Tablet coating is becoming a strategic success factor: Syntegon’s Sepion series enables flexible, safe, and reproducible coating processes.
Key Takeaways
- The Sepion series from Syntegon supports flexible production requirements – with batch sizes ranging from 10 to 100 percent of the working volume without the need for reconfiguration.
- Closed processes enhance safety and reproducibility with containment upgrades up to OEB5.
- The new Sepion pilot coater fills the gap for batches ranging from 8 to 75 liters with two interchangeable drum sizes.
- A strong focus on easy technology transfer accelerates the transition from lab to production.
A tablet’s coating affects more than just its appearance, taste, or ease of swallowing. It also determines where, when, and how an active ingredient is released – and is therefore critical for efficacy, tolerability, and patient adherence. Consequently, the demands placed on coatings are constantly increasing. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs are handling broader product portfolios, varying batch sizes, and highly potent active ingredients. Even slight variations in coating homogeneity can compromise product quality.
Sepion: a new process logic
At the same time, processes must be reproducible, efficient, and safe. Here, older coating technologies often reach their limits. The former Manesty drum coater – a brand that was acquired in 2008 and whose expertise is now continued by Syntegon – was a globally established solution for tablet coating in pharmaceutical production for many years. However, with increasing batch diversity, stricter containment requirements, and the need for fewer manual interventions, it became clear that state-of-the-art tablet coating requires a new process logic.
“With the Sepion series, Syntegon has systematically implemented the requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs, drawing on a combination of many years of experience and innovation.”
Fritz-Martin Scholz, Global Product Manager at Syntegon
The coaters process batch sizes ranging from 10 to 100 percent of the working volume, without the need for time-consuming changes of the mixing elements. An optimized mixing blade and drum geometry ensure uniform tablet movement at varying fill levels. This lays the foundation for homogeneous coating and reproducible coating results across different batch sizes – and helps manufacturers and CDMOs respond flexibly to changing production requirements. From filling through sampling to unloading, all Sepion coaters operate in a fully enclosed system, making them suitable for a containment upgrade to OEB5.
Sepion 75: further accelerating the transition from lab to production
To ensure uniform coating, the Sepion series combines precise drum dynamics, automatic spray arm guidance, and an airflow design optimized for low turbulence. The longer drum enables higher spray rates and can shorten process times without compromising coating homogeneity – a critical factor, particularly for demanding applications such as functional coatings or API coating. The entire Sepion series is equipped with drums of similar geometry as well as comparable spray patterns and airflow. This significantly reduces risks associated with technology transfer and accelerates the transition from lab to production.
Until now, the drum coater was available in six sizes with batch capacities ranging from 175 to 1,000 liters. The new Sepion 75 pilot coater now also accommodates batches ranging from 8 to 75 liters. Two interchangeable drum sizes simplify production planning and reduce downtime during product changeovers. This makes the coater suitable for both early development phases and advanced pilot batches. At the same time, it offers the series’ key features: closed material handling, containment up to OEB5, and fully automatic cleaning.
Advantages at a glance
- Addresses the most pressing challenges of the pharmaceutical industry
- Maximum flexibility: batch sizes ranging from 10 to 100 percent of the working volume
- Optimized drum geometry for uniform tablet movement
- Closed filling, sampling, and discharge
- Simple containment upgrade up to OEB5
- Shorter process times and higher spray rates
- From lab to production: low risks during technology transfer
Lifecycle partnership for continuity in tablet coating
Tablet coating is now much more than just a downstream production step. It combines product quality, process reliability, flexibility, and operator safety. For pharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs, coating is becoming a strategic factor – especially when it comes to more complex products, smaller batches, and increasing containment requirements. With the Sepion series, Syntegon offers a coating solution that consistently addresses all of these requirements.
As a strategic partner to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, Syntegon supports customers throughout the entire lifecycle of their equipment. This also applies to existing Manesty drum coaters, for which Syntegon continues to offer the accustomed services as well as support during the transition to the next generation of machines. This ensures continuity in tablet coating – with the goal of maintaining stable processes and high quality for the benefit of patients. What can we do for your coating process?
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