Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has integrated Coperion's K-Tron feeders into its novel high containment manufacturing plant in Freiburg, Germany.
The automated facility currently produces around 6.7 billion oral solid dosage forms — including tablets and capsules containing high-potency OEB 4 compounds — for the global pharmaceutical market.
With the incorporation of Coperion's technology, Pfizer will be able to automatically dose the specified amounts of excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for a formulation through an overall PLC based control system.
All batch setpoints are communicated directly to each KCM feeder controller, which in turn controls the high accuracy loss-in-weight (LIW) batching of the feeder. This initial batch is then mixed and moved to another station where more LIW feeders accurately dose additives into the batch, before the mixture continues to the tablet press.
The K-Tron feeders aim to shorten production time, enhance drug production capacity and ensure dosing accuracy.
They also require less floor space, while facilitating the easy exchange of feeder sizes.
K-Tron's modular concept also reduces the overall footprint and increases the turndown range.
For an optimal wash-in-place result, every unit has an integral 2-degree pitch, facilitating maximum drainage during the cleaning processes.
Furthermore, the system's CPU can now offer a weighing resolution of 8,000,000:1 in 20ms, with SFT load cells allowing for sampling rates of 450 samples per second.
The advanced automated batch dispensing system at Pfizer's manufacturing facility in Freiburg will help to advance the production of the company's medicinal portfolio, while adhering to strict cGMP guidelines.