Everything You Need to Know About Tablet Handling and Powder Handling

Everything You Need to Know About Tablet Handling and Powder Handling

Powder handling and tablet handling systems are essential in several industries, from infant nutrition to animal nutrition, pharmaceutical, chemical, battery, sports, nutrition, beverages & mixes, flavourings, nutraceuticals, and baking.

On the face of it, tablets seem to be simple products. However, once you research a little about how they are made, you will realise that tablets are delicate and must be carefully handled to avoid damage, contamination, and breakage. When it comes to tablet handling, measures such as specially designed conveyor belts to minimise mechanical stress and vibration and effective dust extraction systems to avoid contamination are a must.

Powder handling, on the other hand, also comes with its own set of challenges. During handling, powders with different particle sizes can separate, leading to inconsistent formulations. Powders can also absorb moisture and create clumps, which can effectively alter the composition of the formulation. Like tablets, powders are vulnerable to contamination if handling protocols are insufficient.

To handle these challenges, manufacturers need to invest in branded equipment that incorporates advanced technology. This equipment ensures the use of proper conveyor systems, moisture control, and explosion control. Manufacturers need to ask themselves important questions - Is powder getting stuck in their containers and not discharging? Is open processing leading to lots of dust in the production environment? Is powder bridging the culprit? Are the transfer steps so complex that they are losing product quality to segregation? And most importantly, how do I solve these issues?

When moving, pouring, conveying, or processing materials, each step can impact product quality. Ingredients can separate, resulting in inconsistent proportions across individual consumption units (or "doses"). While slight variations may be tolerable in some sectors — such as a drink occasionally being too sweet or not flavoured enough — maintaining uniformity is critical for products containing vitamins and minerals. In these cases, ensuring a homogeneous mixture is absolutely essential to guarantee the correct dosage reaches the consumer.

Matcon is known as the original cone valve and Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) manufacturer. Matcon's patented Cone Valve addresses common challenges in powder handling, including mix segregation, containment, and bridging. It enables automatic, controlled, moisture-free discharge of nearly any powder type while preserving blend integrity during discharge, ensuring a high-quality final product.

Powder handling by Matcon

The Matcon system uses IBCs (intermediate bulk containers) to safely move powders between the manufacturing steps and to blend powders in. Matcon offers fully customisable, efficient and high-performance solutions for their customers that help them optimise their existing production facilities.

Matcon's powder recipe formulation systems allow the direct formulation of recipes into Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) and their addition to the flow of batch processing. Manufacturers, at any point, can also trace a batch via weight checking and material tracking.

Matcon in-bin blending powder mixer systems are known for offering improved manufacturing productivity, fast loading and unloading, safety from contamination, and high-shear mixing.

Particle size is one of the most common causes of powder segregation. Matcon's IBC cone valves offer an automated, controlled flow of powdered recipes while effectively preventing powder mix segregation. During the transfer process, the larger particles tend to be projected further while the smaller ones are left behind. To solve this issue, Matcon IBCs work on a first in-first out flow sequence, which eliminates stagnant areas and offers a steady, uniform flow of the powder. The final mix is homogenous and free of any contamination.

And here is a great thing about Matcon IBCs - they are designed for absolute hygiene - easy washing solutions allow fully automatic, air-wash and wet-wash of these containers.  The wet wash module has a system where a high-pressure spray lance distributes water in a controlled and repeated pattern, cleaning the container off all the powder residue. The air wash module, on the other hand, uses pressurised air which is applied using a lance and a nozzle to clean the container.

If you are a manufacturer who is looking forward to setting up a new production facility where powders, granules, tablets, and capsules have to be moved, or are planning to upgrade an existing facility, Matcon is just the right choice for you. Matcon doesn't work just as an IBC supplier; it works as a trusted and involved partner, participating in various stages of conceptualisation, the design process, and operation. Matcon has a head office and a Centre of Excellence Test Plant in the UK, and regional offices and Test Facilities are in the USA, China, Singapore, and India. In India, Matcon works under the umbrella of IDEX, a well-known name, with its testing and production facility in Sanand, Ahmedabad, and a commercial office in Mumbai.

To learn more about the powder and tablet handling equipment by Matcon, visit their website. Feel free to send a query there. https://www.idexindia.in/matcon/