Powder Mixing Feed Control for Stable Continuous Tablet Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batch methods for pharmaceutical tablet production face interruptions and inefficiencies due to standby periods and require significant space and facility design, as well as difficulties in maintaining the desired ratio of powdery materials during continuous mixing and feeding processes.
Innovation Solution
A powdery material mixing and feeding system that adjusts the flow rate of one powdery material based on variations in another to maintain a consistent ratio, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted feeding to a post-processing machine by using multiple volumetric feeders and mixers, with a controller to regulate the flow rates and maintain the desired composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If batch method is used for pharmaceutical tablet production, then facility design for each process can be implemented, but standby periods occur between processes and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous manufacturing system where powdery materials are continuously mixed and fed to the compression molding machine without batch interruptions. The mixing device and feeding devices operate continuously, eliminating standby periods between granulating, drying, grading, and mixing processes, thereby maintaining continuous useful action while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple separate batch processes (granulating, drying, grading, mixing) into a single integrated continuous manufacturing system. The mixing device receives materials and continuously mixes them while feeding devices simultaneously and continuously supply materials to the compression molding machine, merging previously separate operations into one continuous flow.
2Ease of manufacture
If batch method is used for pharmaceutical tablet production, then each process can be performed in separate chambers, but large space is occupied and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple batch process chambers into a single continuous manufacturing system. Instead of requiring separate chambers for granulating, drying, grading, and mixing, the system uses one mixing device that continuously receives and processes materials, thereby reducing the number of separate facilities and overall space requirements while maintaining process separation through controlled material flow.
3Ease of operation
If flow rate of powdery material is not regulated, then feeding process is simple, but ratio of powdery materials may depart from desired range and manufacturing precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback control in the feeding devices that supply powdery materials to the mixing device. The controller regulates the flow rates of powdery materials based on measured values, comparing actual flow rates to target values and adjusting accordingly to maintain the desired ratio of first and second powdery materials, thereby ensuring manufacturing precision through closed-loop feedback control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamically adjustable feeding devices with variable flow rates that can be continuously modified during operation. The feeding devices are equipped with controllers that can change flow rate parameters in real-time based on process requirements, allowing the system to adapt to varying conditions while maintaining precise ratio control, rather than using fixed flow rate mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A powdery material mixing and feeding system (B) is configured to feed a machine (A) configured to execute a post process with mixed powdery materials obtained by mixing a first powdery material and a second powdery material discharged from powdery material feeding devices (B1, B2) at a required ratio, wherein when a flow rate of the first powdery material discharged from the first powdery material feeding device (B1) departs from a target value by a predetermined amount or more, a controller (B05) increases or decreases the flow rate of the second powdery material discharged from the second powdery material feeding device (B2) such that the ratio of the first powdery material to the second powdery material contained in the mixed powdery materials is kept within a desired range.