Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms , whereby a solid body of the solid oral dosage forms is generated by additive manufacturing in a powder bed on a platform within a production chamber of an additive manufacturing device . The present invention also relates to a manufacturing device for manufacturing a solid oral dosage form with an additive manufacturing device comprising a production chamber with a platform and a powder bed on a production surface of the platform that allows for additive manufacturing of a solid body on the production surface of the platform .

Background

Solid oral dosage forms are currently manufactured by compression of powders , which is performed in industrial manufacturing devices designed and equipped to produce many thousands of solid oral dosage forms per hour . After compression of the powder, the dosage forms can be directly trans ferred to following process steps like coating or packaging . The production processes are highly optimi zed for throughput , though lacking the flexibility which is needed to manufacture small scale batches for clinical trial or orphan diseases with limited number of patients .

To overcome these problems additive manufacturing is a promising technique . Additive manufacturing is widely used in di f ferent industries for generating prototypes , individuali zed single products or small quantity batches of products . The term additive manufacturing describes many individual production processes such as extrusion-based techniques like fused deposition modelling or powder bed based techniques like selective laser sintering or binder j etting .

A common characteristic for all these techniques is the necessity to further process the manufactured obj ects after the production process . Especially in powder bed based additive manufacturing processes the post-processing involves manual handling of raw material powder during separation and dedusting of printed parts . Printing and dedusting stations are always separated from each other and usually require a manually operated product trans fer . While manual handling of technical powders can be often accepted in terms of operator safety and equipment contamination, powders used in the pharmaceutical industry usually contain active pharmaceutical ingredients as potentially harmful ingredients . However, such risks can be reduced by planning and implementing appropriate security measures .

Additive manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms enables many advantages such as individual adaptation of individual solid oral dosage forms to the respective therapy of patients or to known intolerances or allergies of each patient . Due to the high amount of mostly manual work required for the production of the individual solid oral dosage forms , an economically viable production is only possible for high- priced solid oral dosage forms which are required in comparatively small quantities or for which the individual adaptation is necessary from a medical point of view .

Accordingly, there is a need for a method as well as for a manufacturing device that allows for cost ef fective manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms by additive manufacturing . Preferably, the method as well as the corresponding device should allow for manufacturing ready-to- use solid oral dosage forms that can be packed and distributed with reduced amount of work that is required for performing the necessary steps .

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms by additive manufacturing in a powder bed, whereby within a solid body elevation step the platform with the solid body arranged on the production surface is raised until at least one side margin of a production surface of the platform is raised up to or above an upper edge of a side wall of a production chamber that laterally surrounds the platform, and afterwards within a solid body removal step the solid body is moved to a further solid body processing device . The further solid body processing device may comprise a production conveyor belt that automatically trans fers the solid body to additional processing devices like , e . g . devices for polishing or coating the solid body . The further solid body processing device may be arranged within the production chamber . Preferably, the further solid body processing device is arranged outside the production chamber . In this case , the further solid body processing device can be at a distance to the production chamber, or preferably close to or next to the production chamber .

Elevating the solid body above the upper edge of the side wall of the production chamber facilitates easy access to the solid body that has been generated on the production surface of the platform . Thus , further automated handling of the solid body will be enabled or at least facilitated . Further handling of the solid body may include additional manufacturing steps like e . g . cleaning, polishing or coating of the solid body . Further handling of the solid body may also include a powder removal step during which residual powder, that has not been used for solidi fication during the additive manufacturing process of the solid body, will be removed from the solid body and preferably also from the production surface .

Thus , according to an advantageous aspect of the invention, during the solid body removal step the solid body is moved over the side wall into the further solid body processing device that is located next to the production chamber . Arranging the further solid body processing device outside , but next to the production chamber facilitates the required movement of the solid body for the automated trans fer from the production chamber to the further solid body processing device . A movement of the solid bodies that is limited to short distances between the production surface and the further solid body processing device reduces possible errors during the trans fer . Prior elevation of the solid body above the upper edge of the side wall during the solid body elevation step makes it easier to perform the solid body removal step .

