Powder Flow Properties

Powder Flowability Specialists - Freeman Technology

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In this issue

A shared responsibility

Presenting wall friction work with Harro Höfliger

New insight at Clarochem Ireland

Monash researchers seek to improve inhaled drug formulations

Powder Flow 2009 - a new one-day seminar in London

Now available - Calibration Reference Powder

Freeman joins forces with the Engineering Research Center

Winter 2009

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Tim Freeman - Director of Operations at Freeman Technology

A shared responsibility

Equipment manufacturers and process engineers share the task of specifying plant for optimal performance. Where powders are involved this is always a challenge, with ultimate success relying upon a fundamental compatibility between plant and material. Designing or modifying equipment to suit the characteristics of a powder provides a firm basis for reliable and successful operation, building quality into the manufacturing process.

Developing a relevant and comprehensive understanding of the nature of a powder is the first step towards achieving a good match between formulation and plant. Quantifying powders in terms of well-defined shear, dynamic and bulk properties allows the building of a database that can be used to learn how to design equipment that will work well with different materials. Conversely, it also shows how to develop specifications for powders that will suit a particular piece of plant.

Robust and reliable powder processing is achieved by designing and/or specifying plant that works with, rather than against, the powder. The insight provided by universal powder testers helps equipment manufacturers and process designers to properly understand the nature of a process material.

If you would like to discuss any issues related to powder characterisation or the optimisation of a specific powder process, please do call, email, or visit us at one of the many upcoming events.

Tim Freeman, Director of Operations

Presenting wall friction work with Harro Höfliger

In a poster presentation at the 2009 AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition (8-12 November 2009; Los Angeles, USA), we will describe recent collaborative work with machinery manufacturer Harro Höfliger. The joint development project was established to address the challenges of specifying low-friction materials of construction for pharmaceutical powder processing plant. The FT4 Powder Rheometer was used to test a variety of materials supplied by Harro Höfliger and develop new methods for the consistent measurement of Wall Friction Angle for low friction surfaces. Using the hopper design software supplied with the FT4, critical hopper parameters of half angle and outlet were calculated for each of the friction materials, demonstrating the dependence of wall material on hopper geometry.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to request a copy of the poster which will be released after the event.

New insight at Clarochem Ireland

Organic chemists with a particular interest in crystallisation at Clarochem (Ireland) Limited are reaping the benefits of working with the FT4. "We use the FT4 extensively for in-house and third party work," said Colm Campbell, Process Implementation Manager. "It has helped enhance our crystallisation and powder characterisation know-how, allowing us to evolve to incorporate some fundamental material science aspects into our crystallization work. Not only has this contributed to a greater appreciation by our partners of the added value of our expertise, it also helps to differentiate us from our competitors."

Read more in our press release

Image of Lungs - Monash researchers seek to improve inhaled drug formulations

Monash researchers seek to improve inhaled drug formulations

Pharmaceutical science researchers at Monash University in Australia have recently published work describing the use of optimised dry coating techniques to enhance the flow of fine lactose particles. Their results show that measuring the dynamic properties of the lactose with the FT4 quantifies flow behaviour more sensitively than using conventional techniques. Consequently the FT4 is becoming an important characterisation tool for this and related research and development work.

Read more on our website by clicking here.

Powder Flow 2009 Logo

Powder Flow 2009 - a new one-day seminar in London

Powder Flow 2009: Practice, Theory, Visualisation and Meaning is a one-day conference organised by The Formulation Group (FSTG) of the Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with Freeman Technology and in association with Dechema. The event takes place on 16 December 2009 at the RSC headquarters in London, UK, and has three major themes: the practical aspects of powder flow measurement, powder flow visualisation, and the application of theory in understanding powder behaviour. The conference programme will take participants through the most up-to-date knowledge and practice on powder flow measurement as a way to understand powder interactions and structuring.

For more details of the programme and to register visit www.powderflow.com

Now available - Calibration Reference Powder

We now supply a Calibration Reference Powder - limestone (CRM116) - useful for verifying operation of the FT4. Reliable powder characterisation results depend not only on the calibration of the instrument itself but also on user methodology and the condition of the equipment. This reference powder allows monitoring of the whole system – including the operator! By periodically running standard tests on the reference materials and comparing the resulting data with the calibration standard provided, any adverse trends or discrepancies can be investigated and addressed.

To request more details This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Freeman joins forces with Engineering Research Center

We are pleased to announce our three-year membership of the Engineering Research Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems. The ERC is a National Science Foundation sponsored organisation, spread across four universities within the USA, and works closely with each of its industrial members on projects related to powder characterisation, formulation, and processing. The FT4s installed at Rutgers, NJIT and Purdue will be involved in a range of studies, from material characterisation to scale-up and process optimisation.