Over the 20 years that Tim Freeman (Managing Director of Freeman Technology) has been working with powders, significant advances have been made in powder testing technology and in the efficiency of powder processing. These advances come from a more developed and secure understanding of powders and how to control their performance.
The discussions with those in industry tend to focus around the following key themes:
- Why isn’t my powder (process) performing well?
- How can I identify the right powder for my application?
- What testing technology will optimally support my activities?
This whitepaper collates a series of posts which appeared on LinkedIn that address these questions, from the standpoint of current knowledge and good practice. Beginning with material that summarises what we now understand about powders, focusing on powder flowability, a critical parameter for many processes.
Several other areas are also covered:
- Exploring the impact of particle, size, shape and humidity
- Reviewing the traditional powder testing toolkit (including tapped density and shear testing)
- Reproducible powder testing
- Powder characterisation techniques for:
- Hopper design
- Capsule filling
- Dry powder inhalers
- Segregation
- Tableting
- Wet granulation techniques
- Powder characterisation techniques for:
- Formulators
- Process designers and engineers
- Equipment manufacturers
- Quality control