Method for operating a mixing device in a factory facility - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide a method for operating a mixing apparatus of a plant facility for processing powdered products into final products, the method comprising supplying different such powdered products to the mixing apparatus, where the different products are mixed to form a mixed product in the mixing apparatus before being processed into the final products.SOLUTION: The method comprises: measuring a product inlet mass flow rate into a mixing apparatus; measuring a weight of the products located in the mixing apparatus; predicting the weight of the products located in the mixing apparatus and a product outlet mass flow rate out of the mixing apparatus based on the measured product inlet mass flow rate using a mathematical model; and correcting the predicted product outlet mass flow rate created using the mathematical model using the measured weight of the products located in the mixing apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating a mixer in a factory facility for processing powdered products into a final product, comprising feeding different powdered products to the mixer, mixing the different products to form a mixed product in the mixer, and subsequently processing the same into a final product. [Background technology]

[0002] In this type of plant, the powdered products are processed, for example, into tablets or capsules. Thus, the plant may comprise, for example, a tablet press or a capsule filling machine. Plants of this type often comprise a number of product inlets for the powdered products to be processed in the plant. Furthermore, plant facilities of this type often comprise a mixing device, which mixes the different products fed in to form the product to be processed. In this case, the mixed product is fed from the mixing device to a production machine, for example a tablet press, for example a rotary tablet press, for processing the product mixture, for example by compressing it into tablets, into a final product. The finished final product then leaves the plant via an outlet. Plants of this type may be designed as continuous plant, in contrast to batch processing, in which products fed in succession to the plant are continuously processed, for example, into tablets or capsules. Furthermore, so-called containment plant facilities are known, in which special sealing means are used to largely prevent product dust from escaping into the environment.

[0003] In a continuously operating factory, the products fed to the factory, in particular at the inlets, must be assigned to the final products produced in the factory. This is necessary, for example, if a product is detected as defective by a sensor in the factory. In this case, the final products produced from said product, for example tablets or capsules, must be discarded, and preferably only the final products produced from the corresponding product batch should be discarded in order to avoid unnecessary waste. Therefore, it is necessary to track the products not only within the individual components, in particular within the mixing device, but also within the factory.

[0004] It is possible to measure the weight or mass of the product located in the mixer using a weight or mass sensor. Based on information about how much product is located in the mixer, the mixing behavior can be predicted for product tracking. However, in order to track the product more comprehensively, it is desirable to detect not only the weight of the product in the mixer, but also the mass flow rate in and out of the mixer. However, currently it is not possible to directly measure the mass flow rate leaving the mixer. The detection of the weight of the product located in the mixer, in particular by means of a load cell, is subject to strong interference, especially in the case of horizontally oriented mixers. Therefore, very slow filters are used so that the weight can still be determined in a reliable manner. However, due to the narrow dynamic range of the filtered measurement signal, the product weight cannot be reliably detected outside the range of the system's steady state. The transition states of the mixer system are particularly relevant for product tracking. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Arising from the prior art outlined above, the object of the present invention is to provide a method of the type mentioned at the beginning, which allows a reliable determination of the mass flow rates in and out of a mixer. Moreover, the object of the present invention is also to allow product tracking in a mixer, also in transient states, in a simple and reliable manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves this object through the subject matter of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0007] With regard to the first mentioned type of method, the present invention solves this object in that it measures the product inlet mass flow rate entering the mixing device and the weight or mass of the product located in the mixing device, it uses a mathematical model to predict the weight or mass of the product located in the mixing device and the product outlet mass flow rate leaving the mixing device based on the measured product inlet mass flow rate, and it corrects the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate made using the mathematical model using the measured weight or mass of the product located in the mixing device.

[0008] In this connection, whenever reference is made to measuring or predicting the product weight, it should be understood that in this respect measuring or predicting the product mass is also possible. The mixing device is part of the factory facility. The factory facility additionally comprises production machines, such as tablet presses, such as rotary tablet presses, or capsule filling machines, for processing the products supplied to the factory facility or the product mixture created in the mixing device into final products, such as tablets or capsules. The final products produced may be, for example, oral solid dosages (OSDs). The factory facility comprises a number of product inlets for the products to be processed in the factory facility. The mixing device is used to mix the different products supplied to the factory facility. The different products supplied to the mixing device may be, for example, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, and / or lubricants. In particular, the different products are supplied to the factory facility via separate product inlets, which in turn supply the different products to the mixing device, where they are mixed to form the product mixture to be processed. The mixing device may comprise, for example, a mixing screw. As a result, the products can be conveyed simultaneously as they are being mixed. The mixing screw may for example be arranged in a horizontally aligned screw housing so that it can rotate about an axis which also extends horizontally.

