GEA Introduces ConsiGma® FC Lab Tablet Coater for Small-Scale Pharmaceutical Development

GEA Introduces ConsiGma® FC Lab Tablet Coater for Small-Scale Pharmaceutical Development

(IN BRIEF) GEA has launched the ConsiGma® FC Lab tablet coater at Interpack 2026, introducing a laboratory-scale coating system designed for small pharmaceutical tablet batches ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 kilograms. The system expands GEA’s ConsiGma® coating portfolio and integrates with the company’s AirConnect platform to support both coating and drying operations from a single base unit. GEA said the technology delivers highly uniform coating application while reducing material consumption and development times by up to 90 percent. The system is designed to support pharmaceutical R&D, nutraceuticals, animal health products, and highly potent active ingredients while enabling direct scalability from laboratory development to commercial production.

(PRESS RELEASE) DÜSSELDORF, 8-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — GEA has introduced the new ConsiGma® FC Lab tablet coater at the Interpack 2026 trade fair in Düsseldorf, expanding its pharmaceutical processing portfolio with a laboratory-scale solution designed for small tablet batch production and research applications. The newly launched system is engineered for batch sizes ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 kilograms and complements the company’s existing ConsiGma® coating technology platform used in commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The ConsiGma® FC Lab has been developed as part of GEA’s AirConnect platform, adding a specialized coating module aimed at pharmaceutical research and development operations. According to the company, the new coater incorporates the same core coating principles used in larger-scale production systems, enabling pharmaceutical developers to carry out formulation and process development on a platform closely aligned with commercial manufacturing conditions.

GEA stated that the system provides several operational advantages, including 360-degree spray application designed to deliver highly uniform coating coverage while minimizing tablet abrasion and mechanical wear during processing. The company said the technology can reduce material consumption and development time by as much as 90 percent compared to conventional coating approaches.

The new laboratory-scale coater is capable of applying aesthetic, active, and enteric coatings for controlled-release formulations across standard tablets as well as mini-tablets. Optional washing functions and containment solutions are also available, allowing the system to support work involving highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Mark Rowland, Director of Product Management Pharma Solid Dosage at GEA, said traditional tablet coating systems often require extended operating times and large tablet batches, which can result in coating abrasion, excessive material usage, and potential tablet damage during processing. He explained that the ConsiGma® coating concept addresses these challenges through a different coating methodology that reduces wear while improving coating consistency and efficiency.

The ConsiGma® FC Lab integrates directly with GEA’s AirConnect fluid bed technology, enabling both drying and coating operations to be performed from a single base unit. The company said this unified system architecture simplifies laboratory workflows, shortens operator training requirements, and reduces qualification, maintenance, and calibration efforts.

GEA also highlighted the speed of the process, noting that complete coating cycles can be completed in approximately six minutes. This allows pharmaceutical research teams to perform full Design of Experiments studies within a single day, accelerating formulation development and process optimization activities.

One of the system’s major advantages, according to the company, is the direct scalability between laboratory and production environments. Since the FC Lab uses the same micro-layer coating approach as the larger production-scale ConsiGma® Coater, process parameters can reportedly be transferred linearly from development to commercial manufacturing without the need for complex upscaling or extensive revalidation procedures. This capability is expected to help pharmaceutical manufacturers shorten time-to-market timelines while reducing the consumption of expensive active pharmaceutical ingredients during development.

GEA said the technology is intended for use across pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, animal health, and coated component applications, reflecting broader industry demand for flexible and highly efficient small-scale process development systems capable of supporting increasingly complex drug formulations.

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SOURCE: GEA