{"id":10373,"date":"2022-06-28T09:05:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T08:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/?p=10373"},"modified":"2022-07-11T10:44:40","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T09:44:40","slug":"contract-manufacturing-by-fluid-bed-and-spouted-bed-technology-which-is-better-continuous-or-batch-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fei-online.com\/contract-manufacturing-by-fluid-bed-and-spouted-bed-technology-which-is-better-continuous-or-batch-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Contract manufacturing by fluid bed and spouted bed technology: Which is better, continuous or batch process?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Contract manufacturing by fluid bed and spouted bed technology: Which is better, continuous or batch process?<\/h1>\/ in Featured Articles<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/header>\n<\/div><\/section>
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When running processes such as fluid bed and spouted bed drying, granulation, encapsulation and coating, which production management is most advantageous for contract manufacturers: continuous or batch mode? Gudrun Ding, Head of Business Development, Process Technology, Glatt Ingenieurtechnik provides an insight into their everyday practices and points out which mode of operation offers most benefits<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A wide range of sophisticated mixing and drying systems exist for\u00a0the formulation of ingredients for the food and feed industry that\u00a0provide excellent results. However, when specific product properties\u00a0such as free-flowing powders, dust free products, abrasion resistance,\u00a0defined size\/particle shape or release profiles are required, fluid\u00a0bed processing is the technology of choice.<\/p>\n

Different plant setups and variable process parameters allow\u00a0almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to agglomerating of\u00a0powders, drying liquids and suspensions into granules or producing\u00a0compact particles from microcapsules. If required, an additional\u00a0functional coating can also be applied. Processes based on fluid bed\u00a0and spouted bed technology are especially suited for temperaturesensitive\u00a0products. Likewise, oxidation-sensitive substances can also\u00a0be treated under inert conditions to optimize their property profiles.<\/p>\n

Product properties, economy,\u00a0ecology and safety\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The characteristics mentioned above make fluid bed\u00a0technology particularly popular among contract manufacturers.\u00a0In addition to enhancing product characteristics,\u00a0cost-effectiveness and safety play a key role. Primary\u00a0considerations include understanding which market\u00a0a contract development and manufacturing organization\u00a0(CDMO) wants to serve as well as how they want to work.\u00a0Products that are traded in large volumes demand highly\u00a0efficient, cost-optimized production, which favour\u00a0continuous processes. This raises the question: what kind\u00a0of shift model does our site allow? Are there noise protection\u00a0regulations that prohibit night shifts, for example, and do\u00a0we have sufficient personnel for 24\/7 production?<\/p>\n

To expand its production capacity, Swiss company Erbo Spraytec AG\u00a0had to answer similar questions. The CDMO specializes in private\u00a0label manufacturing with fluid bed technology. What began in 1972\u00a0with a single spray tower has now developed into a global business\u00a0with encapsulated ingredients for the food, cosmetics and feed\u00a0industries. In those days, the company purchased a fluidized bed\u00a0system that was especially adapted for spray cooling processes.\u00a0Wishing to offer new formulations based on water-soluble substances\u00a0subsequently led to the acquisition of another continuous fluid bed\u00a0plant with large-scale water evaporation capacity in 2009. With the\u00a0addition of a ProCell 500 continuous spouted bed system and food\u00a0certification, Erbo Spraytec has now diversified into other industry\u00a0segments. Its range of services currently includes aqueous granulation,\u00a0matrix encapsulation and various coating applications.<\/p>\n

Dr Rolf Tona, Vice President, reflects on the factors that\u00a0contributed to investing in the spouted bed processor from Glatt:\u00a0\u201cIt was important for us to find a supplier that could provide the\u00a0needed plant and, as well, engineer the building construction,\u00a0infrastructure setup and the plant installation. Our launch partner\u00a0in those days, who specialized in feed additives, had already\u00a0successfully developed and upscaled a couple of formulations at\u00a0the Glatt Technology Center in Weimar and that\u2019s what ultimately\u00a0tipped the scales.\u201d<\/p>\n