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the solid body is moved over the side wall into a powder removal device located next to the production chamber, and that within a powder removal step residual powder that is attached to the solid body is removed from the solid body within the powder removal device . Automated removal of solid bodies that have been generated by additive manufacturing within a powder bed from said powder bed signi ficantly reduces the manual workload that is required for handling of the solid oral dosage forms after generating the solid body with a powderbased additive manufacturing process . Furthermore , the risk of exposure of persons to the powder which usually comprises active pharmaceutical ingredients as potentially harmful ingredients is reduced, as the removal of the solid bodies from the platform as well as the removal of a large quantity of residual powder that still adheres to the solid bodies is performed without any need of manual handling or interaction with persons . The production chamber of the additive manufacturing device with the powder bed and the powder removal device can be contained in a closed housing .

It is also possible to perform the powder removal step within the production chamber by e . g . blowing away or sucking in the powder by an airstream that is suf ficient for removal of powder from the platform, but not powerful enough to remove the finali zed solid body from the platform . The production surface of the platform can be flat or uneven . It is not necessary to li ft all parts of the platform above an upper edge of the side wall of the production chamber that encloses the production surface in order to allow for preparing a flat layer of powder on the production surface that is usually required for performing each next step and solidi fied product layer during the additive manufacturing process . It suf fices to li ft at least one side margin of the production surface up to or slightly above the upper edge of the side wall to allow for pushing the solid bodies over the side wall and into the powder removal device that is located next to the respective part of the side wall .

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, any powder that is removed from the solid bodies within the powder removal device can be collected and returned to the additive manufacturing device in order to be reprocessed and reused for the production of further solid bodies . Due to the automated transport of the solid bodies from the platform and the powder bed of the additive manufacturing device into the powder removal device , the risk of contamination of the residual powder that is removed from the solid bodies e . g . by manual interaction is signi ficantly reduced, which allows for easy reprocessing and reuse of large quantities of powder . In many cases of currently common manufacturing processes with manual interaction and contact with the solid bodies , such residual powder that adheres to the solid bodies can no longer be reused due to the strict hygiene regulations and safety requirements , but must be disposed of at great expense . According to an embodiment of the present invention, for moving the solid body into the powder removal device a blade or roller is moved along the production surface towards the powder removal device until the solid body that has been generated on the production surface of the platform is separated from the production surface and pushed into the powder removal device . Many common additive manufacturing devices already comprise a blade or a roller that is used for adding new layers of powder onto the powder bed during the additive manufacturing process . It is possible to adapt or modi fy construction details or controlling means of these components to remove the solid bodies from the platform after finali zation of the additive manufacturing process for said solid bodies .

It is also possible to add a blade , a roller or other means to the additive manufacturing device for automatically removing the solid bodies from the production surface of the platform .

Furthermore , to facilitate the removal of the solid bodies from the platform the li fting mechanism of the platform may also comprise means for pivoting the production surface of the platform in order to pivot the production surface in the direction of the part of the side wall over which the solid bodies are pushed during removal of the solid bodies from the production surface of the platform . By pivoting the production surface , all solid bodies that are no longer attached to the production surface will slide to the lower part of the pivoted production surface , i . e . in the direction of the powder removal device that is preferably located in that direction with respect to the production platform . To prevent any residual powder that remains on the production surface after finali zing the solid bodies from leaving the production chamber, there can be a gap between the side margin of the production surface and the surrounding side wall of the production chamber that is small enough to prevent solid bodies to fall through this gap, but large enough to allow for all residual powder to fall through this gap and to avoid for any residual powder to slide or to be pushed over the side wall of the production chamber .

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the powder removal device comprises a sieve with a mesh si ze smaller than a minimum diameter of the solid body and larger than a maximum diameter of the powder . Thus , most of the residual powder that remained on the surface of the solid body during removal from the production surface will fall through the sieve . It is possible to place a powder collection box below the sieve to collect the powder falling through the sieve for reuse .

Preferably, the solid body is moved relative to the sieve to loosen residual powder from the solid body to remove the residual powder through the sieve . This can be achieved by rapidly moving the sieve e . g . up and down, which will result in a forced movement of the solid bodies on top of the sieve . It is also possible to pivot the sieve or to rotate the sieve .

