Machinery Update | November / December 2020

54 MACHINERY UPDATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Pharmaceuticals
An emulsion must be stable, with no separation
Best mixing
is important
Creating a stable emulsion can be a
challenging task, even with the use of
emulsifiers, but it is a critical stage in
the production of many pharmaceutical
products as the efficacy, quality, texture,
shelf life and appearance of products are
very much dependent on its stability.
Conventional mixers and agitators,
which are suitable for basic liquid/liquid
blending, are unable to form a stable
emulsion, but high shear mixing subjects
the liquids to intense high-energy which
reduces the droplet size sufficiently
and allows the two phases to combine,
resulting in a stable emulsion which will
not separate once the shear energy has
been removed.
Silverson Machines offers a range of
in-tank and In-Line mixers widely used for
preparation of emulsions, from laboratory
scale up to bulk production units.
T 01494 786331
W www.silverson.co.uk
Milling and
screening
Offering milling flexibility and improved
powder processing efficiency, the
Fitzpatrick Company and Quadro
Engineering Corp introduced the SDx
Series – Smart Drive Exchangeable
Platform that is billed as the world’s first
production-scale milling and screening
platform offering three distinct powder
processing solutions on a single, common
drive. They include Fitzpatrick’s FitzMill,
hammermill, Quadro’s Comil conical
screen mill, and FlexSift Security
Screening technologies.
The new platform affords operators the
ability to quickly and easily interchange
the three heads to fulfil specific processing
requirements, improve production
efficiencies and reduce bottlenecks.
It is available from Ytron-Quadro (UK).
T 01494 792898
W www.ytron-quadro.co.uk
Metal removal
is quality gain
A new modular conveyor inspection system has
been launched by CEIA for demanding products
The new THS/MBB modular
conveyor inspection system
from Ceia is the latest metal
detection system designed
specifically to address
the demanding requirements of the
pharmaceutical industry, as well
as food applications. This high
sensitivity metal detection
system is ideal for the
automatic elimination of
metal contaminants in
flacons, bottles and other
packaged products.
In operation, the system
offers learning and tracking
of the product effect to
optimise detection
sensitivity to both ferrous
and non-ferrous metals.
“This is carried out from
a single transit that is
equal in precision
and efficiency to
hundreds of
conventional
transits – an
unprecedented
development,”
explains
David Hale,
sales director
at MDS (the
authorised CEIA
representative
in the UK).
In addition,
an automatic
testing function
continuously
monitors and checks the
sensitivity of the system to
ensure maximum production safety.
Among its various other distinguishing
features, the detector is highly immune
to environmental interference, including
common radio frequencies, due to many
cross-platform studies conducted by Ceia
engineers. In addition, new diagnostic
tools for measuring the environmental
compatibility of the metal detector
are built into the device itself, where
previously additional instrumentation
was required.
The system has also been designed
with the user/operator in mind.
The interface contains an
easy-to-read, high-contrast
graphic display, a stainless
steel keyboard, and a quick
access function whereby
frequently used functions
can be activated simply by
pressing a dedicated key.
The digitally adjustable
belt speed is one of
numerous controls for
line speed and rejection.
And with Bluetooth wireless
communication connectivity,
the maintenance technician
no longer needs to worry
about physically accessing
the interior of the detector
or using unwieldy
connection cables.
“As always with Ceia,
the system complies
with all relevant food
and pharma sector
regulations,” says
Hale. This includes
the rigorous criteria
prescribed in FDA
Code Title 21 part 11
regarding access
to programming
and computer
data protection.
The System Administrator, which is
username and password protected,
controls the programming and
managing of individual user profiles
and user functions.
In addition, all system events,
including detection, ejection and
program operations, are automatically
recorded in a data log.
T 0161 286 8755
W www.mds.org.uk
Inspection is made
easy by the unit