SaintyCo GMP Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven has a fully welded stainless steel frame structure for curing, drying and sterilizing powders, granules or herbs. Whether in R&D, mass production or quality control; our GMP Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven ensures precise hot air flow in all the oven trays.

Every SaintyCo GMP Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven has energy efficient axial blowers, motor and heating systems. They save on cost and ensure uniform drying and curing.

SaintyCo GMP Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Ovens guarantee unlimited functionalities with both standard and custom designs available. Our ovens fit in many applications such as pharmaceutical, nutriceutical, herbal, etc.

Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

If you’re going to invest in a new pharmaceutical oven, then learn the basic principles, optimal working conditions and classification criteria of this equipment.

This guide is tailored to educate you on all the vital parameters of the hot air circulation oven.

So, if you want to be an expert in this pharmaceutical oven, then you should read this guide.

1. What is a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

Hot air pharmaceutical oven is equipment that provides a fast and economical mode of drying different products.

You will use it to get rid of excess moisture from products such as granules, herbs, and powders in the pharmaceutical industry.

 Hot air oven

2. What are the Uses of Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

You will use the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven in performing a lot of things other than drying.

Here are some of the applications where you will need to use the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven.

• Drying of Pharmaceutical Products

You will use the pharmaceutical oven to get rid of excess moisture by reliably, safely and precisely heating the products.

• Sterilization of Research Products

Hot air pharmaceutical ovens produce enough heat which can denature and destroy transmissible agents.

The heat is enough to kill and eliminate transmissible agents such as prions, viruses, fungi, and bacteria from pharmaceutical products.

• Curing of Pharmaceutical Products

You will use the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven to create high bonds between different monomers in different materials.

Additionally, it comes in handy in assisting to grow different materials under increasing temperature rates.

• Tempering of Pharmaceutical Products

You will use the pharma oven to release brittleness in the hard-pharmaceutical material thus getting rid of internal strain.

It involves the application of different heat levels on the pharmaceutical products through convection method before cooling it down.

• Testing Pharmaceutical Products

You can test the strength and stability of different pharmaceutical products by applying different levels of heat on the products.

• Aging of Pharmaceutical Products

Aging involves two main factors including time and temperature where the products will have a change in the physical properties.

You can use a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven to age different types of pharmaceutical products.

• Burn-in Test

You can conduct a burn in test on different pharmaceutical products to detect the presence of any problems.

You will use the pharma oven to test the functionality of different products before releasing the products to the public.

• Annealing of Pharmaceutical Products

You can use the hot air circulation pharma oven in removing internal stress so as to make the pharma product tougher.

You will use it in DNA recombination in double-strand forms.

• Polymerization of Pharmaceutical Products

You will use the pharma oven in the enhancement of reactions in monomer molecules including chemical reactions to form polymer chains.

• Vulcanization

You can control the heat levels of the pharmaceutical oven in a bid to harden different pharmaceutical products.

• Storage of Heat and Conditioning

You can use the pharma oven to condition different pharmaceutical materials thus increasing shelf life under storage.

3. Which Materials Can You Dry Using a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

You can dry different materials using the hot air oven.

You should also note that the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven does not dry all the materials.

You will not dry pharmaceutical products that are sensitive to heat under the pharma oven.

Here are the main properties of the materials which you can comfortably dry under the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven.

• The product must have a certain amount of moisture content.

• The product must be able to withstand a particular amount of heat during the drying process.

On that note, some of the products which you can dry using the pharma oven are granules, herbs and powders.

4. How Many Types of Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven are There?

When looking for a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven, you can choose from the wide variety of pharma ovens.

You will find different pharmaceutical product based on varying sizes, working principles, designs, nature of application and technology.

Here are the main types of hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven that you can choose from:

• Special Purpose Ovens

In this case, you will decide on the types of the pharmaceutical oven by looking at the purpose of the oven.

