Guest Column: Overcoming Powder Testing Limitations

By Tim Freeman, Freeman Technology

Flowability – the ease with which a powder flows – is arguably the most important characteristic of powder behavior. For pharmaceutical manufacturers, engineering the right flow properties has always been the key to many processes, one important example being the successful production of quality tablets at the required rate. Today though, the increasing emphasis on more efficient manufacture and continuous processing intensifies the need for reliable, relevant, and precise flowability measurement. This changing climate makes it timely to review traditional flowability test methods, examining both their value and limitations.