[0009] The product inlet mass flow rates of the two products to be mixed flowing into the mixing device and the weight of the products located in the mixing device are measured using a suitable measuring device known per se. For this purpose, the mixing device may be equipped with a corresponding weight measuring device, such as a load cell. The product inlet mass flow rate can be detected using a mass flow sensor arranged at the inlet of the mixing device. This sensor measures the product mass flowing into the mixing device per a defined time unit. According to the invention, a mathematical model is used to predict the weight of the products located in the mixing device and the product outlet mass flow rate of the mixed product flowing out of the mixing device based on the measured product inlet mass flow rates. The prediction of the weight of the products located in the mixing device is compared with the measured value of the weight measuring device. If the predicted value is identical to the measured value, it can be assumed that the predicted value for the product outlet mass flow rate is also correct. On the other hand, if a difference between the predicted value for the weight of the products located in the mixing device and the measured value is identified, the predicted value for the product outlet mass flow rate is corrected according to the identified difference.

[0010] The invention is therefore based on the idea of ​​validating the prediction made using a mathematical model by measuring one of the prediction parameters, namely the product mass in the mixing device, and, if necessary, correcting the prediction, in particular the prediction of an unmeasurable value for the product outlet mass flow rate. The prediction and correction of the prediction is carried out in particular by means of an evaluation device based on an evaluation algorithm.

[0011] Although the product outlet mass flow rate can in principle be calculated from measurements on the product inlet mass flow rate and on the weight of the product located in the mixer, this calculation is only reliable in the steady state of the system and, for the reasons mentioned above, is not reliable, especially in the relevant transient states. This problem is solved according to the invention in that the product weight located in the mixer and the product outlet mass flow rate are first predicted based only on the measured product inlet mass flow rate and the prediction is only corrected if there is a difference between the prediction on the weight of the product located in the mixer and the corresponding measured value. A mathematical model is used to represent the most probable state of the mixer, which state includes the weight of the product located in the mixer and also the product outlet mass flow rate. Thanks to the model, the weight of the product located in the mixer is dynamically available, but with only minor disturbances. Similarly, the outflowing product outlet mass flow rate is also dynamically available, even without measuring this value, and with almost no disturbances. Thus, according to the invention, the mixing behavior of the mixer can be accurately and dynamically determined both in the stationary state (steady state of the system) and in the transient state. This in turn, in turn, enables robust, consistent and reliable product tracking within the mixing device.

[0012] The following may be used as a mathematical model equation for the method according to the invention:

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[0013] As a starting condition for the mathematical modeling at the start of the operation of the factory facility, m_m, m_d, and m_o can be set to zero, respectively. When the operation of the factory facility is started, the measured product inlet mass flow rate into the mixer is assumed to be a positive value, and the weight or mass of the product located in the mixer and the product outlet mass flow rate are predicted and then corrected based on the detected measurements of the product located in the mixer, for example using a Kalman filter method described in more detail below. Thus, the predicted values ​​continuously converge to the actual values.

[0014] The mathematical model can also be considered in a state space representation, where the state vector x is

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[0015] A most probable state is determined for the state vector x based on the measured weight or mass y=m_m of the product located within the assembly device. Then, apply the following formula to y: y=Cx During the ceremony, C=(1 0) It is.

[0016] Then, the mathematical model equation in state space representation is:

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[0017] As a starting condition, zero values ​​are again assumed for m_m, m_d, and m_o, and therefore in particular for x and y. Again, the mathematical model converges to the actual values ​​when the plant is started up. In particular, when the plant is started up, the measured product inlet mass flow rate into the mixer is assumed to be a positive value, and the weight or mass of the product located in the mixer and the product outlet mass flow rate are predicted and continuously corrected, for example using a Kalman filter method as described in more detail below.

