Ointments are semi-solid topical preparations made by uniformly mixing a drug with a suitable base, providing appropriate consistency. They exhibit suitable viscosity, are easy to apply to the skin, mucous membranes, and wounds, and can adhere to or spread over the application site for an extended period. Their primary functions are to lubricate the skin, protect wounds, and deliver localized therapeutic effects. A well-dispersed ointment should produce no gritty sensation when applied to the skin.
Common ointment dispersion methods include mixing and emulsification. However, achieving sufficient fineness and uniformity in the dispersion of drug powders remains a major challenge. Compared with other mixing technologies, the three roll mill offers significant advantages. During dispersion, the three roll mill ensures that the product passes through two shear zones. There is no more effective tool than a three roll mill for ointment preparation. Therefore, the TRILOS TR50M three roll mill was used for ointment dispersion.
Experimental Procedure
(1) Dissolve the prescribed amount of gentamicin sulfate in water and stir until completely dissolved.
(2) Melt white petrolatum in a water bath at 80 °C.
(3) Add the gentamicin sulfate aqueous solution to the white petrolatum, stir until uniform, and allow the mixture to cool naturally.
(4) Pass the resulting sample through the three roll mill twice (gap settings: 5, 4) to obtain a homogeneous sample.
TRILOS TR50M three roll mill
TRILOS TR50M is a benchtop model three roll mill. It is an ultra-compact grinding and dispersing device specifically developed for customers with relatively small batch sizes and moderate precision requirements. The machine features a simple structural design, compact dimensions, lightweight construction, stepless speed control for throughput regulation, and mechanically adjustable roll gaps.
Ointment Dispersion Using the TRILOS TR50M three roll mill
During operation, the three roll mill shows no material leakage and delivers uniform discharge. The roll parallelism is well maintained, with no positional deviation after operation. Testing results indicate a significant reduction in particle size of the ointment, improving contact between active ingredients and the skin surface. The roll gap can be easily adapted to emulsion-type formulations, while degassing produces an especially fine ointment structure that is readily absorbed by the skin, thereby enhancing therapeutic value. This equipment ensures high pharmaceutical quality in ointment production and is suitable for manufacturing ointments, colloids, and emulsions.
1. Ointment processed by traditional mixing methods: crystalline substances remain clearly visible.
2. Ointment processed by a three roll mill: particle size is significantly reduced with improved uniformity.
About TRILOS
TRILOS is a US precision machinery manufacturer committed to customer satisfaction as its ultimate goal. The company strives to combine advanced processing technologies with customer requirements to design high-quality products closely aligned with user needs.
TRILOS is actively expanding into global markets, and its products are now widely used in the United States, China, Europe, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
Advantages of TRILOS Three Roll Mill
① TRILOS three roll mills utilize a single-pass process that can potentially achieve complete homogenization and dispersion, reducing particle size and breaking up agglomerates. The result is a homogeneous slurry, providing an ideal foundation for subsequent material processing.
② The distance between each pair of rolls can be adjusted via a touchscreen, ensuring excellent roll parallelism. Elastically tensioned scraper blade holders maintain constant blade pressure without the need for readjustment during operation.
③ Rolls made of different materials are available. Options for roll and scraper materials range from stainless steel to alumina, silicon carbide, and zirconia, meeting diverse application requirements.
④ Integrated safety devices ensure operator safety, and the machine can be cleaned easily and very quickly.
⑤ TRILOS pioneered an IoT-enabled, intelligent three roll mill solution within the industry. This addresses issues such as non-quantifiable data, data loss, isolated equipment, and lack of networked management and control. The system enables data analysis, user permission management, and full-process operation recording and backup, supporting process parameter research and development. In addition, the intelligent IoT platform can integrate mixers, three roll mills, feeders, homogenizers, as well as online viscometers, online particle size analyzers, and online near-infrared analyzers for real-time monitoring.
