Thursday, October 6, 2016

Why Standardized Tablet Punches And Dies Have Many Benefits

By Elizabeth Cooper


Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a complex process. There are different forms medicine can come in. From capsules, syrups to tablets. In each type of form there is a way they are specifically produced. This includes the equipment and technology that is used to manufacture these products.

The process of making tablets is widely used by pharmaceutical companies. The method was even taken up by confectionery manufacturers. It is taking a while to make a global standard for such a common practice. Around 2005 the ISO issued a certificate that added another standardized method for tableting. The Eurostandard is a widespread technical process for using tablet punches and dies.

The methods for tableting is a grueling process. With more advanced technology, there rises the need to automate the procedures. But its automation still calls for having a regulatory standard, we are dealing with pharmaceuticals, after all. There is a dilemma in the structural variation with the machine parts that does the tablet presses.

Having the machine makes the production interchangeable in different plants and manufacturing sites. Punches and dies are mechanic and unlike having the more manual process of granulation, compression and so on, the methods has become more automated. In a sense it makes the process portable from one factory to another.

The time allocated in making the tablets is reduced. As a result manufacturers have a faster time of delivering products to clients. With the basic nature of all standards, the procedures of making these products are still efficient without compromising quality.

The procurement, operation and maintenance for the tablet pressers would come easier. Having only one type of punches and dies to produce means lesser time for learning the technicalities of other machine orientations. More companies will adapt to the standard. Since more people share the same knowledge for one globalized process of making tablets, compliance to inspections and reviews become easier to pass.

The technical aspects and information exchanged among the professionals who use this regulated method are also uniformed. If any problem arises, there will be many people available to help solve it. This is the side effect of having common tooling methods, the abundance of knowledge regarding the process. The main issue are the little mechanical details on the punches and dies depending on which tooling is used. These differences can be the thin line between a higher yield of successful results and a lot of mistakes. Standardization finds a way to circumvent these issues .

What makes the essential parts of these machines not interchangeable are the little difference that they have in structure. By having the same technical standard operating procedure, compatibility makes these tablet presses usable in other manufacturing locations. This overall reduces manufacturing costs for everyone that uses this method.

There are new and upcoming innovations in pharmaceuticals that a standardization of these methods may prove useful and necessary eventually. The benefits for a uniform process and regulation for making tablets are a given. While there is interest in this subject in the concerned industries, there is still a substantial amount of time for this concept to catch on as actual practice.




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