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the solid body is moved onto an oscillating sieve that oscillates with a predetermined frequency to remove residual powder that adheres to the solid body. The oscillating sieve can be the same sieve that is used for receiving the solid bodies from the production surface. It is also possible to provide for a second sieve or several sieves that are used for different powder removal methods, i.e. either rotating or oscillating the respective sieves. If more than one sieve is used within the powder removal device, the solid bodies are transferred automatically from a first sieve to each next sieve that is subsequently used during the powder removal step.

Each sieve may have a different mesh size, which allows for an easy separation of different powder components with different grain size. Thus, different components that differ in grain size can be separated from each other during the powder removal step, which allows for a cost-effective separation, reprocessing and reuse of each of the powder components .

The removal of residual powder that still adheres to the solid body can be supported and intensified by exposing the solid body to a gas stream that loosens and blows away residual powder that still adheres to the solid body. The gas stream can be an air stream that is produced by e.g. an air blower or a fan, and that is directed onto the solid body. It is also possible to provide for a gas stream that results in sucking in the residual powder from the solid body and also from the production surface of the platform, if required. The gas stream can be generated by either overpressure or by vacuum. The gas stream can be directed through the sieve to direct the powder particles that are loosen from the solid body through the sieve, thus avoiding any loss of powder particles during the powder removal step. In yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention, some or all of the residual powder that is removed from the solid body is returned to the production chamber and used for the additive manufacturing of another solid body . Due to the automated processing of the solid bodies , there is no risk of contamination of the powder during manual handling of the powder that is used during the additive manufacturing process or of residual powder that is removed from the solid bodies after finali zing the additive manufacturing process . Furthermore , the powder removal step can be adapted to facilitate the collection, the reprocessing and the reuse of the powder that is removed from the solid bodies . Such powder that is used and processed for manufacturing solid oral dosage forms may comprise expensive active pharmaceutical ingredients . Wasting such ingredients might result in costly and economically inef fective manufacture of such solid oral dosage forms with additive manufacturing processes . However, collecting residual powder and returning this powder to the additive manufacturing device for reusing this powder contributes to the implementation of an economically viable manufacturing process .

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, within a polishing step the solid body is exposed to polishing elements like e . g . scrapers , brushes , or cloth strips . By providing for an automated polishing of the cleaned solid bodies , most aspects of the required post-processing of the solid bodies can be performed in a fully automated process and without need for any manual interaction with either the solid bodies or separate devices that are commonly used for subsequently performing the separate tasks . Thus , by using an appropriate manufacturing device , a large number of solid bodies can be produced from powder by additive manufacturing methods .

In yet another embodiment of the invention, within a coating step the solid body is coated with a coating layer . The coating layer can be made from a polishing agent that smoothens the surfaced of the solid bodies e . g . by filling gaps or crevices between individual particles of the solid body . The coating layer can also be made from a coating material that adds a protective layer onto the solid body, or that adds or modi fies a therapeutic ef fect of the solid body . It is also possible to add a coating that af fects the intake of the active pharmaceutical ingredient within the solid body of the solid oral dosage form .

The invention also relates to a manufacturing device for manufacturing a solid oral dosage form with an additive manufacturing device comprising a production chamber with a platform and a powder bed on a production surface of the platform that allows for additive manufacturing of a solid body on the production surface of the platform, whereby the additive manufacturing device comprises a platform li fting mechanism that allows for raising at least a side margin of the production surface of the platform up to or above an upper edge of a side wall of a production chamber that laterally surrounds the platform, and whereby the manufacturing device also comprises a further solid body processing device located next to the production chamber for receiving the solid body from the li fted production surface . The combination of a commonly used additive manufacturing device that is capable of generating a solid body from a powder within a powder bed with means for trans ferring the solid body from the production chamber of the additive manufacturing device into a further solid body processing device allows for at first generating the solid body and for automatically trans ferring the generated solid body to a device for further processing the solid body according to the respective demands of the production process . The further solid body processing device can be a production conveyor belt that automatically conveys the solid body to at least one subsequent processing station . Such an automation of several steps that are required for manufacturing solid oral dosage forms from powder by additive manufacturing methods enables a fast and cost-ef fective mass production of solid oral dosage forms by additive manufacturing . Thus , the advantages of easy individuali zation and adaption of products that is enabled by additive manufacturing are combined with reduced manufacturing costs that are usually only possible by conventional mass production of solid oral dosage forms , e . g . by compression methods .

