Alexanderwerk And The University Of Sheffield Celebrate 5th Anniversary Of Their Research Partnership

The Alexanderwerk Group, specialized in development and production of compaction and granulation machines for the chemical, pharmaceutical and powder industry, pushes forward its business partnerships with reputable partners. The technical department of Alexanderwerk works hand in hand with Prof. Agba Salman, lecturer for chemical and biological engineering at the University of Sheffield. The aim is to explore the potential of compacting and granulation and thereby to obtain advances in development as well as improvements by implementing the solutions.

The University of Sheffield is one of the most prestigious universities in the UK and also enjoys great international standing. Five Nobel Prize winners have conducted their research here, including Lord Florey, who in 1945 discovered penicillin and its effect on infections. The department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is amongst the UK's top five Chemical Engineering departments for world leading and internationally excellent research, and ranked number one for research environment based on the results of our Unit of Assessment in the Research Excellence Framework 2014.

Five years ago a close research cooperation between the Alexanderwerk Group and the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering was initiated. Alexanderwerk continues to support research projects involving its Roller Compactor WP 120 Pharma, offering constant technical support to Prof. Agba Salman’s group.

First doctoral thesis completed using the WP 120 Pharma
A doctoral thesis was successfully completed using the WP 120 Pharma to process special products. The WP 120 Pharma enables realistic and fully controlled production conditions when processing such special products. Through a customized compaction unit and the mobile design, a flexible and high-quality production is provided. Indeed, small batches - less than 5 g can be processed. Furthermore, the Diagonal-Design® Granulator, which raises the capacity up to 100 % by increasing the effectiveness of the working area of the screen, leads to a doubling of throughput and in turn very gentle granulation with minimal fines generation. Under the leadership of Prof. Agba Salman and in close collaboration with the Process and Design departments of Alexanderwerk, further avenues for R&D into compaction and granulation have been identified. Currently five doctoral projects utilize the WP120 Pharma in their research.

“The cooperation with The University of Sheffield confirms not only the high quality of our machines”, says Dr.-Ing. Alexander Schmidt, Managing Director of Alexanderwerk. “But, the close relationship with University and the direct line to Prof. Salman helps us to develop ourselves steadily by making further improvements and adjustments based on the results obtained. This is the best way to consistently serve the needs of our customers in the global pharmaceutical and chemical industry. This attitude is also expressed in our active participation in the upcoming workshop at Sheffield University in the June 2015.”

About the Alexanderwerk Group
The Alexanderwerk Group, headquartered in Remscheid, Germany, was established 1885 as an iron foundry for the manufacturing of small machines and household appliances.

Today the Alexanderwerk Group, consisting of Alexanderwerk AG and three subsidiaries, works as a specialist in development and production of compaction and granulation machines as well as custom-built machines for the chemical, pharmaceutical and primary industry. Numerous patents as well as over 125 years’ experience and know-how ensure the effective and high-quality production. Additionally with the offered all-round support of Alexanderwerk, customers receive comprehensive and long-term service and assistance.