[0018] According to one embodiment, prediction of the weight of the product located in the mixing device and prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, as well as correction of the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, may also be performed in real time. Predicting and correcting in real time using a mathematical model allows the model to be compared with other sensor data from the factory facility, increasing the robustness and long-term stability of the model.

[0019] According to a particularly practical embodiment, the product outlet mass flow rate predictions generated using the mathematical model may be corrected using a least squares method.

[0020] According to another preferred embodiment, the prediction of the weight of the product located in the mixing device and the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, as well as the correction of the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, may also be performed using the Kalman filter method. The Kalman filter is a mathematical method known per se for iteratively estimating the parameters of a system based on erroneous observations. The Kalman filter method allows the estimation of system variables that cannot be measured directly and optimally reduces measurement errors. It has been shown that this type of mathematical model gives particularly reliable results.

[0021] As mentioned above, different products of the mixing device can be fed to the system via multiple product inlets. According to another embodiment, the product inlets may each comprise at least one dosing device, in particular a loss-in-weight dosing device. Dosing devices of this kind are used to feed the product to the medicament. So-called loss-in-weight dosing devices comprise a weighing device and dose the fed product based on a weight measurement of the product located in the dosing device.

[0022] As already mentioned, the factory facility may be a factory facility for manufacturing tablets, the mixed product coming out of the mixing device being compressed into tablets in a tablet press of the factory facility, which may in particular be a rotary tablet press, which may be a containment press, i.e. a press in which special sealing means largely prevent the escape of product dust into the environment.

[0023] The factory facility is also for manufacturing capsules, and the mixed product coming out of the mixing device can be filled into capsules in a capsule filling machine.

[0024] According to another embodiment, the progression of the product through the mixer and / or factory facility can be tracked based on measurements of the product inlet mass flow rate and measurements of the weight of the product located in the mixer as well as a corrected prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate. As a result, a product batch detected as defective can be tracked, for example, during its subsequent progression through the mixer and / or factory facility. Thus, final products manufactured from defective product batches can be reliably identified and discarded with minimal waste.

[0025] According to another embodiment, for tracking the progression of the product, the product entering the mixer can be divided into mass units based on measured values ​​for the product inlet mass flow rate and the progression of the mass units in the mixer can be tracked using a corrected prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate. The product flow is thus divided into successive mass units, in particular based on measured data for the product inlet mass flow rate in the evaluation device. The release of the relevant mass units from the mixer can be tracked reliably based on the corrected value of the product outlet mass flow rate, if applicable, provided by the method according to the invention. Mass-based product tracking has various advantages over time-based product tracking, for example using a dwell time model. In particular, there is a much lower dependency on the relevant operating point of the factory facility, i.e. on the relevant operating parameters. It is therefore much easier to parameterize the model for product tracking, in particular in the case of product changes or other deviations from the operating parameters once set. At the same time, a particularly reliable product tracking is possible, so that final products produced, for example, from defective product batches can be identified and discarded in a reliable and targeted manner. The mass units move through the factory facility in a manner similar to a shift register model in the evaluation unit. The mixing of different mass units to form new mass units in the mixing device can be taken into account when tracking the progression of mass units in the mixing device. When said mixing is taken into account, the mixing ratio implemented by the mixing device can be taken into account. Thus, from the mass units arriving at the mixing device, new mass units are formed that constitute the mixed product. The mixing ratio of the mixing device in this situation depends on the specifications of the mixing device and, if applicable, on the supply amounts of the individual products. Thus, the mixing ratio is known in the relevant process and can be used accordingly when taking the mixing into account. For example, if the mixing device mixes two products uniformly in a ratio of 50% to 50%, the new mass unit will contain equal amounts of the first and second products, respectively. If other mixing ratios are implemented by the mixing device, the new mass units can be allocated differently accordingly.

[0026] According to another embodiment, the product delivered via the product inlet may be divided into mass units based on measurement data obtained from an inlet mass sensor arranged at the product inlet, and the progression of the mass units within the factory facility may be tracked using measurement data obtained from at least one other mass sensor of the factory facility. In this respect, the loss-in-weight dosing device described above is particularly suitable. In this case, the weighing device already provided can be used directly as the inlet mass sensor.