For li fting the production surface of the platform up to or above the surrounding side wall of the production chamber, the li fting mechanism of the platform may by modi fied or enhanced to allow for an upli ft of the platform that is suf ficient to raise at least a part of the production surface up to the same level as the upper edge of the lowest part of the side wall of the production chamber . The li fting mechanism may also comprise means for pivoting the production surface of the platform in order to pivot the production surface in the direction of the part of the side wall over which the solid bodies are pushed during removal of the solid bodies from the production surface of the platform . According to an aspect of the invention, the production surface of the platform is changeable between a powder impermeable production configuration and a powder removal configuration that allows for residual powder to fall down through openings in the platform . Thus , during the additive manufacturing of the solid body the platform with the production surface is set to the production configuration which allows for creating a powder bed on top of the platform and for subsequently adding additional powder bed layers of powder . After finali zation of the generation of a solid body, the platform can be set to a powder removal configuration which allows for easy removal of residual powder that is located next to the solid body or that still adheres to the solid body . The platform that is set to the powder removal configuration comprises openings that allows for the residual powder to fall through the openings and thus being removed from the solid body that is held back on top of the platform . After removing the residual powder, the solid body can then be trans ferred to the further solid body processing device that is located next to the production chamber and thus next to the platform .

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the further solid body processing device is a powder removal device for removing residual powder that adheres to the solid body after generation of said solid body within the additive manufacturing device . Depending on the number of solid bodies that will be simultaneously generated on the platform within a single additive manufacturing step and also depending on the amount of powder that is required for adding new layers during the additive manufacturing step, it can be advantageous to separate the powder removal device from the production chamber . It is also possible to have a first powder removal step performed within the production chamber, and to proceed with trans ferring the solid body into a powder removal device located next to the production chamber for performing a second powder removal step . The powder removal device can also comprise means for e . g . polishing the solid body or for coating the solid body with an additional coating .

According to an embodiment of the invention, the additive manufacturing device comprises means for moving the solid body from the production surface of the platform into the powder removal device . For example , a slider, a blade , or a roller can be located inside of the production chamber and can be moved slightly above the production surface along the production surface towards the powder removal device . By use of such a slider, blade or roller the solid body that has been generated on the production surface of the platform can be separated from the production surface and pushed into the powder removal device . Many common additive manufacturing devices already comprise a blade or a roller that is used for adding new layers of powder onto the powder bed during the additive manufacturing process . It is possible to adapt or modi fy construction details or controlling means of these components to remove the solid bodies from the platform after finali zation of the additive manufacturing process for said solid bodies . It is also possible to generate an air stream that blows the solid bodies from the production surface towards and into the powder removal device . According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the powder removal device comprises a sieve on which the solid body can be placed, and preferably also a means for moving the solid body relative to the sieve . Moving the solid body relative to the sieve results in loosening residual powder from the solid body, whereby the loosened powder falls from the solid body and through the sieve . Suitable means to move the sieve include means for moving the sieve rapidly or disruptively up and down, which will result in a forced movement of the solid bodies on top of the sieve . It is also possible to provide for means for pivoting the sieve or for rotating the sieve .

In an embodiment of the invention the powder removal device comprises a powder reception box that is located under the sieve for receiving residual powder that is separated from a solid body that is put onto the sieve . The powder reception box can be emptied at regular intervals . It is also possible to add means for removing the accumulating powder automatically from the powder reception box and to return the powder to the additive manufacturing device . I f required, the collected powder can be reprocessed before returning the collected powder from the powder reception box to the additive manufacturing device .

In yet another embodiment the powder removal device comprises means for oscillating a sieve to remove residual powder that adheres to the solid body on the sieve . It is also possible to arrange for several sieves within the powder removal device , whereby the sieves are operated and moved in di f ferent ways . Furthermore , several sieves may have a di f ferent mesh si ze , which results in a separation of the residual powder that is removed from the solid body that is based on di f ferent grain si ze .

Alternatively, or in addition to previously described means for removing residual powder from the solid body, the powder removal device comprises means for exposing the solid body with a gas stream to remove residual powder that adheres to the solid body within the powder removal device . Such a gas stream may be generated by air blowers , fans , suction devices , or by devices for generating overpressure or a vacuum . The gas stream can be directed towards the solid body e . g . by channels or noz zles . Thus , residual powder can be either blown away from the solid body or sucked away from the solid body .

