Unit Process Order in Tablet Compression

The manufacturing of tablets involves several sequential unit processes. Understanding the correct order is crucial for efficient production and desired tablet quality.

Step-by-Step Process Analysis

Let's analyze the sequence based on standard pharmaceutical manufacturing practices:

• C. Mixing of diluent and disintegrant: This is the initial step where the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is blended with excipients like diluents and disintegrants to ensure homogeneity.
• D. Slugging: This is a pre-compression or granulation step. The powder blend is compressed into large, brittle masses called slugs. This process helps improve the flow and compressibility of powders that are otherwise difficult to handle.
• B. Screening: After slugging, the slugs are typically milled (broken down) and then passed through a screen (sieve) to obtain granules of a uniform size distribution. This ensures consistent packing density for the subsequent compression step.
• A. Compression: This is the final stage where the screened granules are fed into a tablet press and compressed under high pressure to form the finished tablets.

Therefore, the correct sequence of these unit processes is Mixing, followed by Slugging, then Screening, and finally Compression.

Conclusion

The correct order is: C, D, B, A.