Did you ever think why do we use the granulation process instead of using powders directly for compression?
There are a number of reasons which will be discussed one by one in this article.
We know three methods are used for tablet manufacturing
- Wet Granulation
- Dry Granulation
- Direct Compression
We convert powders into granules in wet & dry granulation process before compression and in the third method we simply mix the powders & use them directly for compression.
First two methods require more equipment & have high processing time as compared to the direct compression but still we are frequently using wet granulation or dry Granulation process but why?
Reasons To Manufacture Granules
Following are the main reasons for which we convert powders into granules,
- To Enhance Flow
- To Prevent Weight Variation
- To Enhance Compaction
- To Prevent Capping & Lamination
- To Prevent Segregation
- To Improve Content Uniformity
- TO prevent Dusty Environment
- To Prevent Line Loss
To Enhance Flow
The main reason for which we convert powders into granules is to enhance the flow properties.
Powders have poor flow but when we convert these powders into granules the flow properties are improved.
To Prevent Weight Variation
When using powders,weight variation is observed during the compression stage due to poor flow.When we convert powders into granules, the issues of weight variations are resolved due to improved flow.
To Enhance Compaction
The compaction properties of powders are low as compared to the granules.By converting powders into granules we can easily enhance the compaction properties.
To Prevent Capping & Lamination
Powders are elastic in nature and tend to cap or laminate under pressure.
Granules are plastic in nature so when pressure is applied they are not able to regain their original shape due to plastic deformation & capping or lamination is prevented.
To Prevent Segregation
The tendency of segregation is high in powders during mixing as compared to granules.
By converting powders into granules the segregation issues are prevented.
To Improve Content Uniformity
We convert powders into granules to improve content uniformity by preventing segregation.
TO prevent Dusty
Due to low density powders tend to blow in air during handling & results in a dusty environment.
By converting powders into granules the issue of dust generation is prevented.
To Prevent Line Loss
Excessive line loss is observed in case of powders due to dust generation.This issue is resolved by converting powders into granules.