ABSTRACT
Pharmaceutical-class extruders are evolving as continuous processing devices to mix drugs with carriers for solid dosage forms and transdermal films, as well as to produce wet granulations. In melt extrusion, which has been used for many years in the plastics industry, the carrier is melted and mixed with an active ingredient, devolatilized, and pumped through a die. This chapter focuses on melt extrusion, the more common application and, to a lesser extent, at the wet granulation process. There are various types of extruders that can be utilized to process pharmaceutical products. Each type has attributes and has been successful in demanding production applications for many years in markets such as medical devices, electronics, packaging, and construction, among others. There are two overall strategies for cleaning: the so-called clean-in-place (CIP) method and a complete disassembly of the process section.
