Friabimat SA-400
The Friabimat SA-400 is an in-house development of BOLATEC-Labortechnik and has been part of their product portfolio for over 30 years.
Development work began following the Achema exhibition in Frankfurt in 1985. The Pharmaceutical Institute in Kiel was seeking an apparatus capable of reliably determining the friability (resistance to abrasion) of a new generation of hard-coated tablets, granules, and spheroids. The methods accepted at the time, such as the Roche Friabilator, were unsuitable for this purpose, as they failed to provide the high level of energy input required for the samples.
In 1986, the time had finally come: the first Friabimat SA-400 units were delivered to the Ph. Institute in Kiel and to several pharmaceutical companies for testing purposes.
In the 1990s, it was entered into the German Pharmacopoeia (DAB), and shortly thereafter, it was incorporated into the European Pharmacopoeia (Method B, Ph. Eur. 2.9.41) as an approved test method.
Originally developed for testing the friability of hard-coated tablets, granules, and spheroids, the range of applications today extends from the pharmaceutical sector to wood pellet production and the fertilizer industry. These devices are used globally for research, in-process control, product release, and transport simulations.
Since 2020, the SA-400 Friabimat has been in its third stage of evolution. Its appearance, ease of operation, and flexibility have been further improved. From day one, the SA-400 has offered exceptional reliability and a long service life, even under the stresses of continuous operation.n.
To adapt our laboratory equipment to constantly changing environments, version 3 was further refined starting in 2022. Enhancements include a modern drive system with PWM, and user input is now managed via an HMI.
For testing, the sample is placed into a 105 ml sample container. This container is attached to the device’s oscillating arm using a retaining clip. The oscillating arm operates at a fixed oscillation angle of 37° with a radius of 152 mm (Method B, Ph. Eur. 2.9.41). Abrasion of the sample is generated by the horizontal shaking motion of the oscillating arm. The desired speed (0–400 rpm) and the required test duration can be set via the interface on the front of the device. This allows the test procedure to be tailored to any specific formulation while ensuring reproducibility. Typical test durations range from 2 to 4 minutes. The combination of these short cycles and the use of cost-effective sample containers, which can even be pre-prepared for specific batches, makes this test method unique.
The BOLATEC Friabimat® SA-400 is an oscillating device used to determine friability (abrasion testing). The instrument is designed for shaking solid materials, up to the maximum capacity of the sample container (105 ml). The intensity is determined by the selected oscillation frequency and the duration of the test.
Application: – Shaking of solid materials.
Intended use: Benchtop device.
Area of use (indoor only): – Laboratories – Schools – Pharmacies – Universities
(Registered test method in the European Pharmacopoeia, Ph. Eur. 2.9.41)
