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Processed material: pharmaceutical powder
Deconditioning of active pharma ingredients
Our client is an international manufacturer of fine chemicals for the production of pharmaceutical powders.
Management in safe unloading operations of drums in pharmaceutical plants is critical for preventing the risks of operator exposure. The flowability of powders is complicated due to the presence of inner liners and upstream packaging processes.
In this application, the conditioning of the powders in drums is carried out downstream of a grinding/micronization stage. This milling stage causes an increase in the temperature of the powder and leads to caking of the material in the drum in instances of short-term production rate increases.
The cooling of the powder in a sealed bag generally causes the product to set, which can be extremely strong, depending on the product.
The solution integrated by Palamatic Process is the use of a drum tipping device into a contained space fitted with a glove box. The drum is first attached to a pneumatic tilting table and then inserted into the enclosure via a linear pneumatic cylinder. The drum of powder is introduced into the enclosure through an iris valve, providing a tight seal around the drum. A secondary door acts as an airlock.
When the drum tilter is in the "up" position, the iris valve opens, allowing the drum to enter the booth. The iris valve then closes around the periphery of the drum to contain any dust. After this first automatic sequence, the PLC authorizes the operator to open the internal door of the tipping cabin. The operator opens the drum via the handling gloves and extracts the bag in order to open it and discharge the material. This drum discharge cabin is referenced under the name of DrumFlow® 02.
Due to the presence of lumps in the product, a lump breaker/granulator ensures the correct granulometry before reconditioning in a container.
The Palamatic Process DrumFlow® 02 drum tilting system is flexible according to the type of application and integrates an iris valve or an inflatable seal, depending on the variety of drums to be emptied.
