Mixing and Blending Equipment for the Pharmaceutical and Medical Industries
Industrial Mixing Equipment
Pharmaceutical Mixers
Ross serves the requirements of the Pharmaceutical industry, in virtually every industrialized country around the world. We have the experience and production capacity that no other manufacturer of specialty mixing and blending equipment can match.
In the USA alone, we operate five plants, an analytical laboratory and a vigorous R&D program. Overseas, Ross pharmaceutical equipment is being built in our own factories in China and India. Typical applications include mixing, blending, particle size reduction, emulsification, homogenization, powder induction, vacuum processing and more.
Specifications that define a mixer built for a pharmaceutical application reflect a combination of industry standards, and the mixing functions needed for that particular application. A sub-micron emulsion, for example, requires high-shear agitation, vacuum and usually a heat-transfer system. The size of the mixer is determined by the throughput required. To guard against batch-to-batch contamination, CIP and SIP capabilities are usually designed in, along with such devices as air-purged seals and custom designed discharge valves. To ensure a high degree of repeatability, and to document the production of every batch, we often add a control system with data-logging capability.
The close connection between specific performance requirements and equipment features is the logical starting point for equipment design. But today, the challenge of specifying and designing a high-performance mixer is more than a two-dimensional process. We regularly address performance needs that are much broader than one particular mixing application. In fact, we often custom design pharmaceutical equipment to meet production needs that have not yet been imagined.
Pharmaceutical Applications
Bioadhesives
Bioadhesive dosage forms, such as laminated polymer films, mucoadhesive tablets and patches, are continually being investigated for drug delivery. The ROSS VersaMix with SLIM System has successfully been tested for preparing mucoadhsive formulations containing hydroxyethyl cellulose, polycarbophil and sodium CMC. Other ROSS Multi-Shaft, High Shear and Planetary Mixers are utilized for making hydrocolloid medical adhesives.
Tablet Granulations
Various types of ROSS Equipment are used by pharmaceutical companies in preparing wet granulations (where active solutions are sprayed to powder ingredients such as sorbitol, Cabosil fumed silica, corn starch, etc.) or in vacuum drying pharmaceuticals cake and pastes for transformation into free-flowing powders.
Dental Composites
The ROSS PowerMix and Double Planetary Mixers are used industry-wide to mix a number of formulations found in dental impressions and prosthetic devices. A customer replaced their three roll mill, which gives slower throughput and requires pre-mixing, with a 40-gallon PowerMix designed for operation under full vacuum up to 29.5"Hg. Vacuum is applied when necessary to de-air the product prior to packaging.
Resource Center
Recommended Mixing Equipment for Pharmaceutical Gels
A majority of pharmaceutical gels are shear-thinning semi-solids prepared by dispersing hydrophilic polymers into an aqueous vehicle. Proper mixing typically requires a good balance between agitation and shear. For instance, polymers such as methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carrageenan and polyacrylic acid need sufficient agitation to hydrate completely but may degrade under high shear conditions and elevated temperatures.
Enhanced mixing accuracy. The helical High Viscosity Blades prevent batch materials from "climbing" up into the mixer cover and gearbox, an issue commonly experienced with conventional rectangular planetary stirrers. Another important feature is the flush discharge valve which eliminates any dead spots where batch materials can stagnate.