New spray nozzles eliminate disruptions for Sydney pharmaceutical company

Producing tablets with an easy-to-digest coating was causing significant disruption to a Sydney-based pharmaceutical company. During production, there were issues with obtaining an even coating. In addition, the nozzles were habitually jamming — requiring frequent cleaning and replacement. As a result, production was inefficient and there was recurrent downtime.

The nozzles had to be replaced.

The pharma company enlisted the help of Tecpro Australia and its consultants suggested a new type of spray nozzle which uses cutting-edge technology to deliver a highly controlled film coating onto solid dosage products.

Using enhanced aerodynamic properties to minimise air turbulence during coating and the latest in anti-bearding technology, these spray nozzles are designed to reduce maintenance and cleaning time while improving spray coverage and distribution.

Called Mk III, the new spray nozzle components are manufactured in 316L stainless steel and inspected at every stage to ISO9001 standards. They offer easy-to-adjust, variable air atomised spray width to minimise the risk of over-wetting while maintaining the optimum nozzle distance from the tablets.

The range includes spray nozzles from 0.8–1.8 mm in size which deliver between 50–150 mL/min (depending on size). The nozzles are suitable for viscosity ranges from 5–350 MPa. Seals come in a choice of silicone, EPDM or Viton.

As an initial trial, the Sydney pharmaceutical company purchased four Mk III nozzles for one of their machines. They were so delighted with the results, they have now replaced their old nozzles in all their coating machines.