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© Copyright Tablets & Capsules 2021 camfilapc.com 17 ulations to "provide for systems that assure proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes and facilities." Continuous manufac- turing processes can be designed to follow cGMP guidelines. This provides: • Greater control over each manufacturing operation • Reduced product quality issues such as cross-contamination • Accurate production data for reporting requirements • Continuous improvement opportunities Industrial dust collectors have been an integral part of many active production processes including pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and oral solid dose (OSD) processes. Dust collectors ex- tract toxic and combustible dusts from processes including coating, tableting, blending, drying and packaging. They use filter cartridges to remove dust particles from the contaminated pro- cess air that pose a serious risk to the health of the workers. Dust particles in the air can also cause combustible dust explosions and fires, damage products and cause cross contamination. Dust collection is even more critical in continuous manufacturing operations because they need to run 24/7. The most important requirements are: Online Filter Cleaning Dust collectors can run continuously when they remove dust properly from their filters during operation using re- verse pulse cleaning (Figure 2). During operation, dust accumulation on the filter media restricts airflow through the filters and raises the dust collec- tor's differential pressure (dP). Reverse pulse cleaning uses nozzles that direct pulses of compressed air as needed into the filter cartridges' interior to dislodge dust from the media's outer surface. The dislodged dust then collects at the bottom of the dust-collection vessel. Smaller Processing Equipment and Facilities Smaller processing equipment and facilities have the potential to be fast- er and less expensive to design, build and install. They should also be less expensive. The processes should also be simpler and more efficient to run and maintain, saving time and money. Compact, fully integrated equipment is required to meet these new demands without compromising on product quality or operational safety. Smaller facilities also have the benefit of being able to run with lower inven- tory levels and lower capital and oper- ating costs. The facilities will also have better "green" credentials, consum- ing less energy and producing lower emissions. The move to smaller-scale production environments will put the emphasis on machinery and produc- tion processes. They will both need to become more flexible and adaptable so they can handle process changes as they occur. Simplified Processes Each continuous manufacturing pro- cess will have extensive planning during the inception stage. Planning is required to fully evaluate each process step to ensure it is as simple and inte- grated as possible for optimal product quality and operational efficiency. Op- erators can closely monitor the numer- ous process stages, getting real-time information from machinery to predict potential problems. It's possible to greatly reduce the oc- currence of costly production down- time events. Operators can also reduce manual material handling to protect workers from exposure to potent com- pounds. A simplified and integrated manufacturing process produces short- er processing times and maximizes equipment uptime to get products to market faster. Superior Product Quality Control The FDA implemented current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) reg- Pulse filter cleaning is a proven method of keeping dust collectors running continuously.