According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the manufacturing device comprises a polishing device with means for polishing a solid body . Such means for polishing a solid body may include polishing elements like e . g . scrapers , brushes , or cloth strips . Either the solid body is moved through several polishing elements that are arranged along a predetermined movement track of the solid body, or the polishing elements are moved with respect to the solid body that is kept at a predetermined position within the polishing device . The polishing of the solid body may be supported by exposing the solid body to a polishing agent that smoothens or fills any gaps or crevices that remain within the surface of the solid body after generating the solid body within the additive manufacturing device .

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the manufacturing device comprises a coating device for coating the solid body with a coating layer . The coating may comprise a polishing agent or additional active pharmaceutical ingredients . The polishing agents or the coating may be made of a solid or liquid material . The coating device may comprise means for spray coating the solid body, or for providing a coating curtain with coating material that falls or flows down onto the solid body . The coating device may also comprise additional means for supporting the coating process like e . g . a heating device for heating the solid body after exposing and covering the solid body with a liquid coating material . Such means for supporting the coating process may also include other devices like e . g . infrared or UV illumination devices for curing a coating that has been applied to the solid body .

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be more fully understood, and further features will become apparent , when reference is made to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings . The drawings are merely representative and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims . In fact , those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the following speci fication and viewing the present drawings that various modi fications and variations can be made thereto without deviating from the innovative concepts of the invention . Like parts depicted in the drawings are referred to by the same reference numerals .

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic section view of a manufacturing device comprising an additive manufacturing device with a production chamber and a powder bed, and further comprising a powder removal device located next to the production chamber of the additive manufacturing device ,

Figure 2 illustrates a schematic section view of a similar manufacturing device with a powder removal device with two di f ferent sieves ,

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic section view of yet another manufacturing device with a di f ferent embodiment of a powder removal device and with a coating device , and

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate a schematic section view of yet another manufacturing device during a powder removal step that is performed within the production chamber .

Detailed description of the invention

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a manufacturing device 1 according to the present invention . The manufacturing device 1 comprises an additive manufacturing device 2 with a production chamber 3 and a platform 4 that can be raised and lowered within the production chamber 3 . The li fting device for raising and lowering the production chamber 3 is not explicitly shown in Figure 1 .

During an additive manufacturing process there is a powder bed created on a production surface 5 on top of the platform 4 . During each generating step of the additive manufacturing process a new powder bed layer is prepared on top of the powder bed and a new layer of a solid body 6 is generated by solidi fying a corresponding part of the powder bed layer, until after repeatedly preparing a new powder bed layer and solidi fying the next layer of the solid body 6 within the new powder bed layer, the additive manufacturing step is finali zed and a complete solid body 6 is generated that consists of many layers of solidi fied powder from the powder bed . Figure 1 shows several solid bodies 6 that have been generated on the production surface 5 of the platform 4 within the production chamber 3 . It is also possible to continue with the additive manufacturing process by adding additional powder bed layers on top of the solid bodies 6 and to repeatedly solidi fying more solid bodies 6 in yet another level on top of the already prepared solid bodies 6 . In this case the next new powder bed layer on top of the already prepared solid bodies 6 serves as another production platform for the next level of solid bodies 6 .

The platform 4 is surrounded by a surrounding side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 . The surrounding side wall 7 is required for the preparation of new layers of powder during repeated steps of solidi fication during the additive manufacturing process . The additive manufacturing device 2 with the production chamber 3 can be a commonly used additive manufacturing device 2 with means to subsequently produce new layers of powder on top of the platform 4 and with means 8 for solidi fying the required regions of powder within the new layer of powder in order to generate a new solidi fied layer of the solid body 6 . Such means 8 may include a laser device for performing a selective laser melting method as additive manufacturing method . It is also possible to make use of means 8 that are capable of binder j etting, i . e . to dispose a liquid binder agent that solidi fies the powder that comes into contact with the liquid binder during solidi fication of the liquid binder .