You can decide on choosing one of the following:

i. Vacuum Ovens

You will use a vacuum oven for batch processing especially of metallic batch pharmaceutical equipment.

Since it produces no gases, you can use it for case hardening, brazing, and heat treatment among other functions.

ii. Reach-In-Ovens

This type of pharma oven has uniform heating due to a horizontal air flow which enables heat spread through the shelves.

You can use it for different applications that require above 100 air exchanges in an hour for proper drying applications.

iii. Clean Process Ovens

You can use this machine for manufacturing of medical equipment since the temperatures go beyond 260 degrees centigrade.

iv. Burn-In-Ovens

You can use this oven to produce pharmaceutical electronic products with a maximum temperature of 260 degrees centigrade.

Nitrogen is the main circulating air that spreads the heat within the oven.

Exact Application Hot Air Circulation Ovens

In this case, you will choose an oven depending on the type of application it performs.

Here are the different exact application ovens you can use:

i. Drying Application Pharmaceutical Ovens

You can use this oven to dry specific pharma products which can withstand temperatures reaching 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can also opt for the oven that depends on steam as the main source of heat reaching about 194-degree Fahrenheit.

ii. Depyrogenation and Sterilization Pharma Ovens

You can use this type of pharma oven to dry products that can reach about 536 degrees Fahrenheit.

You also have the freedom of dictating the special features to add to your custom depyrogenation and sterilization oven.

5. Which Are the Main Parts of a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

Hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven has different parts that it uses to properly dry pharmaceutical products.

Here are the main parts of the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven.

Hot air circulation oven

• Heat Source

This is the part that produces the source of heat which assists in the drying of different pharmaceutical products.

You may opt to choose different sources of heat which include electricity, vapor or infrared sources.

The degree of heat circulation within the pharma oven often depends on the heating element in use.

In case the source of heat is vapor, then the oven can comfortably achieve 50 to 240 degrees centigrade.

Apart from that, in case you are using infrared, the oven will be able to attain 50 to 340 degrees centigrade.

• Automatic Control System

You will use the automatic control system to control all the functions of the oven from one central point.

You can key in all the drying parameters of the pharmaceutical oven depending on your drying specifications.

The key parameters that you should consider include drying time and temperature among other parameters.

• Axial Flow Blower

The axial flow blower will blow o push hot air from the different heating elements into the chamber of the oven.

It can be in the form of three blade centrifugal fun but that will depend on the design of the pharma oven.

• Oven Trays

You will place all the 0hramaceutical products on the oven tray before pushing them into the pharma oven.

The number of oven tray will vary according to the structure and design of the pharma oven.

• Inlet and Outlet

These are the chambers that allow air to flow freely into and out of the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven.

As the air flows in, it brings dry air and exits through the outlet with the excess moisture from the products.

• Safety Accessories

Pharma ovens have automatic over temperatures and shutdown system which will protect the heating chamber from overheating.

It will protect all the contents in the heating chamber from damage especially from the excess heat and high temperatures.

• Driving Mechanism or Electric Motor

It is the source of power which drives the electrical fan which circulates air in the heating chamber.

You can opt for a pharma oven with one or two electric motors depending on the type of pharma oven.

• Alarm System

You will depend on the alarm system to alert you in case of any malfunction in the pharmaceutical oven.

To prevent further damage, the machine will automatically stop working after the alarm system goes off.

• Lockable Door

This is a safety mechanism where the stainless-steel door allows you to open and close the feeding chamber of the oven.

It has locks that are often engaged during the drying process thus increasing the safety mechanism.

• Insulation Mechanism

This part will help in reducing heat loss through conduction to the immediate external environment.

It will help in keeping the external environment cool despite the high temperatures within the pharma ovens.

6. How Does a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven Work?

 How hot air circulation oven works

You will successfully operate a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven if you understand the working principles.

The pharmaceutical oven depends on the principle of convection to assist in the elimination of excess moisture.

Here is a step by step guide on how a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven works.

