Multi-industry Process Solutions
Handling potent compounds and reactive powders requires precision, but achieving true operational excellence demands adaptability–control, containment, and consistency from the lab bench to full production. Across pharma, biotech, and chemical industries, flexible high-containment systems and integrated filtration-drying technologies enable adaptable workflows, cleaner outputs, and smoother scale-ups. Whether isolating active pharmaceutical ingredients or maximising yields in fine chemical production, versatile solutions are essential.
For over 35 years, Powder Systems Limited (PSL) has specialised in solid-liquid separation technologies, distinguished by an exceptional ability to adapt solutions precisely to each client’s unique challenges through a consultative model rooted in technical precision and scalability. PSL provides process development solutions tailored to each industry’s evolving challenges. Let’s explore how our technologies shape critical steps in process development.
Process Engineering with Depth: PSL’s Core Capabilities
Today, our approach centers on offering a range of modular, standard products—such as the GFD® Nutsche Filter Dryers and CakeStand™ Vacuum Tray Dryers – which can be precisely configured to meet specific process requirements. We leverage our experience and deep process understanding to guide clients in selecting and connecting the right features from our modular options, ensuring a tailored solution without starting from scratch.
For larger-scale systems like our full-size PSL Agitated Nutsche Filter Dryers (ANFD) and our unique MSR™ Microsphere Refiner, we collaborate closely with clients to address the complexity and scale of their operations, drawing on our engineering expertise to deliver long-term, high-performance solutions.
This solution-oriented mindset has helped us explore avenues beyond pharmaceutical development such as battery and fine chemicals manufacturing. At the heart of our offering are three technology pillars:
Filtration and Drying Systems: Including benchtop and pilot scale ANFDs with the GFD® range and PSL’s production size solutions for combining filtration, washing, and drying in a closed system.
Vacuum Tray Drying: Featuring the CakeStand™ range, optimised for consistent, low-energy moisture removal.
Microsphere Formulation Technologies: Highlighted by the MSR™ Refiner, a unique and specialised platform for processing controlled-release pharmaceutical microspheres.
Pharma at the Core: Building on Consistency
Our expertise is deeply rooted in pharmaceutical manufacturing, where product purity, containment, and batch reproducibility are non-negotiable. We offer solutions that address every phase of drug development—from discovery to commercial scale. Our closed systems also help manage temperature-sensitive or volatile compounds, critical for high-purity specialty chemical synthesis.
The GFD®Lab Filter Dryer, for instance, enables researchers to perform filtration, washing, and drying within a single, high-containment unit. Designed for highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs), the GFD® features a borosilicate glass vessel that offers visual access to the process without compromising safety.
At scale, PSL’s ANFD systems preserve process parameters established during development—supporting regulatory demands for consistency.
For more advanced formulations, the MSR™ Microsphere Refiner provides precise control over temperature, flow rates, and agitation—crucial for injectable microsphere drugs.
Applying Process Know-How to Battery Manufacturing
One of the most compelling examples of our cross-industry adaptability is the recent enhancement of the CakeStand™ vacuum tray dryer to meet the rigorous standards of lithium-ion battery component production. Drying cathode, anode, and separator materials requires exact temperature control to prevent degradation. CakeStand™ delivers this through direct heating shelves with uniform thermal distribution, ensuring consistent drying without hotspots.
It also brings pharmaceutical-grade containment features into battery production, such as oxygen and moisture exclusion—key to preserving the electrochemical stability of battery components. Modular by design, the system can scale with production needs, making it ideal for manufacturers progressing from pilot lines to commercial output.
Broader Industry Process Applications
While pharma and battery manufacturing stand out as key verticals, our core technologies are applicable in many fields:
Biotechnology: Similar to pharma, biotech often requires sterile, contamination-free environments.
High-end applications: From cosmetics and personal care to nutraceuticals drying and handling fine powders, attention to purity is essential. PSL’s containment-led approach translates well, helping preserve your compounds’ value, whether that is their bioactivity or nutritional content.
Why PSL’s Approach Works Across Industries
Several factors make our equipment universally appealing:
1. Scalability
From benchtop systems like the GFD® filter dryer to industrial-scale units, we design solutions with seamless process scale-up in mind. This allows companies to standardise processes from development through to production.
2. Containment and Product Integrity
Originally developed for high-containment pharmaceutical environments, our systems help safeguard material integrity across sectors where contamination can compromise quality or performance.
3. Energy Efficiency
Low-energy drying is increasingly important in sectors such as battery manufacturing. The CakeStand™’s design reduces energy demands, supporting both sustainability goals and operation costs.
4. Regulatory-Ready Design
Whether it’s meeting FDA, cGMP or ATEX/NFPA requirements, we ensure our systems are engineered for regulatory compliance – offering peace of mind for industries with stringent safety standards.
Looking Ahead: Technology for the Next Generation of Manufacturing
Our cross-sector success is not just a product of technical capability—it’s a function of adaptability. As industries converge on goals like decarbonisation, advanced materials development, and personalised medicine, demand will grow for equipment that balances high performance with flexibility. Some key opportunities on the horizon include:
Advanced Materials:
Smart composites require precise, low-contamination handling, and our vacuum and filtration systems are well-suited for these needs.
Environmental Technology:
Our equipment can support clean tech development, from drying materials used in carbon capture to preparing catalytic materials for emissions control.
Small-Batch and Personalised Manufacturing:
Our systems allow high-value materials to be processed efficiently at low volumes, whether in pharma or specialty chemicals.
Looking for Process Development Solutions?
What began as a commitment to serving the pharmaceutical industry has evolved into a cross-sector approach that now supports a broad array of markets—including energy storage, biotechnology, specialty chemicals, and beyond. As industries seek more sustainable, efficient, and compliant manufacturing methods, our technologies offer both proven performance and the flexibility to meet evolving demands. Contact us today to learn more about our process development approach for your application.
