In continuous manufacturing, raw materials and energy are fed into the system at a steady rate while output products are extracted on a continuous basis. The process performance is strongly dependent on the consistency of the material flow rate. 

As the first stage in manufacturing, feeding powders consistently and accurately into the subsequent processes in the line is critical for powder-based continuous operations. Feeders are designed to deliver high-performance reliability, precise feed rate precision, and low interruptions.

Powder blending :- In the pharmaceutical industry, a variety of excipients may be combined with the active medicinal ingredient to create the final blend needed to manufacture the solid dosage form. The wide range of components that can be combined (excipients, API) introduces a number of factors that must be addressed in order to achieve the desired product quality criteria. Particle size distribution (including aggregates or lumps of material), particle form (spheres, rods, cubes, plates, and irregular), moisture (or other volatile substances), particle surface qualities (roughness, cohesiveness), and powder flow properties are examples of these variables.

Milling :- Milling is frequently used during the drug production process to lower the average particle size in a drug powder. There are several reasons for this, including improved homogeneity and dosage consistency, increased bioavailability, and increased therapeutic ingredient solubility.In some cases, repeated powder blending followed by milling is employed to improve the manufacturability of the mixes.

Granulation :- There are two forms of granulation: wet granulation and dry granulation. Granulation is the opposite of milling. Small particles are linked together to produce larger particles known as granules. Granulation can be used for a variety of reasons. It prevents the “demixing” of components in the mixture by forming a granule that contains all of the constituents in their required proportions, improving powder flow characteristics and increasing compaction qualities for tablet manufacture.

Hot melt extrusion :- Hot melt extrusion is used in pharmaceutical solid oral dosage processing to deliver medicines with low solubility and bioavailability. Hot melt extrusion has been found to disperse poorly soluble medicines molecularly in a polymer carrier. Heat, pressure, and agitation are used in the process to combine materials and ‘extrude’ them through a tool die.  Twin-screw high-shear extruders combine ingredients while breaking them up. The resulting particles can be mixed and compacted into tablets or capsules.