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Epic Pharma Automates for Difficult-to-Convey Powder

Epic Pharma moved away from manually scooping cholestyramine resin into hoppers by installing four automated flexible screw conveyors from Flexicon Corporation.

The flexible screw conveyor transports cholestyramine resin, a difficult-to-move powder, to the pouch filling machine.
The flexible screw conveyor transports cholestyramine resin, a difficult-to-move powder, to the pouch filling machine.

Epic Pharma develops and manufactures a range of generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain, lipid disorders, hypertension, and infection, and provides contract manufacturing services to some of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies.

As part of this service, the Laurelton, NY-based company packages cholestyramine resin, a fine, dusty yellow powder that is hygroscopic and can be difficult to convey.Pouches range in weight from 0.062 to 0.317 oz (1.77 to 9.0 gm).Pouches range in weight from 0.062 to 0.317 oz (1.77 to 9.0 gm).

Epic Pharma originally fed the resin, which is used to treat high cholesterol, to pouch filling machines by raising 220 lb (100 kg) drums approximately 6 ft (1.8 m) above the plant floor, requiring operators to manually scoop the material into each filler’s infeed hopper. With three to four drums emptied per shift, the process proved awkward and prone to dusting and product spillage, a problem that was rectified by installing four automated flexible screw conveyors from Flexicon Corporation

The 14 cu ft (396 l) capacity floor hopper of each conveyor fits within the limited space of the packaging suites and allows operators to dump the drums at floor level with less product spillage, dust, and risk of injury. "The flexible screw conveyors have brought a “more efficient process as well as a cleaner and safer plant environment,” says Frank Mellone, senior director, packaging.

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