Galenic ECM for MODUL™ S Tablet Press

The ‘Galenic’ exchangeable compression module (G-ECM) has been part of the MODUL™ product range since 2002. The G-ECM is designed specifically to process small quantities of powder and will find its use in formulation development and clinical trials production.

MODUL™ tablet presses are designed with the unique ECM (exchangeable compression module) that allows product changeover to take place in a matter of minutes and offers a higher level of containment compared to other modern tablet presses. The ECM contains all product contact parts and can be removed from the machine in a contained way. The removed ECM can be washed offline while production is resumed with the second ECM. The extremely short change-over time when two ECMs are used results in incomparable productivity of the tablet production line.

The design of the G-ECM is very flexible allowing the customer to choose the number of punch positions on the turret, or even a combination of D, B and BB punch positions on the same turret. The containment level and cleaning method may be customised.

The G-ECM features a modified powder feeding system to reduce powder losses to an absolute minimum. There is no powder recirculation and dust extraction is eliminated. In case of very small quantities, screw-on containers can be used for both powder feeding and tablet collection to guarantee containment.

The G-ECM can be replaced with a standard ECM to return the MODUL™ to full-scale production.

This latest addition to the MODUL™ range provides the following benefits for development applications:

  • Production of very small batches (down to 1kg)
  • Protection of both operator and product
  • Prevention of cross-contamination
  • Contained powder in-feed and tablet collection
  • Contained tablet sampling during production
  • Full scale-up capability without the need to change compression parameters
  • No manual intervention during the process
  • Optimised ergonomics
  • Full data gathering for analysis

The main advantage of the G-ECM concept is the elimination of scale-up work. Indeed, all mechanical characteristics of the compression cycle (slope and length of cam tracks, size of compression rollers, etc.) are identical between the development G-ECM and the production ECM. Moreover, all product recipe parameters, which are optimised with the G-ECM, are stored in the MODUL’s MC4 control system and thus immediately available when the production ECM is installed in the machine for full-scale production. With the G-ECM, scale-up is extremely easy.

The G-ECM is an important new product, further enhancing the MODUL’s exceptional flexibility and reputation for high productivity, extremely fast change-over, high containment and now research and development.

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