9 Important Features of a Pharmaceutical Laboratory Blender that Guarantee High ROI

If you want to increase productivity, efficiency and ROI, then you need to do one simple thing:

Acquire a pharmaceutical laboratory blender with superior features.

In most cases, you’ll find people looking for an IBC blender machine with reasonable structure, stable, easy to clean, etc.

The truth is; this is not all that you need.

To be guaranteed a high ROI by the end of any material processing, you need to focus more on specific features of a pharmaceutical bench top blender.

So, how do you go about this process?

It is exactly what I am going to explain to you in this article. I will make every aspect simple and easy for you to understand.

HSD Bench Top Blender

A bench top blender

Now, let’s explore the 9 features of a pharmaceutical laboratory machine you should know:

Pharmaceutical Laboratory Blender Should be Highly Efficient
You Can’t Afford to Ignore Safety Features of Bin Blender
Laboratory Blender Must be Durable and Long-lasting
Laboratory Bin Blender Must be cGMP and CE Compliant
Consider any New Technologies in IBC Bin Blender Industry
A Robust Blending System Design is Key in Material Processing
A Reliable and Efficient Electrical Control System
Ability to Have Total Control of the Material Blending Process
Buy a Pharmaceutical Laboratory Blender with a Flexible Design

#1: Pharmaceutical Laboratory Blender Should be Highly Efficient

Do you know the relationship between a highly efficient IBC blender and ROI?

Well, highly efficient pharmaceutical equipment will guarantee high production and so is the ROI.

Maybe, this still seems confusing:

You need to evaluate the efficiency of pharmaceutical blenders based on the product data sheet. That is:

What is the blending speed of the equipment?
Are there any losses during the material blending process?
How much power does the IBC bin blender consume?

Generally, your machine should guarantee a seamless and high production at a relatively lower cost. Remember, all these parameters vary depending on the specifications of the lab bin blender series.

Here is a sample data sheet:

A data sheet of SaintyCo bench top blender

A data sheet of SaintyCo bench top blender

Obviously, I know if you’re new to bin blending machine, then evaluating these machines based on this data can be a nightmare.

So, what should you do?

Years of manufacturing experience play a crucial role here. I can confirm this to you.

Tuning or configuring a bin blender to achieve certain manufacturing threshold is a demanding task. It is based on R&D, besides conducting many experiments and tests.

For example, from my experience, a manufacturer cannot just wake one morning and opt for a rectangular or conical shape.

I want you to realize that the geometric shape of the laboratory blending machine determines the efficiency of the blending process. That is, it will ensure homogenous product blending.

Even the high tangential motion and titled angles (say 30°); all ensure the bin blender processes the material thoroughly. With this, you don’t have to transfer material for further processing.

It is the reason I insist on sourcing for this equipment from a reputable manufacturer. I can confidently confirm to you that a lab blender that is highly efficient will definitely guarantee a high ROI.

#2: You Can’t Afford to Ignore Safety Features of Bin Blender

I will be straightforward and honest with you here:

There is no technician who will operate “risky or dangerous” equipment. I am quite certain; you can’t risk your life.

Again, in any pharmaceutical or laboratory blending process where safety is not guaranteed then the entire process will be expensive.

saintyco bin blender safety panel

In short, this is the point I want to drive home: Pharmaceutical laboratory blender machines with appropriate safety measures will guarantee a high return on investment (ROI).

Otherwise, you should expect unimaginable losses.

So, here is a simple and effective safety checklist you should use. It is effective during characterization of the performance of bin blenders:

*Safety Feature*	*Comments/Recommendations*
Rotating parts should be fully and securely clamped	Prevents chances of the bin falling during blending process
It should have propriate sensors	-Stops the machine in case of unauthorized access -Ensures logical and sequential operation of the bin blender -Stops the machine from operating unclamped bin
Electrical cut out	-Protects machine in case of electrical faults. -Prevents overloading the machine that may lead to the motor drawing more current. Excess current may cause motor burn out.
Isolating moving components	Ensures no one can access driving motor shafts and gears when machine is operating.
Emergency stop switch	For stopping the machine in case of an emergency
Auto-lock systems	Automatically locks the bin after loading before blending process begins. It un locks after finishing the blending process and the bin returns to original position.
Interlocking systems	Ensures sequential operation of the system. Operations that are mutually dependent do not override one another. That is, the blender cannot start operating before locking the bin.
No dead angles and exposed screws	Prevents unnecessary accidents such as technicians getting cut by the screws
Dust free and low noise operations	Eliminates possibility of air pollution hence, users are safe at all times

In short, when you purchase equipment that adheres to all safety standards, there is an opportunity of getting a high ROI.

#3: Laboratory Blender Must be Durable and Long-lasting

Durable lab bin blenders will definitely guarantee a high ROI. This is because there will be no need for frequent repairs or breakdowns.

Moreover, the lab bin blender will serve you years. I am sure it is the dream of every B2B client – to be a leader in high quality manufacturing process.

Over the recent past, quality has been a major concern, especially for the pharmaceutical equipment manufactured in China. This is because low quality machines will only serve you for a few months.

I was also not surprised, when quality control became a major subject of discussion in my last interview with the SuperbCrew team.

interview from Saintyco about safety of bin blender

As a matter of fact, the overall design, type of material and quality inspections will determine whether the machines will serve you for long or not.

An IBC bin blender whose structure is made of stainless steel

An IBC bin blender whose structure is made of stainless steel

Therefore, I recommend that you go for a machine made from stainless steel and the FDA approved material.

Closely related to this subject is the:

#4: Laboratory Bin Blender Must be cGMP and CE Compliant

cGMP and CE Compliant

A pharmaceutical laboratory bin blender mainly processes powders or granules. This is essential equipment in the pharmaceutical and food processing industries.

