Pharmaceutical Blending
IBC Blenders
Container blending has long been established as the most efficient method of blending granules and powders during pharmaceutical manufacturing. Faster loading and unloading, reduced machinery and room cleaning times, improved containment and batch integrity have established IBC blending as the industry’s technology of choice.
Efficient Blending
GEA has spent years researching and understanding the science of Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) blending. An expertly designed blending cage and container geometry ensures homogenous product blending and our unique Prism technology is proven to improve blending times.
Long Working Life
Robust construction ensures a long working life. The clamping cage provides a secure connection to the top and the bottom of the IBC, reducing mechanical stress during rotation and preventing damage.
Safety First
Air-driven screw jacks ensure that the IBC remains fully clamped, even if machine utilities are lost. Positive IBC detection prevents any un-clamped blender operation and the cage rotation motor is braked, preventing any utility free movement and providing an emergency stop option.
Controls
The user friendly control system makes it simple to load blend recipes and print completed batch information. Blending speed is controlled using a variable speed drive and 21 CFR Part 11-compliant controls are available for electronic records.
Through-the-Wall Design
The Pedestal Blender is available with the main pedestal housed in the technical area and the clamping cage in the process area. An airtight wall plate is supplied as a barrier between the two rooms. A smaller processing room results in reduced area and running costs, and technicians can access the pedestal from the technical side (without entering the GMP production area).
Swinging Arms
The Swinging Arm feature enables a wider range of IBC volumes to be handled in the same blender. When a smaller IBC is loaded into the blender, the spacer arms are swung out into the path of the IBC, bridging the height difference. The spacer arms maintain the IBC’s position at the centre of the rotation axis and reduce the clamping time.
Specialist Technologies are available
- The blending Prism enhances the blending performance, especially when dry powder blending direct compression formulations.
- The Vibroflow® prevents the risk of product segregation during discharge from the blending container.
- All the IBC blenders available from GEA can be fitted with Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) such as Light Induced Florescence (LIF) or Near-Infrared (NIR) systems.
Blending Prism
Providing low shear mixing to a rotating IBC, turbulence is added to the tumbling product and the time to achieve a homogenous blend is reduced. When the IBC is loaded into the blender, the Prism is orientated at right angles to the rotation axis. As the IBC is rotated, the product is separated by the Prism and forced outwards to the corners of the container.
The Prism is particularly useful in dry blend processes, when IBC blending is the key process step. For dry blending or direct compression products, powders may be cohesive or flow poorly. Dry powders take noticeably longer to blend compared with free-flowing granular materials (such as the dispersion of magnesium stearate into a granulated batch), which blend easily in a relatively short period of time. The Prism is fully welded into the container body, and can be fully cleaned in place with the GEA Wash Station.
Process Analytical Technology (PAT) for IBC Blending
All GEA blenders can be fitted with PAT-compliant technologies such as Light Induced Fluorescence (LIF) or NIR systems. GEA uses these technologies to measure particle movement and in-process conditions during blending, providing a better understanding of powder behaviour, which improves R&D times and enhances process control. In the production environment, new product validation is quicker, and both productivity and containment are improved.
The technology works by using an NIR or LIF measuring head. Mounted on the rotating blending head with a viewing window on the wall of the IBC, an onboard data analyzer interprets the process data and sends it to a PC. Sophisticated software allows users to monitor the powder movement and detect the process end point.
Power is supplied through a specially designed slip ring, which guarantees a permanent and uninterrupted power source. Proximity switches in the blending head activate the system at the right time to trigger data acquisition.
Pedestal Blender
The GEA “Pedestal” blender range enables IBC blending at volumes up to 3000 L.
Overview
Pneumatically operated screw jacks provide a fail-safe clamping system that, unlike hydraulic versions, remain in place in the event of utility failure. The main support pedestal is designed to be housed in the technical area: an optional stainless steel design is available if the entire machine needs to be located in a cleanroom.
Our Single Pedestal machines can accommodate “Size 4” IBCs (up to 2000 L). The Double Pedestal Blender enables “Size 5” IBCs (up to 3000 L) to be used.
The GEA Pedestal Blender boasts a proven and durable design that offers low maintenance and a long working life; the perfect investment for today's pharmaceutical manufacturer.
| SP1000 | SP1500 | SP2000 | DP2500 | DP3000 | |
| Pedestal | One Drive Pedestal | One Drive Pedestal and one Support Pedestal | |||
| IBC Size | Size 4 | Size 5 | |||
| IBC Footprint | 1125mm x 1325mm | 1350mm x 1590mm | |||
| SP1000 | SP1500 | SP2000 | DP2500 | DP3000 | |
| IBC Range
(without Swinging Arms) | 700L-1000L | 900L-1500L | 1600-2000L | 2500L | 3000L |
| IBC Range*
(with Swinging Arms) | --- | 700L-1500L | 700L-2000L | 1250L-2500L | 1250L-3000L |
| Max. working load** | 900kg | 1250kg | 1600kg | 2000kg | 2500kg |
| Drive Motor | 4.0 Kw | 5.5 Kw | 7.5 Kw | 11 Kw | 15 Kw
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* Smaller IBC's can be blended by adopting a "Bottle in Frame" design for the smaller IBC.
