Newsletter - March 2008

Welcome to the March 2008 issue of the CSMA newsletter

Surface Analysis Workshop

CSMA's annual workshop took place on Wednesday 27^th February. 40 delegates from a range of industries, including automotive, medical devices, consumer healthcare, packaging and pharmaceutical attended. The day provided an ideal opportunity to learn more about surface analysis and depth profiling techniques through a morning of presentations which highlighted the theory behind the techniques as well as showcasing industrial applications through a series of case studies. Laboratory demonstrations in the afternoon allowed the participants to get a greater understanding of the techniques as well as seeing the types and sizes of samples which can be accommodated.
As this year's workshop was over-subscribed a further workshop on Thursday 23^rd October 2008 will be held.

MEDTEC UK

The annual MEDTEC UK conference and exhibition was held at Birmingham's NEC on 13th and 14th February 2008. CSMA were on hand to meet with CSMA’s existing clients and also address enquiries from new clients. During the hectic 2 days discussion topics included: Delaminations and disbondments Contamination including fibres, specks, particulates and thin films Coating Characterisation including uniformity, composition and thickness Validation of raw materials, cleanliness and processes Industry sectors represented in the enquiries included inhaler technologies, orthopaedic implant, bone substitute, cardiovascular stent, transdermal drug delivery and cleaning companies. During the event CSMA hosted a prize draw. The winner of a state of the art Apple i-Pod nano was Dr. Jane McLaren of Regentec Ltd. Well done Jane!

Measuring the Surface Roughness of Particles

The surface roughness of particles is important in numerous industries where powder flow or abrasion properties need to be controlled, from pharmaceutical inhaler blends through to grinding grits control of surface properties is essential in ensuring the powder behaves as expected.

Utilising 3DP (3D Non-Contact Surface Profiling) particles of titanium dioxide manufactured by freeze drying and others manufactured by spray drying have been analysed.  Differences in mean surface roughness and in the particle to particle variability can be seen in the images. Measurements show that the freeze dried particles are much larger (mean particle size 50µm) compared to the spray dried particles (mean particle size 15 µm).

Upcoming Events

After the success of MEDTEC UK, CSMA will be exhibiting at MEDTEC Ireland at the Radisson Hotel Galway on the 24th and 25th September 2008. CSMA’s Irish Representative Ursula Thompson will be present to discuss CSMA’s services and any specific issues.

For further information about CSMA services or activities please contact Justine Bentley, e-mail justine.bentley@ceram.com Tel +44 (0)1782 764269