppliers can help you lay out and procure a robust sys- tem that can provide high levels of effective, trouble-free containment for your specific application. T&C Andre Petric is president at Kraemer US (201 962 8200, www.kraemerus.com). The company manufactures tablet dedusters, capsule polishers, diverters, and accessories for the pharmaceutical industry. A version of this article originally appeared in the October 8, 2018, issue of Tablets & Cap- sules' e-newsletter Solid Dose Digest. Acid Resistant Vegetable Capsules ) ' u n. , u, ' . ' AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR DELIVERY OF ACID-SENSITIVE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS . . . <> . BioCaps Enterprises, Inc. www.biocaps.net • info@biocaps.net US Patent 9452141