Blending is crucial in pharmaceutical manufacturing as its use can ensure that the various ingredients are homogeneously dispersed within the mixture and there are no pockets of high concentration and others with low concentration. This is especially so for the active ingredient to ensure that each individual tablet, capsule or syrup bottle contains the amount claimed on the label.

There are various types of blenders and this one is named after the shape of its two cylindrical parts that are joined together at a 60-90° angle. The advantages of a V-blender is that it is easy to load the powders and then unload the mixture, relatively easy to clean and also easy to maintain due to its simple design.

A V-blender is categorised as a tumble blender or tumble mixer since the powder actually tumbles over itself. Diffusion is therefore the main mechanism for mixing as particles roll, cascade and fall over each exposed surface as the vessel rotates on a horizontal axis. In a V-shaped blender, the batch is continuously being split and recombined across the two sides of the vessel.

To take advantage of this mixing and flow pattern, raw materials are typically loaded into the vessel in layers rather than side-by-side.

As tumble blending is low shear, it is especially well-suited to mixing dense powders, fragile solids and abrasive materials. It’s also regularly used when blends contain trace components or when using ingredients that are different in size and density.

Tumble blenders deliver highly accurate and repeatable mixing of recipes which therefore suits any applications using regulatory standards like pharmaceuticals.