Customer Testimonial: Engineering innovation where it matters
(Post paid for by Expo and written by Andrew Anderson from ASquared Consultancy)
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, innovation is often discussed in terms of sensors, software, and data models. Yet one of the most overlooked drivers of successful Process Analytical Technology (PAT) implementation is mechanical engineering. Over the years, my experience with Expo Process Analytics has reinforced a simple truth: even the most advanced analytics are only as good as the engineering that underpins them.
Expo Process Analytics strength lies not in chasing trends but in solving real problems where process, equipment, and analytics intersect.
Designing PAT for Real Processes, not Ideal Ones
One of my earliest collaborations with Expo Process Analytics involved integrating NIR into a fluid-bed dryer during late-stage development. At first glance, the industry’s suggested approach of air-purged probes seemed the obvious route. In practice, however, those solutions risked disturbing fluidisation, triggering existing dryer sensors, and were not fit for purpose in product manufacture. That tension between analytical needs and process integrity is where many PAT projects fail.
Rather than imposing a “textbook” solution, Expo Process Analytics approached the challenge from the process outward. The result was a dual-probe mechanical wiper design that enabled both NIR and particle-sizing probes to operate reliably in the fluid-bed dryer. This wasn’t a one-step success. The drying conditions were aggressive, with products reaching 1–2% w/w moisture, and early designs struggled to withstand them.
What stood out was Expo Process Analytics willingness to iterate quickly, collaboratively, and pragmatically. Through multiple design refinements and close engagement with development teams, the final solution proved robust enough to support a Phase III project.
This is where Expo Process Analytics differentiates itself: engineering that adapts to process reality rather than requiring the process to adjust to the equipment.
Supporting the Shift to Continuous Manufacturing
As the industry moved towards continuous wet granulation, Expo Process Analytics’ role became even more critical. In this case, the manufacturing line had already been designed, leaving little flexibility for analytics. Retrofitting PAT into a moving process poses a fundamentally different challenge from that in batch systems, particularly when sample presentation becomes the limiting factor for data quality.
Working with Expo Process Analytics, we explored miniaturised probe-wiper concepts for tighter spaces. These solutions worked, but they also revealed deeper insights: material flow alone does not guarantee representative sampling.
That realisation led to a more innovative mechanical concept: the spiderwheel. By temporarily holding material in a cup before advancing, the design created a quasi-static, representative sample for measurement, thereby significantly improving signal quality by reducing air interference and noise.
Expo Process Analytics contribution here was not just fabrication but an ideation-to-translation process that challenged the process and yielded elegant mechanical solutions that directly improved data integrity.
Anticipating Industry Needs Before They Become Bottlenecks
Perhaps the clearest example of Expo Process Analytics forward-thinking approach is the feed frame simulator. As continuous manufacturing became more prevalent, measurement shifted to the tablet press feed frame. Yet access to tablet presses during development is limited, costly, and operationally challenging.
Expo Process Analytics recognised this gap and proactively addressed it. The miniature feed-frame simulator enables development teams to build and validate models using minimal material across multiple analytical technologies, including NIR and Raman, well before commercial-scale equipment is required.
This piece of equipment reflects a deeper understanding of the realities of pharmaceutical development: timelines are compressed, materials are scarce, and press time is valuable. By enabling early-stage model development in a controlled, small-scale environment, Expo Process Analytics removed a significant barrier to effective PAT deployment.
More recently, the company announced that it had developed a mini-spiderwheel interface to facilitate easier integration with existing platforms; a logical evolution of one of its products, but a most welcome one.
A Partner, Not Just a Supplier
Across these projects, one theme has remained consistent. Expo Process Analytics does not simply respond to specifications; it challenges assumptions, provides informed feedback, and brings prior experience to the table. Its teams engage as true engineering partners, balancing innovation with manufacturability and robustness.
In an industry increasingly defined by continuous processes, real-time release, and data-driven decision-making, this kind of engineering partnership is essential.
Ultimately, successful PAT isn’t just about measuring more; it’s about designing systems that enable better measurement. And that’s where Expo Process Analytics continues to lead.