Step One Preparation of the Machine and Products

First, you have to make sure that the pharma oven you are using is in proper working condition.

Apart from that, you should also have the materials that you intend to dry on standby.

Power on the machine and insert the products you intend to dry in the oven chamber.

Program the machine from the control panel by configuring the key drying parameters such as time and temperature.

Step Two: Actual Drying Process

Air will flow through the inlet and into the heating camber.

Once inside the heating chamber, the heating element will heat the air and then the hot air will rise.

At the same time, the air blower will rotate and distribute the air sufficiently within the heating chamber.

Circulation of air involves hot air rising and flowing to the oven chamber to displace cool air back for heating.

The process continues until the whole chamber heats up with hot air.

As the air blows under and over the drying trays, it takes with it, excess moisture from the materials you intend to dry.

There is fair distribution of hot air within the ovens thus leading to a uniform drying process of the pharma products.

The humid air with the excess moisture will flow out through the outlet of the hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven.

Step Three: Final Process

Finally, after the whole process, the pharma oven will automatically stop after the drying time runs out.

Remove the materials from the oven and allow them to cool down.

7. Which is the Best Material for Making a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

 Hot air oven – Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

Stainless steel is the best material that you can use to make hot air circulation a pharmaceutical oven.

You will also require other materials such as rubber to provide proper insulation properties to the oven.

You have to pass the materials through FDA quality regulation standards to ensure that they are safe for pharma ovens.

You will opt for stainless steel as the best material due to the following reasons:

• It is readily available

• Has high tensile strength that can withstand the high temperatures

• It is durable and easy to clean

• It does not contaminate easily thus good for sterilization purposes

8. How Does a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven compare to a Sterilizing Oven?

You can use a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven for sterilization among other purposes.

You can only use a sterilization oven for killing and eliminating pathogens from different types of pharmaceutical products.

You can also use it in the sterilization of glassware as well as stainless steel.

In both types of ovens, the main drying principle depends on the circulation of hot air with the oven chamber.

Hot air oven

9. How Does Oven Drying Compare to Vacuum Drying?

Oven drying depends on evaporation working principles to get rid of excess moisture from different pharmaceutical products.

It depends on convection heating where the oven will heat the products using hot air current.

On the other hand, vacuum drying is a process that you can use to dry delicate products.

This involves the removal of excess moisture from flammable products as well as tiny parts of different pharmaceutical products.

A vacuum oven will operate ate different temperatures ranging between 200 to 250 degrees centigrade.

10. How Does Depyrogenation Oven Compare to Sterilization

6 Depyrogenation Oven

Sterilization ovens depend on the increasing temperature levels within the oven chamber to get destroy pathogens.

In many cases, you will destroy pathogens on solid pharmaceutical products using the sterilization oven.

On the other hand, you will use a depyrogenation oven to extract pyrogens from different pharmaceutical solutions such as injectable pharmaceuticals.

It uses hot air currents within the oven chambers to destroy and kill pyrogens in pharmaceutical solutions.

Most pyrogens are usually thermally stable but through a consistent rise in temperature, the oven eliminates the pyrogens completely.

Both the depyrogenation oven as well as the sterilization oven depends on hot air circulation to destroy the impurities.

11. What are the main Quality Regulation Standards of Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

You have to look at the different types of quality standards on a pharma oven when purchasing an oven.

The quality standards are international marks of quality which ensures safety, consistency, reliability and optimal machine performance.

Here are the main quality standards that you need to pay very close attention to:

• International Standards Organization (ISO) quality standards
• Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) quality standards
• CE quality standards for the electrical systems within the devices
• Food and Drug Administration quality standards approval

12. How Can I Improve the Efficiency of a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

You need to consider boosting specific factors of the hot air circulation oven to improve the efficiency of the equipment.

Here are the main factors that you have to look at when boosting the efficiency of the pharma oven.

Hot air pharmaceutical oven

• Safety of the Pharma Oven

First, your safety as well as the safety of your machine is very important.

