Lubricants and glidants are the most important excipients used in pharmaceutical industries for the manufacturing of tablets. Many of us are not familiar with the exact difference between the lubricants and glidants.It is one of the most frequently asked interview questions that is the difference between lubricants and glidants so in this article we will learn the exact difference between these two excipients with examples.
Glidants
Gliders are those excipients which reduce inter particle friction and increase the flow properties during the tablet compression process.
In simple words we can say that glidants are flow promoters as these are used to enhance the flow of powders and granules.
Working principle Of Glidants
Glidants fill the gaps between powders or granules and convert these into spherical form.We are familiar that spheres have more flow as compared to irregular shapes.
Benefits of Glidants
Glidants enhance flow of powders or granules during the tablet compression process, capsule filling process and dry powder filling process so due to the improved flow during the tablet compression process the weight variation defect is not observed and due to improved flow our tablet hardness is also within range.
In the same manner during capsule and dry powder suspension filling process weight variation is prevented due to improved flow.
Example
Most common example of glidants used in pharmaceutical industries for oral dosage form manufacturing is the aerosil or colloidal silicon dioxide.
It must be used after sieving because sieving of aerosil increases its surface area and as a result its gliding action is also improved.
Mixing Order
Glidants are mixed with the powders or granules at the second last stage of the final blending mean before lubricant addition we mix the glidanants.
What Are Lubricant
Those excipients which reduce friction between the product and machine parts and prevent the sticking and picking are known as lubricants.
Working principle Of Lubricants
Lubricants form a layer around the powder or granules and this layer helps to reduce the friction when these products come in contact with the machine parts.
Mainly the lubricants help to prevent the sticking of the tablet within the die cavity during the process of tablet ejection by reducing the friction.
Example
Magnesium stearate which is also known as die wall Lubricant is most common Lubricant used for oral solid dosage form.
Benefits Of Lubricant
As discussed earlier lubricants help to prevent the sticking and picking so product quality is improved.
By preventing sticking and picking the downtimes are reduced and productivity is enhanced and operational cost is reduced.
Mixing Order Of Lubricants
We add lubricant at the last stage of final blending as lubricants have to form a layer around the powder and granules so the addition of lubricants at the last stage ensures that the outer covering will be of the lubricants.
Conclusion
Glidants increase the flow of powders or granules by reducing inter particle friction and lubricants reduce friction between product and machine parts.
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