Inline/Online Particle Characterization

With the use of the Eyecon2 – Direct Imaging Particle Analyzer, clients may better comprehend particle size and shape variation, which allows them to ascertain why a process is failing, why yield is decreasing, the cause of product variation, and if or how a process should be scaled up for commercial manufacture.

Eyecon2 has reduced cycle time and increased yields due to its use of Fluidised Bed Coating (e.g. Wurster), fluidised bed Granulation/Drying, Twin Screw Granulation, Dry Granamination/Roller Compaction, Extrusion Spheronisation, Milling, Blending, and product transfer process equipment. It uses direct imaging processed in real-time, with ellipses fitted to each particle’s boundary, shape and size reported back, highlighting variations. Continuous monitoring of processes critical quality attributes (CQAs) can be used to devise a data-driven control strategy, and non-product contact is used to ensure proper measurements every time.

• Low control over the production process
• Interruption of the production flow every time conditions are changed
• Need for laboratory analysis
• Impossibility to carry out Continuous Manufacturing (24-hour)
• Long time for analysis (10 min – hours)
• Variations in product quality due to absence of full process control
• Reduction in analysis time >90%
• Better process understanding promoting innovation
• New possibilities to study particle size dynamics in real time
• Reduction of production time with 1-3 days per batch
• Significant reduction in batch rejection saving € 0.2- 2M per manufacturing eve