Integrated control in Powder Formulation
Meeting at CPI National Formulation Centre, Sedgefield 17th Jan 2019
Delegates braved the snow and ice to attend “Integrated Control in Powder Formulation” last week, an FSTG event focussing on control of powder manufacture and processing, and following the successful Powder Flow 2018 event last year.
Representatives from academia and industry gathered to discuss themes ranging from multi-scale modelling and the application of PAT control to powder processing, to Models Based Control and the industrial applications of these combined formulation technologies.
The meeting addressed the needs of those interested in understanding more about the value and implementation of models based control and how to use Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) to enhance and optimise powder formulation.
Some key discussion points that emerged are:
- There remains an urgent demand for improved approaches to integrated process control in a broad range of industrial settings;
- Simulation models can offer new insight into process physics that are crucial for informing the design of such controllers;
- New developments in sensing technologies for instance in determining certain powder compositions, are required;
- Identification of the correct ‘tools for the job’, or the correct processing parameters to control, is crucial and can be central to the success of powder flow control schemes;
- In the design of integrated process control schemes, practitioners must weigh up purely statistical models versus those that are grounded in physical laws – the pros and cons of each were discussed at length.
We anticipate that these points will form the basis of further interaction and collaboration between those present at the meeting.
Outcomes from the Models MPP project were presented by Dave Berry from CPI as well as researchers from Sheffield and Edinburgh Universities. Full list of presentations:
- Professor Julian Morris (Newcastle University) - Introduction
- Dr JP Morrissey (University of Edinburgh) – Integration of particle modelling in powder processes
- Dr Li Ge Wang (University of Sheffield) – Population balance modelling of twin screw wet granulation in a model driven design framework
- Dr David Berry (CPI) – Applying multiscale models to physical assets to enable formulation control
- Dr Prashant Gupta (P&G) – Modelling and simulation tools for process design of formulated products: an industrial overview
- Prof Julian Morris(Newcastle University) – Integrated control in formulation – the importance of process monitoring technologies
- Dr Michele Marigo (Johnson Matthey) – Process control via analytics of catalytic tabletting
- John Mack (Perceptive Engineering) – improving pharmaceutical drug product processing through advanced process control and multi-variate monitoring
- Dr Hikaru Jolliffe (University of Strathclyde) – Improving multicomponent tablet predictions: accuracy and accessibility
We are grateful for the very effective organisation by Liz Grylls, Dave Berry, Nyama Johnson, Jojo Wade, Tim Addison and their colleagues at CPI in the planning and execution of this event – the collaboration between CPI and FSTG led to a well-attended event with a broad range of attendees and speakers that resulted in a highly productive meeting.