Studying the Details of Tablet Coating By Using the Discrete Element Method

Pan coating is a commonly used unit operation to apply a functional layer around tablet cores. The tablet cores are placed in a rotating drum, and a coating liquid is sprayed onto the moving tablets. The coating fulfils different functions, such as giving a distinctive color, protection from environment influences, modifying the release behavior or adding an additional active ingredient. In all cases, it is highly desirable to have a process that consistently yields a high uniformity, both inter-tablet and intra-tablet.

In this work, it is presented how computer simulations based on the discrete element method are applied to get a deeper understanding of the coating process. An overview of the field is given, and the application on different processes is shown. Results are compared to existing analytical models and available experimental results.