Pharma expert opens new lab

More than 500 invited guests and customers of Romaco China and Truking recently attended the official opening of the new Romaco China Solids Process Centre. This high-tech laboratory on the Truking campus in Changsha is equipped with Innojet and Kilian machines.

Guests from the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries were in attendance at the opening ceremony. Visitors were subsequently provided with an introduction to Romaco's processing technology and laboratory work in the framework of a seminar. Dr. h.c. Herbert Hüttlin, founder of Romaco Innojet, spoke about the air flow bed method he developed several years ago, which was a breakthrough innovation in fluidised bed technology. Dr. Carola Hanl, KiTech Laboratory Manager at Romaco Kilian, discussed the varied potential of laboratory work, not only for research but also for testing new processes and systems. The theoretical explanations then made way for the first practical demonstrations in the new premises, given by Romaco experts from Steinen and Cologne. The inauguration of the new laboratory drew great applause.

Ideal laboratory conditions

With six laboratories and three conference rooms totalling 840 square metres, the new processing laboratory is the perfect address to engage in research and development work. The extensive services on offer at the Romaco China Solids Process Centre are mainly targeted at solids manufacturers in China and throughout Asia. Depending on their needs, they can book laboratory sessions for drying, granulating, tableting or coating solid particles. Three Innojet processing machines plus three tablet presses from Kilian are installed there. At present, compression tests can be carried out on a Kilian K 420 single-sided rotary press, a Kilian K 720 double-sided rotary press or a Styl¹One Evolution R&D press. The processing equipment initially comprises an Innojet IGL 100 granulation line with an M 100 high-shear mixer and a Ventilus V 100 LE as well as a Ventikus V 5 laboratory-scale processing machine that can be used for granulating, coating and drying. An innovative IHD 5 hot melt device additionally enables trials with hot melt coatings. The Innojet and Kilian systems are suitable for laboratory, pilot or production scale studies such as performance tests, feasibility studies and scale-up tests as well as for troubleshooting, process optimisation or the development of new formulations.

Extensive laboratory expertise

The Romaco China Solids Process Centre is Romaco's first laboratory outside Europe. It is also the manufacturer¹s first research institute dedicated to both processing and tableting. Laboratory work is traditionally high on the agenda at Romaco. Each of the four European production sites in Steinen, Cologne, Karlsruhe and Bologna has its own test laboratory with latest-generation equipment and highly specialised staff. The Romaco laboratories offer a broad array of services connected to processing, tableting and packaging technologies.

Recent Issues