Buying an automobile or house may be a complex process, but you often want to perform detailed research before making such a substantial purchase. You want to ensure your purchase has the capabilities you require, fits within your budget and offers a good investment.
For manufacturers of pharmaceutical equipment, doing research before buying a homogenizer or any other sizable item necessary for production is key to finding the right one. Though this process many seem time-consuming, you’ll end up with a product that best fits your needs and gives you the most benefits. Following are ten questions to ask before buying a homogenizer:
Why do I need one?
Though homogenizers are valuable tools for manufacturers in multiple industries, different models typically address different needs. For instance, maybe you need a homogenizer to mass-manufacture a product that has been approved for market. Or, perhaps you’re conducting research and development and need to disrupt yeast cells. At BEE International, we produce separate homogenizers for each phase of drug development. Make sure the product you choose is best suited to your specific business needs.
What differentiates one homogenizer from similar ones on the market?
In your research for a homogenizer, be sure to ask each manufacturer about their product’s specific capabilities and benefits. Their customer support personnel should be able to articulate any unique functions and/or specifications their products have and define ways it may be more cost-effective than competing products.
Does my product require a specific particle size?
To purchase a homogenizer which provides maximum laboratory output, you should ensure you know the required consistency in texture and size for your product to achieve safety and efficacy. Most pharmaceutical products, including vaccines, inhalants and anesthetics, need to be synthesized using a specific particle size. Many high-pressure homogenizers are able to produce emulsions, dispersions and suspensions at particle sizes of 100 µm or higher, but only a select few can achieve a size of down to 0.1 µm.
Which accessories are recommended and/or required for optimal performance?
Many times, a homogenizer without a lot of bells and whistles will perform the job for which you selected it well. However, some accessories are designed to offer benefits such as time savings, improved process accuracy and enhanced process efficiency. For example, deflector heads can facilitate homogenization of viscous material, generator probes can prevent cross-contamination and pre-assembled bead kits can make the process much easier. Check with each manufacturer to see if any specific accessories are needed for their homogenizing product to run at its highest possible level.
Do you have a demo machine we can test to see if your product meets our needs?
Before you purchase any homogenizer from any manufacturer, it’s important to try each one out to make sure it’s the best fit for your laboratory. For instance, if you handle high volumes of samples, you should try a homogenizer with a high motor capacity for optimal processing efficiency. If you have a desired mixing speed, you should examine homogenizers that let you easily achieve and maintain this speed or change it as necessary.
Other questions to ask when looking to purchase a homogenizer should center around company reputation, product warranties, level of customer service after purchase, user training and education, output capacity and ease of use. Taking the time to select the homogenizer best suited to your needs will be worth the effort.
BEE International: Trust Us with Your Homogenization Needs
At Bee International, we have extensive experience in the challenges our pharmaceutical customers face as they transition from concept, R&D, clinical trials and all-important FDA approval to manufacturing. Plus, we’re trusted by pharmaceutical researchers and laboratory managers around the world. Contact us today to learn more about our complete line of homogenizers.
For more information on the advantages of BEE homogenizers for the pharmaceutical industry, download our FREE eBook:
