Freeman Technology joins ERC-SOPS programme
Collaborative project aims to improve manufacture of pharmaceuticals
UK powder characterisation company Freeman Technology based in Welland, Worcestershire has joined a collaborative programme in the US, which brings together a cross-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and industry leaders with the aim of improving the way pharmaceuticals, foods and agricultural products are manufactured.
The Engineering Research Centre for Structured Organic Particulate System (C-SOPS) involves Rutgers University in New Jersey; Purdue University, Indiana; New Jersey’s Science and Technology Institute; and the Universidad de Puerto Rico. Industry affiliates range from major pharmaceutical manufacturers to instrumentation suppliers.
SOPS are used to deliver active substances at a pre-determined rate in a specific environment. They are manufactured using similar processes across industries and share common technical limitations. The collaboration provides a focal point for the science-based development of structured organic composite products and their manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and agrochemical industries.
Tim Freeman, operations director at Freeman Technology, said: ‘Freeman Technology is pleased to be supporting and adding expertise to this exciting and valuable research programme. We are able to contribute to the direction of projects and I also have the privilege of being a mentor on a number of the project groups.’
Freeman Technology specialises in systems that measure powder flow properties. The FT4 powder rheometer, for example, is a universal powder tester that uses patented dynamic methodology, fully automated shear cells and several bulk property tests, including density, compressibility and permeability to quantify powder properties in terms of flow and processability. Correlating this data with processing performance enables users to optimise powder processes.
