Ashland Expands Aquarius Coating Systems Capabilities in Europe

Aquarius Coating Systems, a family of dry, fully-formulated film coatings, enable manufacturers to enhance tablet aesthetics, minimize defects, shorten coating times and reduce costs.

04/06/09 Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., has opened the first Aquarius Coating Systems laboratory in Europe. The applications lab in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, has been expanded to support growth of Ashland’s Aquarius Coating Systems line in Europe.

Aquarius Coating Systems, a family of dry, fully-formulated film coatings, enable manufacturers to enhance tablet aesthetics, minimize defects, shorten coating times and reduce costs. The coating systems are formulated with high-purity cellulosic polymers manufactured by Functional Ingredients.

The lab features an O'Hara Labcoat MX tablet coating machine equipped with 15″ and 19″ side-vented pans for coating trials. It also has the capability to test friability, tablet hardness, disintegration and Brookfield viscosity. In close cooperation with the main pharmaceutical application lab in Wilmington, Del., the new Zwijndrecht site will provide customized coatings, troubleshooting and trial support.

These capabilities, along with its role as a major cellulosic excipient manufacturer, position Functional Ingredients as a leader in film coating technology. Functional Ingredients produces and markets the world's broadest range of pharmaceutical-grade cellulosic excipients, including Benecel hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and Klucel hydroxypropylcellulose.

Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients is the number two producer of cellulose ethers worldwide and the world’s only producer of refined wood rosin. It provides specialty additives and functional ingredients that manage the physical properties of aqueous and non-aqueous systems. Many of its products – used in construction, food, personal care, pharmaceuticals, oil field production and paints – are derived from renewable and natural raw materials and perform in a wide variety of applications.