As I had stated in my previous articles on this subject, pharmaceutical equipment should be cGMP and CE compliant. Why do I say so?

The U.S. FDA team does regular assessment to ensure every pharmaceutical equipment manufacturing company adheres to these standards. Normally, they send warning letters to companies that fail to comply with the standards before being penalized or blacklisted.

warning letters to companies that do not comply with the CGMP requirements

These are warning letters to companies that do not comply with the CGMP requirements. Source – The FDA Website

On the other hand, CE requirements ensure the electrical components more so the motor, operates as per the set guidelines and regulations. This is based on electricity consumption and safety standards.

Furthermore, the quality compliance also outlines the type of material for the IBC bin blender gaskets. Of course, they should be the FDA approved materials.

The structure should be made from a strong, hygienic and rust proof material. Normally, the AISI 316 is a perfect choice for parts that are in direct contact with the material.

Other sections are made of AISI 304.

In short, a cGMP and CE compliant pharmaceutical bin blending equipment will definitely guarantee a high ROI. They are efficient with zero possibility of product contamination.

#5: Consider any New Technologies in IBC Bin Blender Industry

Let me tell you the truth, this is one aspect that most people ignore, yet it is critical.

It is this simple; there is no bin blender manufacturer who can introduce a technology that reduces performance and efficiency.

new SaintyCo IBC bin blenders

This is one aspect that we have done here at SaintyCo. For instance, the new SaintyCo IBC bin blenders in the market are improvements of the previous models.

That is, the design ensures more safety, production consistency, accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, operating the equipment has been easy and simple via the touch screen HMI.

SaintyCo touch screen HMI

Also, the equipment eliminates any possibility of product segregation during discharge. Some IBC bin blender manufacturing companies have incorporated process analytical systems.

A good example is the near infrared systems. It is a simple and effective way to monitor the blending process.

The point is; any pharmaceutical blending technology will aim to improve performance, accuracy and reliability of this equipment.

Obviously, this will translate to a high ROI.

#6: A Robust Blending System Design is Key in Material Processing

Quite a number of pharmaceutical laboratory blenders are designed to process dry powders and granules of small quantity.

For a fact, the powders and granules may have different chemical compositions and requirements. In such situations, only a blender with a robust mixing mechanism can process any type of powder or granule.

So, what am I talking about here?

The mixing system consists of lifting motor, gear transmission system, reducers, etc. Each of these sections can be made from different materials.

As I had highlighted earlier, all parts that are in contact with the material are made from stainless steel. However, the rotary body is made of high quality carbon steel, which is rust proof.

This allows for seamless material blending as you can see in the video below:

Even with all these, at times you may not be guaranteed of optimal performance. Therefore, for optimal material processing, you should ensure that there is no transmission loss.

At times, a lot of transmission power may be lost, depending on the coupling mechanism.

possible losses in a gear system

These are the possible losses in a gear system. Image source – NAP

What do I imply here?

A robust design and efficient transmission mechanism will definitely guarantee a high ROI. This is because all the power will be converted into useful work – rotating the bin.

#7: A Reliable and Efficient Electrical Control System

As you can see in the video in section #6 above, this pharmaceutical laboratory blender is made of mechanical and electrical components. It is the motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy (rotary motion).

The efficiency of a bin blender (discussed in #1) depends on the reliability of the electrical control system. It is from here that you will key in various commands to control the material blending process.

Moreover, the sensors are all integrated to form the electrical system of the bin blender.

To ensure, you get a high ROI, you need to evaluate various components of the electrical control system. These include:

Type of control software the machine uses; its mainly SIEMENS PLCs
The ease of operating and maintaining the machine
Printer; it prints a hard copy of the processing data, such as production time, mixing rotary speed, production batch number, content name, mixing time, etc.
Monitor process in real time via HMI; with this, you can key in data, set operating parameters, see failure status, etc.
Automatic fault detection via alarm system

In short, this system will effectively coordinate all processes in the laboratory IBC blender equipment.

bin blender begins to rotate automatically

A bin blender begins to rotate automatically.

The truth is; automation still forms an integral aspect in achieving optimal performance of bin blending equipment and so is the ROI.

#8: Ability to Have Total Control of the Material Blending Process

Depending on the type of material you intend to blend, it is important to have full control of every stage in this process. This will increase efficiency and consistency of the final product.

For instance, the pharmaceutical laboratory blender should be such that you can:

Adjust the mixing speed
Set the mixing time for the entire process
Determine the phase angle
Change the rotary motion, etc.

Of course, other aspects such as auto positioning, as I had mentioned earlier also play a critical role here.

Technicians testing SaintyCo bin blender

Technicians testing SaintyCo bin blender.

With all these functionalities, besides the ability to monitor the process in real time, you will realize a high production output. This will most definitely translate to a high ROI.

#9: Buy a Pharmaceutical Laboratory Blender with a Flexible Design

From my experience, this is a major challenge for most newbies in this industry. It is not a complicated issue as one may think.

complete blending process

With a flexible design, you can handle a lot of processing hence, the ability to increase your production capacity. Moreover, such designs allow for interchangeable product container.

Again, before you do any modifications on your machine, ensure you understand how IBC bin blender works. In most cases, I recommend that you contact the manufacturer of the bin blender.

Conclusion

Clearly, when you buy a high quality pharmaceutical laboratory blender with all these features, there is a high chance that that your business will operate at a profit. This is because such IBC bin blenders give you the opportunity to control all the vital aspects of production.

In short, a clear understanding of every aspect of your bin blender will definitely translate to high ROI.