MACRO-PACTOR®
Production-Scale Roller Compactor — Gerteis
Overview
The MACRO-PACTOR® is Gerteis’ flagship production-scale roller compactor, engineered for development through full-scale manufacturing. Throughput ranges from 100 g per trial up to 400 kg/h across 10 cm wide rolls, covering late-stage development, clinical supply, and commercial production in a single machine.
Available in two versions: the standard MACRO-PACTOR® and the MACRO-PACTOR® C containment variant. The standard machine delivers an OEL below 3 µg/m³ out of the box. The MACRO-PACTOR® C steps up to below 1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) as standard, with an optional wall-mount design that separates the technical area from the processing area for clean corridor integration. Split butterfly valves on feed and discharge support even higher containment line layouts.
The feeding system handles materials with bulk density as low as 0.1 g/cm³. Gerteis’ free-floating gap design automatically adjusts to maintain constant force and consistent ribbon density, while the perfect gap seal system minimizes powder bypass between batches. An oscillating mill reduces energy impact during size reduction. Wash-In-Place and fully automated Clean-In-Place are available, and the machine is fully instrumented with qualified gap and force measurement for complete process data acquisition.
The MACRO-PACTOR® shares harmonized PACTOR® geometry with the lab-scale MINI-PACTOR®. A product developed on the MINI-PACTOR® (2.5 cm rolls) transfers directly to the MACRO-PACTOR® (10 cm rolls) using identical force, gap, and speed settings — roughly a 4× throughput increase with no process redevelopment.
Key Specifications
| Throughput | 100 g per trial up to 400 kg/h |
| Press Force | 1–20 kN/cm |
| Roller Speed | 1–30 rpm |
| Gap | 1–6 mm (C variant: 2–6 mm) |
| Roll Width | 10 cm |
| Weight | 1,700 kg (C variant: 2,000 kg) |
| Standard OEL | <3 µg/m³ |
| Containment | <1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) — standard on C variant, optional on standard |
| Controls | 21 CFR Part 11 compliant HMI |
| PAT | Inline Density Control add-on available |
Key Features
Sophisticated Feeding System
Handles materials with bulk density as low as 0.1 g/cm³. Small Amount Funnel available for trials with as little as 100 g.
Free Floating Gap Design
Adjusts gap automatically to maintain constant force and ribbon density. Perfect gap seal system minimizes powder bypass and cross-contamination.
Containment Options
Standard machine achieves <3 µg/m³. The C variant provides <1 µg/m³ (OEB 4) as standard. Split butterfly valve integration supports OEB 5 line integration with an isolator.
PAT Integration
Optional Inline Density Control measures ribbon density in real time and automatically adjusts press force to hold target density, supporting Quality by Design (QbD) requirements.
WIP & CIP
Wash-In-Place and fully automated Clean-In-Place. Oscillating mill design reduces energy impact on the product during size reduction.
Development to Production
A single platform from 100 g trials through 400 kg/h commercial production. Eliminates the need for separate R&D and manufacturing equipment.
Applications
- Full-scale production of tablets, capsules, sachets, and bulk granulates
- Late-stage development and scale-up validation
- High-potency compound processing (OEB 3–4, OEB 5 with isolator)
- Multi-product facilities with frequent changeover
- Continuous manufacturing with PAT integration
- CDMO contract manufacturing for proprietary and generic products
MHS Pharma — Northeast US Representative
MHS Pharma provides direct technical representation for Gerteis across the Northeast United States. Contact us to discuss the MACRO-PACTOR® for your application.
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