Using Powder Characterisation Methods To Assess Blending Behaviour

By Tim Freeman, Freeman Technology

Blending a mixture of powders to homogeneity is a critical step in many manufacturing processes. Making uniform tablets, for example, relies on the homogeneous dispersion of active ingredients, often in small quantities, with excipients such as binders and disintegrants to form a suitable feed blend for the press. Similarly, in industries as diverse as food production and metal powder processing, homogeneity is crucial to defining product characteristics: flavour or colour in foods for instance, or the mechanical properties of a sintered metal component.