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factor to tablet strength. However, because of dif- ferences in turret speed be- tween an R&D press and a production press, dwell time can be difficult to replicate on a production press. A punch head flat can be designed to address this difference in dwell time. A longer head flat results in a longer dwell time. Depending on a formulation's deformation characteristics and strain rate sensitivity, a longer dwell time may be needed to produce a robust tablet. Strain rate studies help determine whether a formu- lation produces an acceptable tablet at various turret speeds and dwell times and thus can reveal potential production challenges. Instead of evalu- ating tablet tensile strength at different turret speeds, a strain rate study is a more scalable approach to normal- ize for turret PCD and punch head flat diameter and evalu- ate the tablet tensile strength as a function of dwell time. A formulation might be suc- cessfully tableted during re- search and development, but production can be a challenge if strain rate sensitivity isn't determined before scale-up. Innovative Quick-Release™ Tooling Can Ease Scale-up Challenges Prior to the introduction of Natoli Quick-Release™ Tooling, research- ers had to buy sev- eral different sets of tooling with dif- ferent punch head configurations to change the dwell time on an R&D press. In addition to not having to incur this expense, Nato- li Quick-Release™ Tooling eliminates the time and labor required to remove and replace multi- ple sets of tooling during the R&D process. Natoli Quick-Release™ Tooling allows R&D teams to evaluate dwell times with respect to both turret speeds and head flat profiles by quickly and easily changing the punch heads, which are a critical component of dwell time. ‰is permits a much more detailed analysis of a formulation's compressibili- ty as well as greater trouble- shooting capacity in the early development stages. ‰e establishment of the ideal production dwell time can be accomplished on a small rotary R&D press by using punches with a small- er-than-normal head flat. By carefully choosing the head flat and turret speed on the small-turret R&D press, one can determine the prop- er dwell time for a produc- tion-scale press. As many tableting issues are related to dwell time, establishing the best manufacturing dwell time early in the process can help mitigate and resolve is- sues that o‹en get overlooked in the development stage. Being able to use differ- ent head profiles provides the unique opportunity to deter- mine the ideal dwell time for a given formulation or prod- uct. It is o‹en thought that a longer dwell time is beneficial to solving many tableting is- sues such as picking/sticking and capping. However, recent studies have shown that some formulations respond nega- tively to longer dwell times. Natoli Engineering will soon be publishing more informa- tion on this research, which was conducted at the Natoli Institute at Long Island Uni- versity. Natoli Quick-Release ™ Tooling eliminates the cost, time, and labor required to remove and replace multiple sets of tooling during the R&D process.