An Introduction To The Dry Granulation Process

By Author: John
Total Articles: 14
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Granulation is the process of the formation of particles, which go on to be known as granules, with the help of the agglomeration technique. The agglomeration technique is a very common and renowned technique in the pharmaceutical industry and is used to increase the particle size of a particular powder, and in this case, that powder could be any drug or medicine. There are two types of granulation processes that are typically followed in the pharmaceutical industry - the dry granulation process and the wet granulation process. The wet granulation process is a more renowned and used one among the two owing to the multiple advantages that it allows, but the dry granulation process is equally useful and it is high time it gets the credit where it is due.

Naturally for both the processes, the granulation equipment used is extremely different and the market for granulator machines for pharmaceuticals recognises the same as well, so let us discuss the dry granulation process and how it adds an advantage for the pharmaceutical business.

Let us first understand, ...
... what even is the dry granulation process and how it differs from the wet granulation process. The dry granulation process is used to form granules without the usage of any added adhesive or liquid solution that is typically used in the wet granulation process. The dry granulation process is the perfect solution when it comes to the creation or formation of granules out of products that are sensitive to heat or moisture. Hence, the dry granulation process requires a lot of compacting and densifying of the powders as moisture cannot be used in such a case. In fact, a lot of these powders, owing to their small sizes or irregular shapes or even the surface characteristics, are extremely cohesive and hence do not bode well. The granules formulated from such a cohesive system turn out to be larger and more isodiametric. This allows them to have improved and enhanced flow properties.

Now let us talk about the manifold advantages of the dry granulation equipment and granulation process and what advantages does it hold over the wet granulation equipment and process -

Does not acquire a lot of space - As opposed to the wet granulation equipment, the dry granulation equipment will not take up a lot of space in your factory or laboratory. It is not always possible to have a larger space available and free just for pieces of equipment, and it is a premium privilege to have the space, and hence the dry granulation equipment is a great choice as it does not require a lot of space.

A versatile process of operations - As opposed to the wet granulation process, one can conduct both kinds of operations, viz a viz continuous and batch operations. This allows them to be super flexible and efficient to partake in both small scale and large scale production of granules.

Cost effective process - The dry granulation process is a much cheaper process owing to the absence of any liquid solution or binding agency that is otherwise required in the wet granulation process. The process also eliminates the usage of any separate moisture addition and material drying steps, hence saving a lot of costs making it an extremely cost effective process. In addition to saving money, it also saves a lot of labour costs and energy.

There are many options of granulator machines for pharmaceuticals that are available in the market these days. You must definitely check them out to understand which dry granulation equipment is appropriate for your business and company.