It is possible to generate several solid bodies 6 on the production surface 5 of the platform 4 during a single additive manufacturing step . After finali zing the several solid bodies 6 , the platform 4 is li fted by the li fting mechanism until the production surface 5 of the platform 4 is raised above the upper edge 9 of the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 of the additive manufacturing device 2 . Then, the solid bodies 6 and most of the remaining unused powder that has not been solidi fied during the additive manufacturing process are removed from the production surface 5 of the platform 4 by automatically moving a blade 10 parallel to the production surface 5 in direction of a powder removal device 11 that is located next to the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 . The moving blade 10 is positioned and moved parallel to the production surface 5 and slightly above the production surface 5 in order to avoid any unwanted contact and damaging of the production surface 5 by the moving blade 10 . Thus , some powder that has not been consumed and solidi fied during the additive manufacturing process and that remained on the production surface 5 , further remains on the production surface 5 after the movement of the blade 10 and the removal of the solid bodies 6 . However, all solid bodies 6 that have been generated on the production surface 5 of the platform 4 and most of the unused powder will be pushed from the production surface 5 of the platform 4 over the upper edge 9 of the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 into the powder removal device 11 that is positioned adj acent to the production chamber 3 of the additive manufacturing device 2 . The powder removal device 11 comprises a sieve 12 and a powder reception box 13 that is located below the sieve 12 . After pushing the solid bodies 6 onto the sieve 12 , residual powder that still adheres to the solid bodies 6 as well as unused powder that is also pushed over the upper edge 9 f the side wall 7 will fall down and through the sieve 12 into the powder reception box 13 . All residual powder 14 that falls into the powder reception box 13 can be reprocessed and returned to the additive manufacturing device 2 in order to be reused for the generation of new solid bodies 6 with the additive manufacturing device 2 . The mesh si ze of the sieve 12 is large enough to allow for all powder particles that are removed from the solid bodies 6 falling through the sieve 12 and into the powder reception box 13 , whereas all solid bodies 6 remain on top of the sieve 12 and can be trans ferred into a packaging for solid oral dosage forms .

Figure 2 shows a schematic section view of a di f ferent embodiment of the manufacturing device 1 according to the invention . Many aspects of the manufacturing device 1 are identical to the manufacturing device 1 shown in Figure 1 , but some di f ferences are explained hereafter . The platform 4 can be raised and lowered, but can also be pivoted around a pivoting axis 15 to incline the production surface 5 towards the upper edge 9 of the surrounding side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 . All solid bodies 6 that have been generated on top of the production surface 5 of the platform 4 will then slide towards and over to upper edge 9 of the surrounding side wall 7 and into the powder removal device 11 located next to the production chamber 3 of the additive manufacturing device 2 . I f required, the solid bodies 6 can be detached from the production surface 5 by means of a slider, blade or roller that is moved along the production surface 5 of the platform 4.

Due to the inclined platform 4 the solid bodies 6 will slide onto a first sieve 12 that is arranged within the powder removal device 11. If necessary, the solid bodies 6 can be forced to slide by moving e.g. a slider, a blade or a roller along the production surface 5 of the platform 4. After being put on the first sieve 12, the solid bodies 6 are then transferred onto a second sieve 16 that is located next to the first sieve 12. The first sieve 12 has a mesh size that is smaller than the mesh size of the second sieve 16. The respective mesh sizes of the first and second sieve 12, 16 are predetermined to separate two different components 17, 18 of the residual powder 14, whereby the first component 17 with a grain size smaller than the mesh size of the first sieve 12 is collected in a first powder reception box 13 below the first sieve 12, and whereby the second component 18 with a grain size that can be larger than the mesh size of the first sieve 12 is collected in a second powder reception box 19 below the second sieve 16. Thus, by subsequently using two sieves 12, 16 or even more than two sieves with different mesh size, it is possible to separate different components 17, 18 of the residual powder 14 that differ in grain size, e.g. an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a binding agent.

By way of example, the second sieve 16 can be manipulated to force the solid bodies 6 to move relative to the second sieve 16. This can be achieved by e.g. oscillating the second sieve 16 up and down, or by forcing disruptive movements or a rotation of the second sieve 16. However, such a movement of the second sieve 16 can also be imposed on the first sieve 12 or on the sieve 12 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1 .

It is also possible to collect any powder that might fall in a slit between the elevated and pivoted platform 4 and the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 . This can be achieved by arranging a funnel 20 at the side wall 7 below the slit , whereby the funnel 20 leads into a duct 21 that allows for the powder that falls through the slit into the funnel to pass through the side wall 7 into the first powder reception box 13 of the powder removal device 11 that is located next to the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 .