What unites their customer requirements with their own is the desire to optimize the properties of their products: universal needs include the homogenous distribution of ingredients, good flowability and a well-defined particle size distribution with only a minimal content of fines and low hygroscopicity. In recent years, demands to protect the active ingredients in formulations and, in particular, optimize their targeted release have increased considerably. Here too, in addition to the use of the appropriate matrix materials and excipients, the right technology plays an essential role. For individually tailored products and process development, the CDMO operates a pilot plant for each facility. This enables Erbo Spraytec to develop new formulations for their customers in a reasonable time period.<\/p>\n

Fifty weeks of production \u2013\u00a0two weeks of downtime\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Even after more than 10 years of operation, working in a 24\/7 fourshift mode, the plant provides granulated and encapsulated products at a consistently high quality. Maintenance and repair work result in only two weeks of downtime per year. In addition, after production campaigns lasting up to four weeks, cleaning only accounts for approximately 20 hours of interruption during product changeover. On top of the processor sits a highly efficient exhaust air incineration system that has recently been augmented with an exhaust air scrubber. Various energy recovery systems increase its economic efficiency and also improve the carbon footprint of what is otherwise a very energy intensive technology. Thanks to regular process optimization, the throughput in most cases has exceeded the originally quoted figures.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the plant is performing very well,\u201d sums up Dr Tona. Cost-efficiency is paramount as most of Erbo Spraytec\u2019s customers come from highly price-sensitive market segments. Therefore, the size of a production campaign is critical: \u201cOur plant is designed for several hundred tons per campaign and for weeks of continuous operation. Runs in the low single-digit ton range increase production costs many times over, simply because of the cleaning efforts required. At high volumes and consistent product quality levels, continuous processing is extremely user-friendly and unbeatable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glatt\u2019s patented spouted bed technology is \u2013 like the fluid bed technology \u2013 also based on the basic principle of fluidizing particles by agitating them with upward flowing process air. Key differences are the design of the process air inlet and the extended process chamber; this creates particularly gentle conditions that are ideal for temperature-sensitive raw materials. The higher temperature spectrum of the process air is compensated by the shorter residence times. For example, this generally works very well for phytogenic additives or flavours that can\u2019t tolerate long processing times and\/or sticky or viscous liquids that are difficult to handle.<\/p>\n

Continuous and batch operation\u00a0in Glatt\u2019s Technology Center<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Glatt\u2019s Technology Center in Weimar is not only a competence hub\u00a0for continuous processes; batch processes are also very prominent.\u00a0Working side by side with customers, feasibility studies are done\u00a0here and product samples are generated on a weekly basis. Factors\u00a0influencing both formulation and product properties are investigated\u00a0to develop an optimized process. For the production of larger\u00a0quantities \u2013 such as those required for marketing studies or to\u00a0expedite time to market \u2013 Glatt\u2019s highly flexible batch fluid bed\u00a0systems offer numerous advantages.<\/p>\n

Typical campaign sizes are in the low-to-mid double-digit ton range.\u00a0The plant is hygienically designed for multiple product changeovers\u00a0and is easy to clean. Therefore, the batch fluid bed is a much-used\u00a0plant in the outsourcing business, especially for high quality products\u00a0that have to be produced in smaller quantities. Homogeneity when\u00a0processing active ingredients or achieving targeted release profiles\u00a0with an appropriate coating can easily and reproducibly be done with\u00a0batch processing. Complex products with expensive ingredients\u00a0can also be refined in defined batches with manageable risk; plus,\u00a0processing single batches with documentation for each lot enables\u00a0simple and complete traceability. In addition, fluctuations in capacity\u00a0utilization can be easily compensated for by extending the shift.\u00a0Conclusion: ability and desire<\/p>\n

In areas such as the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, an ongoing trend has been toward patient-specific application forms and, as a result, smaller, more flexible production units. Batch processes are the standard here, with the same trend extending into the food industry. Variety, specific customer requirements and, in addition, shorter product lifecycles are making investments in large-volume production plants riskier; the move towards versatile technologies or outsourcing is becoming increasingly stronger. Which process a contract manufacturer or producer ultimately chooses depends on the market, the product and the output volume. Continuous processes are energy efficient long-runners that enable maximum process reliability with minimal operational effort for 24\/7 operation. Besides flexibility, batch production allows for precisely defined processing with high content uniformity from batch to batch and seamless tracking and tracing.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>
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