5 January 2010; Welland, UK: Following a year in which he has spoken at many different events covering aspects of powder characterization, Tim Freeman, Director of Operations for Freeman Technology, will again join academics and other industry experts for the next Mixing Consultants Inc. course.

The course, which is being held in Pearl River, NY, USA from 23 - 25 February, covers the ‘Blending and flow of pharmaceutical powders’. The content is being delivered by: Professor Fernando Muzzio of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Ralf Kretzschmar, President of Glatt Systemtechnik GmbH; Ralf Weinekötter, General Manager of Gericke AG; and Tim freeman. Programme details and registration information are available here.

Key elements of the course include regulatory perspectives, mixing of free-flowing materials, mixing of cohesive materials, lubrication, continuous mixing and powder flow issues.

"Once again I am pleased to be sharing Freeman Technology’s understanding and knowledge of powder characterisation, and its relationship to processing," said Tim Freeman. "Since modern instrumentation now allows for the creation of a database of powder properties, hard-earned processing experience can be correlated with powder characteristics. We see productivity and product quality improving as powder processing becomes less of an art and more of a science."

Freeman’s FT4 powder tester performs a range of methodologies, measuring shear, bulk and dynamic properties in a short time, using relatively small amounts of material. Freeman’s approach to interpreting the data generated makes extensive use of the company’s know-how, as well as the processor’s own experience. The results usually indicate why some formulations are ‘easy’ to manufacture and others are not. This knowledge is the foundation of efficient processing and can be utilized in the development of formulations that will process well, within the performance characteristics of a plant.

For more information on the programme, click here.

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Powder Flow 2009, a new one-day conference held in London on 16 December, has been judged a resounding success. Organised by the Formulation Science and Technology Group (FTSG) of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in partnership with Freeman Technology and in association with Dechema, PowderFlow 2009 was conceived to provide a much needed forum for researchers working in this exciting but challenging field.

A capacity audience at the headquarters of the RSC listened to presentations given by leaders from industry and academia. Posters and exhibits sat alongside the conference sessions and there were opportunities to network with industrial and academic researchers united in their aim of developing a better understanding of powder flow. Among the speakers was Professor Antonio Castellanos from Seville University, whose plenary lecture covered recent research into the influence of interparticle forces on fluidisation behaviour. The surprise attendance of Emeritus Professor Derek Geldart, one of the founding fathers of fluidisation technology, was a highlight for many.

Opening the conference Philippe Rogueda, chairman of the organising committee, stressed the importance of further research and expressed the wish that during the day delegates would “focus their collective thoughts on what we are measuring when we use alternative powder characterisation techniques, what the results mean and how we can best apply our knowledge.”

Throughout the day, powder characterisation techniques were a key area of discussion, from traditional shear testing to more modern approaches such as indentation testing, dynamic powder rheometry and laser imaging techniques, all designed to give greater insight into powder behaviour. The issue of electrostatics and their impact on powder flow was discussed in some detail while an application focused presentation about dry powder inhalers provided a practical demonstration of the relevance of powder flowability measurements.

View slides from the conference at www.powderflow.com or  www.theformulationgroup.eu. Join the virtual community at LinkedIn.

Click here for press release information (PRL380_EN)

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In the Pharma QbD Podcast linked below, Tim Freeman discusses powder characterization in relation to Quality by Design from lab to plant with Paul Thomas of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, recorded at the AAPS 2009 Conference.

Link to Pharma QbD Podcast

You can find the podcast titled 'QbD for Powders' at the top of the 'Qbd Podcasts' section

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Freeman Technology at DDL20

10 November 2009: Welland, UK: Visitors to Drug Delivery to the Lungs 20 (DDL20), 9 to 11 December 2009, Edinburgh, Scotland, will have the opportunity to meet with experts from Freeman Technology to discuss how the FT4 universal powder tester is providing new insight into dry powder inhaler (DPI) performance. Collaborative posters from a number of institutions will showcase the latest work.

Recent research from the University of Bath has drawn attention to the unique ability of the FT4 to sensitively characterise the response of DPI formulations to air. A direct correlation between fine particle fraction and aeration energy confirms the importance of this aspect of behaviour for drug delivery. The research group involved are using these data to study the impact of lactose fines on dispersion behaviour, and to understand in greater detail the mechanisms that control drug delivery.

More than simply an instrument manufacturer and supplier, Freeman Technology provides a technical lead in the complex area of powder characterisation. Extensive in–house research, together with collaborative work continues to build the knowledge base, particularly with respect to the value of dynamic measurements for a broad range of industrial applications.

The FT4 is a universal powder tester used throughout the pharmaceutical industry to gain insight into all aspects of powder processing. It combines dynamic, shear and bulk property measurement, to deliver accurate, multi-faceted characterisation.

www.freemantech.co.uk

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