Figure 3 illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment of the manufacturing device 1 according to the invention . The additive manufacturing device 2 and the means 10 for moving the solid bodies 6 from the production surface 5 of the platform 4 over the upper edge 9 of the surrounding side wall 7 can be similar to the design shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 . It is also possible to make use of a wiper lip like e . g . a deformable silicone lip 22 that brushes over the platform 4 without a remaining gap and that removes all residual powder from the platform 4 . The solid bodies 6 are put onto a conveyor belt 23 that is part of a further solid body processing device 24 . The conveyor belt 23 is made of a mesh or comprises many small holes that allow for the residual powder to fall through the conveyor belt 23 into the powder reception box 13 that is arranged below the conveyor belt 23 and that is part of the powder removal device 11 . In order to fully remove all residual powder that might still adhere to the solid bodies 6 , an air stream 25 that is generated with an air blower device 26 is directed onto the solid bodies 6 that are located on top of the conveyor belt 23 . Any residual powder 14 will be blown away from the surface of the solid bodies 6 and may be either collected within the powder reception box 13 below the sieve 12 for re-use or discarded . After reaching an end of the conveyor belt 23 that moves the solid bodies 6 towards a solid oral dosage forms box 27 , the soiled bodies 6 fall down the end of the conveyor belt 23 and into the solid oral dosage forms box 27 . During the free fall of the solid bodies 6 from the conveyor belt 23 into the solid oral dosage forms box 27 , the solid bodies 6 are spay coated with a coating that is applied onto the solid bodies 6 with several coating devices 28 arranged next to the falling path of the solid bodies 6 . In figure 3 , only one coating device 27 is shown, but it is usually advisable to make use of several coating devices 28 with coating sprays that are directed towards the solid bodies 6 from several directions in order to provide for a complete coating of the solid bodies 6 . It is also possible to arrange the coating device

28 above the conveyor belt 23 and to generate a coating curtain or to apply the coating by spraying the coating material solely onto the solid bodies 6 . It can also be advisable to make use of other coating methods that are known and commonly used for coating a small obj ect like a solid body 6 . The solid bodies 6 can e . g . be trans ferred through a coating bath or dumped into an immersion bath filled with a liquid coating, and afterwards removed from the immersion bath by e . g . an additional conveyor belt .

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate yet another manufacturing device 1 . The production chamber 3 comprises the platform 4 and a sieve

29 that is located on top of the platform 4 . The platform 4 and the sieve 29 can be moved up and down within the side walls 7 of the production chamber 3 . However, the sieve 29 can be moved independently from the platform 4 .

During the additive manufacturing of the solid bodies 6 the sieve 29 is located on top of the platform 4 and forms a basis for the production surface 5 on top of the sieve 29 . As the platform 4 is positioned in contact with the sieve 29 below the sieve 29 , the platform 4 prevents any powder to fall through the sieve 29 , even though the mesh si ze of the sieve 29 is large enough for powder to fall through the sieve 29 . After finali zing the additive manufacturing of the solid bodies 6 on top of the sieve 29 , the platform 4 is lowered into a powder removal configuration shown in Figure 5 . After distancing the platform 4 from the sieve 29 , all residual powder that is not solidi fied into the solid bodies 6 can fall through the sieve 29 and be removed from the production surface 5 . The removal of the residual powder can be supported by directing an air stream 30 with an air blower device 31 that is positioned above the sieve 29 . The residual powder is afterwards also removed from the platform 4 . It is also possible to support the removal of residual powder by making use of an oscillating sieve 29 or by making use of means for pushing or moving the solid bodies 6 across the sieve 29 which will loosen any remaining powder from the solid bodies 6 .

Afterwards , the sieve 29 can be raised with or without the platform 4 above the side wall 7 of the production chamber 3 in order to elevate the sieve 29 over the upper edge 9 of the side wall 7 . Then, the solid bodies 6 are trans ferred with a moving blade 10 or a silicone lip to onto the further solid body processing device 24 that may comprise e . g . a conveyor belt 23 and a number of coating devices 28 as shown in Figure

6 .