Rushing A Product to Market Can Yield Some Expensive and Painful Lessons When scaling a new drug formulation from development into manufacturing, there is often a reality check regarding process scale-up and formulation performance at production levels. Problems with capping/lamination and sticking/picking are often first realized when a formulation is introduced to a level of

The number one reason for tablet press failure is lack of tooling cleanliness. Dirty tooling may cause binding, which can damage tooling and tablet presses. Keeping tools clean can decrease premature tool wear and allow lubrication to be more effective as well as reduce the possibility of product cross-contamination. Additionally, clean tooling is critical to

Natoli Engineering has announced the 2019 dates of the Basics of Tablet Manufacturing & Troubleshooting course held at Natoli’s Technical Training Center in St. Charles, Missouri: March 12-14, June 11-13, August 13-15 and October 22-24. This popular three-day training course enhances attendees’ knowledge of tablet press setup, maintenance and operation, tablet design, tooling and press maintenance

In the October 22, 2018, issue of Solid Dose Digest, a reader asked, “I need tablet compression training. How do I decide which course is right for me?” Natoli Scientific Director Jonathan Gaik answered: Tablet compression is complicated, and most who work in the industry learn on the job, but a growing number of options

Sticking and picking are ubiquitous problems in tablet manufacturing and generally arise from either formulation or tablet design inadequacies. Sticking occurs when formulation granules stick to the face of the punch cup. Formulation sticking in the letters and characters of punch embossing is typically referred to as picking. Both result in tablet defects and lower

By Jonathan Gaik, Director, Natoli Scientific In the July/August issue of EPM magazine, I wrote that most challenges in the tableting process initiate with or can be traced back to powder flow. I mentioned in my article – “Go with the flow: The critical issue of powder flow in tablet production” – that conducting studies

This article originally ran in the July/August 2018 issue of European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer magazine. By Jonathan Gaik, Natoli Scientific The ideal active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is one that flows well, is stable, self-lubricates, compacts well and is not strain rate sensitive. While all the listed properties are important, the one that continues to be critical

First impressions are everything, especially for pharmaceutical, nutritional, and confectionery tablets. Discriminating consumers may decide whether they will be repeat customers based on a tablet’s appearance and their experience. That’s why tablet design should not be overlooked or taken for granted. Much too often in our industry, we see poor tablet design holding back companies. Don’t

Natoli Engineering Company, Inc.’s TabletCAD® web-based tablet design software is a unique and complimentary online service that offers the convenience of designing tablets in-house with real-time validation. TabletCAD® links tablet designs directly to the manufacturing process so tooling will be shaped precisely to the models. An intuitive user interface guides the design process with helpful

The principal purpose for segment alignment is to allow the capsules to be separated reliably and rejoined accurately. To do this, the hole in the upper segment must be accurately lined up with the lower segment, and the segment surfaces must be parallel. Before Aligning Segments Before aligning segments, the lower segment is placed on