Spot Printing Additive Manufacturing for Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food supplement dosage forms are inefficient in creating lightweight and material-saving structures.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printing process that applies building substances in the form of spots, allowing for the creation of semi-solid dosage forms by overlapping or touching spots, using a printer with a print head that applies flowable substances which solidify or semi-solidify, and optionally incorporating multiple print heads for simultaneous or sequential printing of different active ingredients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional manufacturing methods are used for pharmaceutical dosage forms, then production efficiency is maintained, but material usage is inefficient and lightweight structures cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The dosage form is divided into discrete spots arranged in layers, allowing precise material placement only where needed. Each spot contains active ingredient and can be independently positioned, eliminating material waste from traditional bulk manufacturing while maintaining production efficiency through automated spot-by-spot fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
Different spots within the same dosage form can contain different active ingredients, concentrations, or release profiles. This allows localized optimization of material usage - applying material only where therapeutically necessary - while maintaining overall production efficiency through a single integrated printing process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If spots are applied with overlap or contact, then structural stability is improved, but material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spots with partial overlap rather than complete coverage, achieving sufficient structural stability through controlled intersections. This partial action approach provides just enough material overlap to ensure dosage form integrity while avoiding excessive material consumption that would result from complete spot coverage.
3Productivity
If multiple print heads are used for simultaneous printing, then production speed and customization are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple print heads are integrated into a single printing device, allowing simultaneous deposition of different building substances containing different active ingredients. This multi-functional approach enables customized multi-ingredient dosage forms to be produced in a single operation, improving production speed while consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate devices.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of stable and customizable dosage forms with controlled release properties and reduced material usage, suitable for various active ingredients and medical devices.
Implementation Method 1
the build substance is flowable in the printed state, preferably by heating
Implementation Method 2
becomes at least semi-solid upon solidification, preferably cooling
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and a device for producing solid, at least semi-solid dosage forms of pharmaceutical active substances, of nutraceutical active substances and/or of food supplement active substances, in the case of which the dosage form is produced in an additive manner by way of the application of a building substance in the form of dots.