Applicability of X-ray microscopy to non-contact tablet mass estimation

Abstract

The pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing process requires a tablet mass measuring step to ensure that all tablets have the prescribed dosage. The digital scales commonly used for that purpose require tens of seconds to stabilize, resulting in a substantial slow-down of the manufacturing process. The alternative visual approaches are fallible because of the potential existence of voids and cracks in the tablets. This paper uses an X-ray microscopy for mass measurement. Albeit with some constraints concerning tablet size and constituents, the approach can measure a tablet’s mass in under one second, and may constitute, in the future, a viable and practical approach.