To improve efficiency of your machine, you will g for a machine that has automatic safety features.

This includes an alarm system and an automatic shut down mechanism in case of imminent danger on the products.

• Mode of Operation

In this case, you will look at an automatic operating system to boost the efficiency of the pharma oven.

You should consider an automatic system with data logging capabilities and process parameter recorders.

• Operation Efficiency

You should consider a pharma oven with high consistency, accuracy, and precise drying parameters.

In that case, you will boost the efficiency of the machine by looking at the following factors.

i. Temperature monitoring capabilities

ii. Wide temperature heating range

iii. Efficient heating mechanisms

iv. Energy conservative electric motor

v. FDA approved gasket and stainless-steel structure

vi. Time taken to complete a drying process effectively

What’s more, the types of products that you intend to dry will also affect the efficiency of the machine.

In that case, you will be able to boost the efficiency of the machine by looking at the following factors:

• Sensitivity of the Products

You will have proper knowledge on the maximum operating requirements for different products due to varying sensitivity.

For instance, you will use a vacuum drying oven when you are considering to dry very sensitive materials.

• Moisture Content of the Material

You will boost the efficiency of the machine by knowing the moisture content of different products.

You will be able to key in the drying parameters in time to allow it to get rid of excess moisture effectively.

• Type of Material

Different products have different materials with different drying ranges.

The different materials will also be able withstand different temperature ranges.

With this knowledge, you will program your machine effectively to boost the efficiency of the pharma oven.

13. How Does Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven Compare to Fluid Bed Dryers?

Fluid bed dryers use the fluidization principle in the process if forming granules and eliminating excess moisture.

Hot air flows at very high speeds inside the fluid bed dryer thus taking with it the excess moisture.

In this case, hot air will not remain within the oven chamber but go out through an outlet.

During the drying process, the pharma products that you intend to dry usually suspends in the air.

Pharma ovens, on the other hand, do not release the hot air to the outlet after eliminating the excess moisture.

Apart from that, the air does not move at high speed and the products remain on the trays without suspension.

Hot air oven vs fluid bed dryer

14. What is the Main Source of Heat for Pharma Ovens?

Pharma ovens have a wide range of sources of heat depending on the design of the oven as well as the type.

The main source of energy is the heating of different heat elements in most hot air circulation ovens.

Apart from that, you will find other pharma ovens depending on electricity, infrared heat as well as vapor.

15. Do Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven Recycle Air?

Yes, hot air circulation ovens do not expel air from the oven but circulates it within the oven chambers.

In that case, it increases the efficiency of the oven in drying different substances while saving a lot of energy.

16. Which is the Most Suitable Working Temperature for Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

In this case, the type of oven that you will choose will determine the working temperature.

Apart from that, you will also set the working temperatures of the ovens depending on the material you intend to dry.

For instance, you can opt for a special purpose oven working within a maximum temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

This type of equipment uses electricity but you can opt for another type which use steam working at 194 degrees Fahrenheit.

Implying that the source of heat for your oven will determine the most suitable working temperature for your device.

17. What is the Difference Between a Freeze Dryer and a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

= Freeze foo dryer

The working principle of a freeze dryer depends on eliminating excess moisture in the preservation of different pharmaceutical products.

It freezes the materials while reducing the pressure and adding more heat to allow the materials to sublimate.

On the other hand, the working principle of a pharma oven depends on the use of heat to dry pharmaceutical products.

It involves heating and circulation of hot air to get rid of the excess moisture from the pharmaceutical products.

18. What are the main features of a Hot Air Circulation Pharmaceutical Oven?

The main features of a hot air circulation pharmaceutical oven include:

• cGMP and CE compliance
• Easy to maintain and clean
• Recycling systems that save the cost of energy
• Different vapor pressure depending on the machine
• Varying temperature ranges depending on the type of machine
• Different heat sources depending on the design of the oven