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Dosing of highly viscous material for microencapsulation

Microencapsulation is becoming increasingly important in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food and agricultural industries. New dosage forms are emerging and the efficacy is increasing. Precise metering techniques in the low-volume range are a necessary prerequisite for the production and processing of APIs. Metering pumps by HNP Mikrosysteme are a suitable technical solution.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are the pharmacologically active substances of a drug. The production of APIs is demanding. The substances, which range from aqueous to oily, need to be processed gently. Microencapsulation is a suitable process to protect these active substances from early release and to preserve bioactivity. The capsules consist of polymeric or inorganic materials.

The capsule material usually has a viscosity of over 10,000 mPas. The volume flow rate is in the range of a few microliters per minute up to 140 ml/min. The precision of the delivery is essential for the quality of the capsules with tolerances ±1 %. Micro annular gear pumps by HNP Mikrosysteme are well suited for this demanding task. Due to the high viscosity, high-performance pumps such as mzr-6305 and mzr-11508 are used. Both pumps can be heated or additionally equipped with a gearbox, for small quantities.