Hot Melt Extrusion

Hot melt extrusion, a common technique in the plastics sector, is now extensively used in the pharmaceutical business as a pelletizing machine. It has a significant role in the creation of modern medication formulations.


The Hot Melt Extrusion Principle is as follows:

It is necessary to process the drug or polymeric materials constantly above their glass transition temperature and pressure in a regulated way in order to produce molecular-level mixing of thermoplastic binders and/or polymers and active chemicals (drugs).


Hot Melt Extruder Working Process:

During the process of mixing a compound with one or more excipients such as diluents, plasticizers, or polymers, the substance melts because of the heat and pressure applied to it. Furthermore, forcing it through an orifice in a continuous process aids in the production of uniformly shaped and dense products for use in industrial applications.

The Hot Melt Extruder is optimized via the use of an electronic control unit in a screw extruder, which allows the screw speed, process temperature, and pressure to be controlled. The Screw extruder generates a homogeneous blend as a result of the heat and shear strain or stress applied to the material. This has an effect on the final product qualities.

As the material moves through the barrel, the two kinds of screws inside the extruder, namely single-screw and twin-screw extruders, are used to produce various mixtures of material. The single screw extruder machine comprises a single spinning screw within the barrel that is further divided into three zones: the feed zone, the compression zone, and the metering zone. A change in pressure inside each of these zones results in a mixture of excipients and API being produced. Because of the continuous movement of the single screw extrusion, it produces high pressure and is particularly suited for working with viscous materials.

In a twin-screw extruder, two screws are usually placed side by side, and each screw has the ability to spin in either the same or the opposite direction of the other. Because of the design arrangement, the twin-screw extruder provides more flexibility while also providing a high degree of mixing as the mass's residence period rises. This has the capability of processing a greater variety of medicinal compositions.

The length diameter ratio (L/D) of both single and twin-extruders is an important factor that influences the properties of the finished product. However, the convenience of various batch processes being combined into a single continuous process results in a significant improvement in production efficiency, making twin-screw extrusion a popular manufacturing method.

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