Continuous micro feeding and mixing of solid dosage forms under vibrational excitation

Continuous manufacturing has intrigued many researchers in the pharmaceutical industry in the post-COVID-19 world. We experimentally studied the discharge characteristics of pharmaceutical excipients under vibrational excitation. The successful accurate dosing and filling of powders at fill rates of 0.6-15 mg/s was developed. A simple particle model includes fluid-grain coupling which is relevant to Faraday tilting resulting from gas trapped in the powder bed accurately predicts the discharge rate. A novel continuous micro mixing system was designed based on the discharge model. Any specified proportions can be realized by setting appropriate vibration parameters. The low variability (<2.5 %) in the content of components has verified the reliability of the mixing system. The continuous mixing performance was determined by the discharge characteristics. Yet the particle size distribution and cohesion lead to different mixing performances when the stability of micro feeding is satisfied. Reasonable process parameters for continuous mixing are determined and optimized.