[0027] According to another embodiment, the progress of the mass units in the plant can be tracked using measurement data obtained from another mass sensor arranged at the tablet outlet of the tablet press. Said other mass sensor can for example be a sensor obtained by counting a number of tablets discharged from the tablet press. The weight of these tablets in a given process can be assumed to be known. Counting the tablets therefore indirectly obtains their weight or mass. Of course, it is also possible for another mass sensor to count the tablets discharged and measure their weight. In the above embodiment, the produced tablets are directly assigned to the corresponding mass unit at the inlet and therefore to the corresponding product batch.

[0028] According to another embodiment, data obtained from another mass sensor arranged at the outlet of the capsule filling machine may be used to track the progress of the mass units in the factory facility. Said other mass sensor may for example be a sensor obtained by counting the number of capsules discharged from the capsule filling machine. Again, the weight of these capsules in a given process can be assumed to be known. Thus, again, the weight or mass is obtained indirectly by counting the capsules. Of course, another mass sensor can also count and weigh the capsules discharged.

[0029] According to another embodiment, the mass of the mass units may be equal. If the mass units are all of the same mass, it facilitates the tracking process, in particular the product tracking using algorithms.

[0030] The mass units should have a low enough mass to allow reliable and accurate product tracking while preventing unnecessary waste. According to related embodiments, the mass units may have a mass in the range of 1 g to 20 g, preferably in the range of 1 g to 10 g. In particular, the mass units all have the same mass, and this same mass of all the mass units is then a mass that is within the above range.

[0031] The plant may be a plant for continuously processing powdered products into final products, for example for continuously manufacturing tablets or filling capsules. As is known, in a plant for continuous production, unlike a batch process, the products are continuously fed into the plant, where they are continuously mixed in a mixing device and continuously processed into the final product. This type of plant can in principle be operated without stopping, and it is only necessary to ensure that there is sufficient product fed into the product inlet. This plant has various advantages over batch plants known to the skilled person. In this type of plant for continuous production, in particular an accurate and high-resolution product tracking, as ensured by the present invention, is of considerable importance.

[0032] Furthermore, the plant may be a containment plant, which by special sealing means largely prevents product dust from leaving the plant. The containment level of the plant is determined, for example, according to the so-called Standardized Measuremnt of Equipment Particulate Airborne Concentration (SMEPAC). The plant used in the method according to the invention may, for example, have a containment level of 10-100ug / m according to the SMEPAC test. 3 or 10ug / m 3 may have less than

[0033] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] 1 shows a plant using the method according to the invention for producing tablets in a tablet press, with the rotors shown flattened. [Diagram 2] 1 shows a diagram for explaining the method according to the invention;

[0035] Unless otherwise stated, like reference numbers refer to like objects in the figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] The plant shown in Fig. 1 is a plant for the production of tablets, compressing a powdered product into tablets. The plant thus comprises a rotary press, in particular a rotary tablet press, arranged in a housing 11 with a rotor, the rotor being rotatably driven by a rotary drive and having a die plate 10 with a number of receiving means 12. The receiving means 12 may for example take the form of holes in the die plate 10. The rotor further comprises a number of upper and lower punches 14 and 16 rotating synchronously with the die plate 10. The upper punch 14 is guided axially in an upper punch guide 18, and the lower punch 16 is guided axially in a lower punch guide 20. The axial movement of the upper punch 14 and the lower punch 16 during the rotor rotation is controlled by an upper control cam element 22 and a lower control cam element 24. The rotary press further comprises a filling device 26 with a filling reservoir 28 and a filling chamber 30 connected via a filling pipe 32. In this way, the powdered filling material in this example passes under gravity from the filling reservoir 28 through the filling pipe 32 into the filling chamber 30 and then, again under gravity, from the filling chamber 30 into the receiving means 12 of the die plate 10 through a filling opening provided on the lowermost side of the filling chamber 30.

[0037] The rotary press further comprises a compression device 34. The compression device 34 has not only a main compression device with an upper main compression roller 40 and a lower main compression roller 42, but also a pre-compression device with an upper pre-compression roller 36 and a lower pre-compression roller 38. Furthermore, the rotary press comprises an ejection device 44 and a scraping device 46 with a scraping element which feeds the tablets 48 produced in the rotary press to an ejection device 50 for ejecting the tablets from the rotary press. The scraping device 46 comprises, for example, a preferably crescent-shaped scraping element which scrapes the tablets 48 which leave the die plate 10 in the area of ​​the ejection device 44 by means of the lower punch 16 and are conveyed onto the top side of the die plate 10, and feeds the tablets 48 to the ejection device 50.

