Influence of the binder jetting process parameters and binder liquid composition on the relevant attributes of 3D-printed tablets

Kreft, Klemen (author), Lavrič, Zoran (author), Stanić Ljubin, Tijana (author), Perhavec, Petra (author), Dreu, Rok (author)

Binder jetting has the potential to revolutionize the way we produce medicine. However, tablets produced by binder jetting technology can be quite fragile and hard to handle. In this study, the printing process and ink composition were examined to optimize the mechanical properties of tablets. A model formulation containing the ketoprofen drug was developed and used as a base for optimization. Firstly, important printing parameters were identified with a fractional factorial design. Saturation and layer height critically influenced selected tablet properties. Relevant process parameters were optimized for tablet mechanical strength by using the D-optimization DoE approach. The best mechanical properties were achieved when saturation was set to 1 and layer height to 150 µm. On the other hand, binder ink composition did not appear to impact tablet mechanical strength as much as process parameters did. Three ethanol-water mixtures were tested at three tablet strength levels and no definitive conclusions could be drawn. The binder jetting process can be wasteful, especially if the unbound powder cannot be reused. To determine the suitability of powder blend recycling, the ketoprofen content was measured for 27 subsequent batches of tablets. While the trendline did indicate a slight reduction in ketoprofen content, the powder blend reuse can nevertheless be employed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: binder jetting, design of experiments, 3D-printed tablets, mechanical properties, printer development, ketoprofen
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 21 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 14, iss. 8, art. 1568
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-139091
• UDC: 661.12:615.454
• ISSN on article: 1999-4923
• DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14081568
• COBISS.SI-ID: 119609859
• Publication date in RUL: 30.08.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Pharmaceutics
• Shortened title: Pharmaceutics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4923
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517949977

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: brizganje veziva, načrtovanje poskusov, 3D-natisnjene tablice, mehanske lastnosti, razvoj tiskalnikov, ketoprofen, tablete, farmacevtska industrija

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0189
• Name: Farmacevtska tehnologija: od dostavnih sistemov učinkovin do terapijskih izidov zdravil pri otrocih in starostnikih