Dry Granulation and Roller Compaction Technology

Roller compaction and dry granulation are essential part of the creation of pharmaceutical and chemical products. These products are generally processed through some form of chemical processing, followed by precipitation, filtration, micronizing, and classification. The problem with this process is that it has a tendency to produce very fine particle sizes, and thus produce dust, which is not easily contained, transported, or used in any way. The roller compaction and dry granulation process takes that fine powder and turns it into a useable substance. Roller Compaction Roller compactors take the powder and densify it, turning it into a more condensed material. They do this through the use of a feed screw and a pair of compactor rollers. The feed screw collects the product and feeds it into the compaction rollers slowly, so that there is a controlled feed. This gives the roller compactors the ability to crush the powder together, turning it into one large particle, rather than a lot of smaller ones. Frequently, the rolls will have grooves in them to prevent sticking and change the desired end-shape of the particle. Dry Granulator The dry granulator controls the upper limit of the particle size by reducing the size of the now compacted particles. The most typically used granulator in the production of pharmaceuticals is the Flake Crusher. The Alpine Flake Crusher uses a rotor that operates inside of a screen insert, which is supported by a basket. The rotor crushes the material against a screen, granulating the product into a size that is more manageable than the size of the compacted material. If you wish to learn more about roller compaction and granulation technology, be sure to watch the entire webinar.