[0038] The housing 11 may be at positive or negative pressure relative to the surroundings of the housing 11. Furthermore, the housing 11 may be sealed relative to the surroundings. The rotary compressor may be a so-called containment compressor.

[0039] It is expressly noted that the rotary press shown in Figure 1 and having the characteristics detailed above is merely representative. In principle, any other tablet press is also suitable for the present invention. In fact, any other type of production machine that processes a powdered product into a final product is also suitable in principle for the present invention, for example a capsule filling machine that fills a powdered product into capsules.

[0040] In the illustrated example, the factory facility further comprises two product inlets 52, 54 for two different products, e.g. for a drug substance and an excipient, which are fed to the tablet press for compression into tablets 48. The product inlets 52, 54 may comprise, for example, a dosing device, in particular a loss-in-weight dosing device. From the product inlets 52, 54 the fed products reach a mixer 56 of the factory facility, in which the products are mixed to form a product mixture to be compressed. The mixer may comprise, for example, a mixing screw. In the illustrated example, the mixer 56 is oriented horizontally. In particular, the rotation axis of the mixer screw of the mixer 56 extends horizontally. The housing of the mixer 56 is also oriented horizontally. The mixed product leaving the mixer 56 is fed via a feed line 58 to the filling reservoir 28 of the filling device 26. The factory facility additionally comprises an evaluation and control device 60 for controlling the operation of the factory facility and for carrying out the method according to the invention on the basis of an evaluation algorithm stored in the evaluation and control device 60. The product inlets 52, 54, the filling device 26, and the tablet press, in particular the tablet outlet of the tablet press, may each be equipped with at least one weight sensor capable of determining, directly or indirectly, the weight of the product guided through the plant facility or the weight of the tablets discharged from the plant facility, respectively. The mixer 56 is also equipped at its inlet with a mass flow sensor for measuring the product inlet mass flow rate of the product flowing from the product inlets 52, 54 into the mixer 56. Furthermore, the mixer 56 is equipped with a load cell for measuring the weight of the product located in the mixer 56. An evaluation and control device 60 is connected to the mass flow sensor for measuring the product inlet mass flow rate, to the load cell for measuring the weight of the product located in the mixer 56, and to the mass sensor, if applicable, to other sensors of the plant facility. In particular, the evaluation and control device 60 receives measurement data from the sensors and uses said data as a basis for control and evaluation. For this purpose, the evaluation and control device 60 may be connected to all components of the plant facility via corresponding connection lines.

[0041] The method according to the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG.

[0042] In Figure 2,

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[0043] As illustrated by arrow 64 in FIG. 2, a comparison device 66, which may be part of the evaluation and control device 60, receives a predicted value for the weight of the product located in the mixing device 56.

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[0044] The above predictions for the weight of product located within the mixer and for the product outlet mass flow rate exiting the mixer 56, as well as corrections to the product outlet mass flow rate predictions, are preferably made using a Kalman filter method.

[0045] Thanks to the method according to the invention, product tracking within the plant, and in particular the mixing device 56, can be carried out in a reliable manner and also outside of stationary conditions, in particular in transient conditions.

[0046] For product tracking, it is also possible to divide the product fed into the plant via the product inlets 52, 54 into mass units of equal size based on measurement data obtained from inlet mass sensors arranged at the product inlets 52, 54, e.g. mass sensors or weight sensors of a loss-in-weight dosing device. In the dispersion zone generated by the mixer 56, in this case new mass units are also formed in the evaluation and control device 60 from the mass units of the two product inlets 52, 54, which contain the product portions entering the mixer 56 from the two mass units of the two product inlets 52, 54 according to a known feed ratio in each case. Furthermore, a mixing of the mass unit constituents in the dispersion zone generated by the mixer 56 according to a known, e.g. empirically determined, mixing ratio of the mixer 56 is taken into account. Based on the product outlet mass flow rate predicted and, if applicable, corrected using the method according to the invention, the mass units can further be tracked accordingly at the outlet of the mixer 56. Measurement data obtained, for example from a mass sensor arranged in the filling device 26 of the tablet press, is further used to track the progression of these mass units through the plant, in particular to the tablet press 62. The discharged tablets 48 can be assigned to a specific mass unit previously supplied to the plant via the product inlets 52, 54 and therefore to the corresponding product batch, using another mass sensor arranged, for example, at the outlet of the tablet press, which counts the discharged tablets and, if applicable, also measures the weight of the discharged tablets. If, for example, one or more mass units are detected as defective by a sensor in the plant during their progression through the plant, it is thereby possible in this manner to reliably identify the tablets produced from these mass units, so that these tablets can be discarded. In view of the method according to the invention, this type of product tracking based on mass can be performed in a reliable manner at any time, especially also in transient states.

