The particles of the wet granulation mechanism are placed in the dryer after drying the whole grain, sealing it, but after a period of time, the lump is found, and the press can return to its original state. In this regard, the industry listed four reasons, including sealing problems, exposure to air oxidation, high temperature of the dryer, instability of the granular punch itself, etc., and gave corresponding solutions.
1 Equipment Tightness
If a little water vapor enters the dryer, it is easy to make the water vapor and the surface of the particles adhere to each other and agglomerate.
In this case, what the user should do is to ensure the tightness of the dryer and prevent water vapor from entering the dryer. The industry said that users need to understand the tightness of the equipment when choosing a dryer.
“Brand is on the one hand, the selection of the choice is also the key, to see its workmanship, the key is the flatness of the grinding mouth, you can turn the circle, feel the friction situation, but this requires experience; In addition, when operating, the lid can not be buckled to the end, to rotate it, push around. The industry said so.
2 Oxidation Problems
If the particles come into contact with oxygen in the air, they will slowly oxidize, causing the properties of the surface material to change and thus form a lump.
It is reported that some granules, such as Traditional Chinese medicine granules, are easy to absorb water during the storage process, affecting the quality, and the particles after moisture absorption are more likely to oxidize, hydrolysis and mildew, and change appearance, active ingredient reduction and so on. The industry suggests that for such a situation, you can start from the early production, select excipients with less moisture absorption or change the proportion of excipients, in addition, for traditional Chinese medicine granules, you can strictly control the moisture in the production process, as far as possible to use excipients with small moisture absorption, optimize the granulation method.
3 The Dryer Temperature Is Too High
If the temperature of the dryer is too high, it will melt. Industry insiders pointed out that the granular punch is not a crystal, has no fixed melting point, is easy to melt in the case of too high a temperature, and the phenomenon of agglomeration occurs, just like white sugar or brown sugar.
In this regard, the industry recommends that if it is environmentally affected, the dryer can be placed in a cool and dry place, avoiding places where the temperature is too high or the humidity is too heavy.
In addition, if it is a problem with the dryer equipment itself, it needs to be treated accordingly. According to reports, the steel pipe between the dryer and the air compressor is used to dissipate heat, and the length of the steel pipe determines the temperature of the inlet dryer. When choosing a dryer, in addition to paying attention to quality and tightness, users also need to check whether the system is working properly, and regular maintenance of the dryer is also crucial. In the process of daily use, good examination habits should be developed.
4 The Instability Of The Granule Punch Itself
It is understood that wet granulation refers to the drug fine powder or thick paste and excipients in a suitable container mixed evenly, adding wetting agent to make a soft material of “hand kneading into a ball, pressing it and scattering”, and then squeezing through the screen (plate) to make uniform particles. After the wet particles are dried, some of them may clump and stick.
The industry recommends that the dry particles should be sieved after cooling to make the particles uniform. In addition, in the processing of raw materials and excipients, excipients can be selected to increase the stability of granules.