Pharmaceutical manufacturing: automation of heat and mass transfer processes

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Even if remarkable progress has been recently achieved, the manufacturing efficiency of the pharmaceutical industry still lags behind that of most other industries. Automation and continuous processing is a way to become more competitive, to reduce production time, energy consumption and the amount of waste produced. Indeed, better sensors and closed-loop feedback control system enable the transition toward a more desirable quality by design-based, rather than quality by testing-based, manufacturing of the next generation of pharmaceutical products. They also reduce process variability and operator errors and lead to a better understanding of the process.The objective is to increase the automation of three processes that present mass and heat exchanges:- Coating of the tablets: development of a in-line vision sensor providing film-coating properties (coating level, distribution across tablets esthetical defects, etc.).- Drying of the granules (before they are compressed into tablets): safe and robust in-line minimization of the drying time and/or energy consumption.- Freeze-drying of vials: safe and robust in-line minimization of the drying time and/or energy consumption.The algorithms will be developped using first principles modelling and simulations, experimental data and in-line tests on pilot plants. The tools and knowledge of flexible manufacturing developed during this project will help Pfizer Montreal to position itself as a global research and development centre for new and innovative manufacturing technologies for the entire Pfizer manufacturing network.