A Continuous Operation Concept for a Rotary Tablet Press Using Mass Flow Operating Points

In a continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing line the rotary tablet press was viewed as the master of control concept and defined the mass flow through the entire process. According to a conventional control concept, missing mass flow from an upstream unit operation leads to a shutdown of the tablet press. Various operating scenarios were simulated and the influence of turret speed on the tablet properties was experimentally investigated. Changes in the turret speed alter the critical process parameters dwell time and die filling time. Their influence was evaluated using two model formulations with different compaction behavior. An alternative approach is introduced, which allows to actively control the mass flow through the tablet press in a continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing line. This approach shows that various turret‐speed set‐ and operating points enable response to upstream malfunctions and production of in‐spec tablets.