L.B. Bohle Milling and Sieving Solutions for pharma processes

L.B. Bohle’s range of sieving and milling machines meet state-of-the-art demands for precision granular size reduction in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical processes.

Innovative L.B. Bohle platforms such as the BTM Hammer Mill, BTS Sieve System and the BRS Rotation Sieve are ideally suited to the broad range of applications in continuous and batch production, as well as research and product development.

Milling, sieving and grinding applications

Milling or grinding machines are used for particle size reduction and homogenization in solids. Milling fulfils the purposes of maximizing particle surface area to increases the speed of dissolution and also to even out differences between particle sizes in order to ensure that mixing can be homogeneous. This is done using a combination of grinding rotors and different grade sieves to control eventual particle size.

Due to their versatility, milling and sieving machines play a crucial role in pharmaceutical chemical and food production. Their compact footprint and inherent versatility make them easy to integrate into complex production lines, for example for filling/emptying or transfer operations at process machines, or for filling and decanting containers (IBCs).

Another feature that increases the efficiency of the processes is the mobility of the machines, with integrated trolley bases allowing them to be rolled into place. For clean in place (CIP) purposes, they can be disassembled quickly and easily. In addition, L.B. Bohle sieves and mills can be fitted with built-in lifting columns to allow for integration into almost any nutraceutical or pharmaceutical process scenario.

L.B. Bohle milling and sieving solutions

L.B. Bohle offers three main platforms for milling and particle size reduction:

• BTS Conical sieving machines: Also known as conical mills, these are used for uniform size reduction of pharmaceutical active ingredients (APIs). Furthermore, they can also be used for blending, sieving, and dispersing. They are available in a variety of dimensions – from laboratory scale through to systems with a high capacity. Compared to other crushing technologies available on the market, the sieve offers numerous advantages, including lower noise levels, narrow particle size distribution (PSD), high design flexibility and higher capacity., with throughput typically 50 % higher than for conventional mills. The BTS Turbo sieve by L.B. Bohle Maschinen und Verfahren GmbH (Ennigerloh) is used for calibrating the particle size and thus guarantees an optimal particle size distribution. The use of various conical sieve inserts (hole sieves and friction sieves) supports the processing of both dry products and wet products at speeds of 150 to 1500 rpm. This makes it possible to achieve product capacities of two to three metric tons in one hour. An ATEX compliant version of the Turbo Sieve is available for applications that involve potentially inflammable or explosive materials.
• BRS Rotation Sieve: rotation sieving machines are mobile and space-saving sieving units that can be used for milling powder, agglomerates, and granules to support various applications in pharmaceutical, food and chemical production. Use of various sieving inserts allows sieving of dry and wet products. The BRS is a mobile unit that can be deployed flexibly and placed right at the sieving process site. The entire sieve container features electric height adjustment, so that the sieve can be placed in the material flow between two containers without any further tools, and docked dust-free, using a silicone diaphragm for example.
• BTM Hammer Mill: Hammer or turbo mills are particularly useful where the application demands a precise particle reduction for hard-to-mill active powders, agglomerates, and granules. They are suitable for research and development, as well as for batch production or continuous manufacture. Advantages of hammer mills include being able to re-mill fragmented tablets to reduce waste. Bohle BTM hammer mills can reach speeds between 600 rpm and 6000 rpm and produce up to 1,500 kg/h. In order to achieve this, the BTM is equipped with an automatic dispenser unit (rotary feeder) that allows the operator to feed the material into the milling chamber evenly and without overloading. In the hammer mill, the particle size is defined by the sieve size selected for the mill. The BTM provides different sieve inserts that can be used to reduce the material size to as little as 0.1 mm.

Across the range, L.B. Bohle grinding machines and sieving machines provide distinctive benefits that include:

• Low dust generation
• Low heat formation
• GMP compliant (cGMP) design and materials
• Precise and user-friendly touch panel control
• Easy cleaning of rotor, casing, etc.
• Reproducible and uniform final results

In addition, BTS and BTM machines can be fitted with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology in which sieve inserts are ‘tagged’ with unobtrusive data carrier transponders. These prevent a stored ‘recipe’ sieving process from being started without the correct sieve insert in place and also provide cleaning cues, as well as increasing overall process reliability and documentation.

Resources

Click on Grinding and sieving machines for further details.
Click on BTS Sieving Machine for product details.
Click on BTM Hammer Mill for product details.
Click on BRS Rotation Sieve for product details.
Click on Sieve and mill process applications for further information.
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