ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Granulation is the process of agglomeration of a dry powder mixture with a suitable binder. Enlargement of particles through the granulation process is often necessary for manufacturing solid dosage forms such as tablets. The materials, which are compressed into tablets, must possess adequate flowability, density, and compressibility. This is because the requisite amount of powder mixture required to compress each tablet is filled into the die cavity by volume and not by weight. This requirement of adequate flowability, density, and compressibility is particularly important during a high-speed tablet production where the dwell time is often short. For example, active pharmaceutical ingredients such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which have inadequate flow and compression properties, and a relative high dose, are often granulated prior to compression into tablets. Thus, the overall purpose of granulation is to improve the flowability and compressibility of the powder mixture. Besides improving the flowability and compressibility, the granulation process can also
l ensure uniform distribution of the drug in the powder mixture, l narrow the particle size distribution of the powder mixture, l densify the powder mixture and reduce dust, and l improve the dissolution characteristics of the finished tablets.