[0047] The mass units may all have the same mass. The mass units may preferably have a mass of less than 20 g, more preferably less than 10 g, for example approximately 1 g. The factory facility is particularly a factory facility for continuous tablet production, and may be a containment factory facility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10 Die Plate 11. Cabinet 12 Means of acceptance 14 Upper punch 16 Lower punch 18 Upper punch guide 20 Lower punch guide 22 Upper control cam element 24 Lower control cam element 26 Filling equipment 28 Filling reservoir 30 Filling chamber 32 Filling pipe 34 Compression Device 36 Upper Pre-Compression Roller 38 Lower Pre-Compression Roller 40 Upper main compression roller 42 Lower main compression roller 44 Ejector 46 Scraping equipment 48 tablets 50 Release device 52 Product inlet 54 Product inlet 56 Mixing equipment 58 Supply Line 60 Evaluation and control devices 62 Arrow 64 Arrow 66 Comparison device 68 Arrow 70 Arrow

Claims

1. 1. A method for operating a horizontally oriented mixer (56) in a plant facility for processing powdered products into a final product, the mixer (56) having a horizontally extending mixing screw axis of rotation and a horizontally oriented housing of the mixer (56), wherein different powdered products are fed into the mixer (56) and mixed to form a mixed product in the mixer (56) before being processed into the final product, the method comprising: measuring a product inlet (52, 54) mass flow rate into the mixer (56) and a weight of a product located in the mixer (56); using a mathematical model to predict the weight of the product located in the mixer (56) and a product outlet mass flow rate out of the mixer (56) based on the measured product inlet (52, 54) mass flow rates; and using the measured weight of the product located in the mixer (56) to correct the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate made using the mathematical model.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prediction of the weight of the product located in the mixing device (56) and the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, and the correction of the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate are also performed in real time.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate produced using the mathematical model is corrected using a least squares method.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the prediction of the weight of the product located in the mixing device (56) and the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, as well as the correction of the prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate, are also performed using a Kalman filter method.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the different products are fed to the mixer (56) via multiple product inlets (52, 54) of the factory facility.

6. 6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that said product inlets (52, 54) each comprise at least one dosing device, in particular a loss-in-weight device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the factory facility is a factory facility for manufacturing tablets, and the mixed product coming out of the mixing device (56) is compressed into the tablets (48) in a tablet press of the factory facility.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the factory facility is a factory facility for manufacturing capsules, and the mixed product coming out of the mixing device (56) is filled into said capsules in a capsule filling machine.

9. 9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising tracking the progress of the product in the mixing device (56) and / or in the factory facility based on measurements of the product inlet (52, 54) mass flow rates and measurements of the weight of the product located in the mixing device (56) as well as on the corrected prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that, for the tracking of the progression of the product, the product entering the mixer (56) is divided into mass units based on the measurements of the product inlet (52, 54) mass flow rates, and the corrected prediction of the product outlet mass flow rate is used to track the progression of the mass units in the mixer (56).

11. Measurement data obtained from inlet mass sensors arranged at the product inlets (52, 54).

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the product supplied through the product inlets (52, 54) is divided into the mass units based on the mass unit ratio, and the progression of the mass units within the factory facility is tracked using measurement data obtained from at least one other mass sensor of the factory facility.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the progression of the mass units within the factory facility is tracked using measurement data obtained from a separate mass sensor arranged at the tablet outlet of a tablet compression machine.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the divided mass units all have equal mass.

14. Method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the mass of the mass unit is in the range of 1 g to 20 g, preferably in the range of 1 g to 10 g.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the factory facility is a factory facility for continuously processing the powdered product into the final product.

16. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the factory facility is a contained factory facility.

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