Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Sets of press couples comprising registering female mold... – Mounted on rolls
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-28
2001-08-21
Davis, Robert (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Sets of press couples comprising registering female mold...
Mounted on rolls
C425S331000, C425S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to forming particulate powderized materials for use, particularly in the pharmaceutical, nutritional and dietary supplement industries. The invention is particularly concerned with providing an end product, which is denser, more granular and generates less dust with better flow than previously known products for these purposes. This is particularly valuable in that the end product has a minimum of, and in most cases no, fillers or diluents to obtain the desired end product, which is therefore substantially pure.
Traditional densification and dry granulation is performed mainly by the pharmaceutical industry using a roll compactor. An example of this is system known as the Chilsonator(™). The success of roll compaction is limited by the compactability or cohesiveness of the specific material. Frequently, the material requires preblending with compressible fillers and diluents in order to achieve compaction. Even with the most suitable fillers, roll compaction is frequently inefficient and slow because not all of the material gets compacted on the first pass through the rollers. Uncompacted material must be constantly recycled back through the machine until compacted. Compacted material forms a thin brittle ribbon which is then ground back into a powder of desired particle size. The resulting powder is normally higher in density or more compressible. The resulting powder however has fillers or diluents, which are generally undesirable.
An alternate way of accomplishing similar results is by using a tablet press to compress large tablets or slugs (“slugging”) then milling them back into a powder. This format also has the disadvantage that there are diluents and fillers, which are generally undesirable.
There is, accordingly, a need to provide for improved system of powderized products which can provide enhanced flow properties, and better compaction and compressibility. There is a need to provide such a system which can permit for the production of end products, for instance, in the form bulk powders, or powders for tableting or encapsulating in gelatin capsules or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
By this invention the Applicants minimize the disadvantages of known techniques for processing raw material products. The Applicants provide a system for forming powderized or granulated products of higher density, with less dust, better granularity and better flow characteristics.
According to the invention, there is a system as provided for pelletizing particulate raw matter, and thereafter subjecting the pellets to a milling process to obtain a powdered form of the particulate. During pelletizing steam can be added. The resulting powder is denser, more granular and has better free flow properties than the pre-pelletized particulate matter. The powderized particulate has applications for pharmaceutical, nutritional and dietary supplement end products.
A system is provided for pelletizing particulate raw matter having a first density, and thereafter subjecting the pellets to a milling process to obtain a powdered form of the particulate. During pelletizing steam can be added. The resulting powder is denser, more granular and has better flow than the pre-pelletized particulate matter having the first density. The powderized particulate has applications for pharmaceutical, nutritional and dietary supplement finished products.
Apparatus for processing products for increasing the density of particulate matter in a powderized form comprises feed means for directing particulate matter into a pelletizing mill, the particulate matter being in a first powderized form and having a first density. A pelletizing mill generates pellets of the particulate matter. The pellets are then milled into a second powderized form, whereby the second powderized form of the particulate has a greater density than the first density. This is achieved in a manner where the formed pellet substantially exclude diluents or fillers.
During pellitization, some products required the introduction of saturated steam at a selected temperature, pressure and condensation characteristic. There is at least about 95% substantially pure saturated steam under a pressure of about 40 to about 80 PSI at about a temperature of about 180° F. to about 400° F. This hydrates the particulate matter at a temperature of about 80° F. to 200° F. and thereby add about 1% moisture to the particulate matter. The product with increased moisture content is forced under pressure through a spinning perforated dye of a predetermined dimension thereby to obtain a pellet of a selected size, the forcing through the die being effected selectively by dual inner rotating roller means.
There is a pre-milling step for processing raw materials to obtain a particulate matter for feeding into the pelletizing mill. The pellets exposed to steam are cooled to a substantially ambient temperature prior to being milled. A cooler at an outlet from the pelletizing mill permits ambient air to pass through a bed containing pellets discharged from the pelletizing mill.
The processed product is relatively coarser, capable of improved flow and relatively more compressible than the particulate matter. The powderized product in the second form has relatively greater granularity than the particulate matter in the first form. In the second powderized form the product can be made into, selectively, bulk powders such as teas or sports drinks or tablets, and capsules, and selectively have at least one other ingredient.
The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4659299 (1987-04-01), Pierik
patent: 4721448 (1988-01-01), Irish et al.
patent: 5306131 (1994-04-01), Brotz
patent: 5308566 (1994-05-01), Huder
patent: 5598770 (1997-02-01), Campbell et al.
Gutierrez Emilio J.
Hafermann Peter M.
Phillips Matthew W.
Botanicals International
Davis Robert
Del Sole Joseph S.
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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