Coperion K-Tron to supply batch feeders for Pfizer Germany

Pfizer, a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, has selected the integration of high-accuracy Coperion K-Tron feeders into its new high-containment production facility in Freiburg, Germany.

Coperion K-Tron pharmaceutical dosing equipment is an integral part of the automated high-containment production plant in Germany. This fully automated production facility not only increases the efficiency and productivity of Pfizer's pharmaceutical production processes, but also doubles the production capacity for pharmaceuticals while reducing production times.

With the integration of the high-precision Coperion K-Tron feeders into the plant, Pfizer underlines its intention to optimize workflows and processes with state-of-the-art technology. In doing so, the company also emphasizes the growing importance of precise and reliable products in the pharmaceutical industry – features that make Coperion K-Tron equipment stand out.

The state-of-the-art facility in Freiburg employs over 2,000 people and supplies tablets and capsules to over 185 countries. Currently, 6.7 billion tablets and capsules are produced annually. Because the plant can handle highly effective OEB-4 compounds, all systems are fully enclosed and use split rotary flap valves and glove boxes for enclosed product transfer. In this advanced automated process, a variety of raw materials – including excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) – are delivered to the automated distribution systems via drums, big bags or smaller bags, and then fed to Coperion K-Tron's high-precision K3-PH Series pharmaceutical feeders. The feeders deliver the predefined quantities according to the recipe specified by the overarching PLC-based control system. All batch setpoints are transmitted directly to the individual KCM dosing unit controllers, which in turn control the highly accurate gravimetric dosing. In a next step, the batch is mixed and transported to the next station, where further additives are added before the mixture is forwarded to the tablet press.

The Coperion K-Tron pharmaceutical dosing system with a compact scale and a significantly smaller footprint is optimized for grouping several dosing systems around one process inlet. The Coperion K-Tron feeders of the K3-PH series have been specially developed to meet the growing requirements of continuous and batch processing in the pharmaceutical industry. By using a smaller D4 platform scale with the high-precision Smart Force Transducer (SFT) weighing technology, these feeders require significantly less floor space compared to previous models. The modular Quick Change design of the feeder allows for easy exchange of feeder sizes, while the scale and drive remain the same. The Quick Change units - consisting of dosing pot, agitator and screw - can be quickly disconnected from the drive of the feeder, thus enabling easy and fast changeover and cleaning of the feeders. This enables rapid adaptation to new processes and recipes. The updated modular concept features a newly developed drive with a servo motor that helps reduce the overall footprint and allows for a much wider speed range, even at low dosing rates. For an optimal wash-in-place (WIP) result, each unit has an integrated 2-degree tilt that allows for maximum drainage during cleaning processes.

High-precision batch accuracy with the new KCM-III controller

The KCM-III control module features an all-new, high-performance CPU with expanded memory and optimized control algorithms that ensures faster communication with the metering drive, weighing system, and peripherals. In combination with the latest generation of Smart Force Transducer (SFT) load cells, the KCM-III also offers a significantly higher weighing resolution of 8,000,000:1 in 20 ms. These load cells enable significantly higher sampling rates of 450 times per second. These rates result in better noise filtering as well as less weight shift during vibrations. In addition, the optimized control system results in better short-term dispensing accuracy, as the control system reacts quickly to changes in the system. In pharmaceutical continuous manufacturing, where traceability is becoming increasingly important, the KCM-III automatically stores log and event files, as well as trace and process data, for up to seven days.

The advanced and state-of-the-art automated batch dosing system at the Freiburg manufacturing facility is helping to drive the production of new drugs for a wide range of applications. Coperion K-Tron's entire product line is designed to meet stringent industry requirements, including strict adherence to cGMP guidelines and standards, and the use of FDA-approved construction materials.