** Maximum load calculations are based on weight of the IBC plus a worst case bulk density of 0.8 Kg/L and a 80% product fill ratio.
| SP1000 | SP1500 | SP2000 | DP2500 | DP3000 | |
| Siemens | S7 Series PLC, TP Series Color Touch Screen, Danfoss VLT Series | ||||
| Allen Bradley | FlexLogix PLC, PanelView Plus 700, Danfoss VLT Series | ||||
Post Hoist Blender
The GEA blender range is further extended with a range of post hoist blenders, combining a number of features and benefits into one flexible blending solution.
Modular Lifting Carriage Design
The design of the Post Hoist Blender range is based entirely on our robust and proven post hoist design. The lifting carriage module of the post hoist is replaced with a blending head carriage; the remainder of the column design is the same as the standard post hoist range.
R&D and Pilot-Scale Blenders
At the smaller end of the scale, our hoists can be used in R&D and pilot scale facilities. The PLB300 and PLB700 allow the use of 600 L (Size 2 and 3) and 1400 L (Size 4) IBCs, respectively.
| PLB300 | PLB700 | PLB1200 | |
| Powered Lift | ● | ● | ● |
| IBC Size | Size 2/3 | Size 3/4 | Size 4 |
| Max. IBC Size | 600 L | 1400 L | 2000 L |
| Max. Load (IBC+Product) | 300 kg | 700 kg | 1200 kg |
| Column Height | 2.5 m | 2.5 m | 2.8 m |
| Fixing | floor only | floor only | floor only (without slewing)
floor and ceiling (with slewing) |
| Reach | 1500 mm | 1700 mm | 1800 mm |
| Lifting Limit Switches | upper and lower over travel (positioning by encoder) | ||
| Control System | Siemens S7 Series PLC, Siemens TP Series HMI | ||
| PLB300 | PLB700 | PLB1200 | |
| Additional height up to 7 m | ○
| ○
| ○
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| Manual slew | ○
| ○
| - |
| Powered slew | ○
| ○
| ○
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| Variable speed lift | ●
| ●
| ●
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| External vibration | ○
| ○ | ○ |
| Butterfly valve actuation | ○
| ○
| ○
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| Buck® valve control system integration | ○ | ○ | ○ |
● standard ○ optional -- not available
| PLB300 | PLB700 | PLB1200 | |
| Electrical power | 220-240V 3 Ph 60 Hz or 380-415 V 3 Ph 50 Hz | ||
| Lift motor power | 2.2 kW | 2.2 kW | 3 kW |
| Slew motor | 0.12 kW | 0.12 kW | 0.12 kW |
| Blend motor | 2.7 kW | 2.7 kW | 4.0 kW |
| Pneumatics | 6 bar/g supply pressure | ||
| Pneumatics for slew position lock | 5 L/operation | 5 L/operation | 5 L/operation |
| Pneumatic for external vibration | 10 L/sec | 10 L/sec | 10 L/sec |
| Pneumatics for butterfly valve actuator | 3 L/sec | 3 L/sec | 3 L/sec |
Laboratory blender
The SP30 Laboratory Blender has been specifically designed for small-scale research work with dry powders and granular material.
SP30 Laboratory Blender
The SP30 allows containers ranging from 3-30 L to be tumble blended at a variety of speeds for variable times and/or revolutions. The unit can easily be manoeuvred within an R&D facility with the addition of a mobile trolley.
Plug & Play Container Range
A range of interchangeable 3-30 L laboratory containers is available, allowing complete scale-up to our range of pilot-scale and production-scale containers. All of the containers feature a removable Blending Prism that allows the improved blending efficiency to be fully evaluated.
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Related Products
IBC Systems for the Pharma Industry
IBC Systems are widely used in pharmaceutical manufacturing as storage, transport and, with the increasing use of in-container applications, blending vessels.
IBC Post Hoists
The GEA range of Post Hoists offers a versatile application approach, with robust construction and clean GMP designs. The modular design of the columns and the lifting carriages allow for an extensive range of handling solutions.
BUCK® MC Containment Valves
BUCK® valves were the first commercially available split valves on the market. Used for the contained transfer of active powders from one vessel to another in pharmaceutical production, BUCK® technology is the result of thousands of successful applications worldwide and more than 15 years of experience.
