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Updated: May 19, 2026
10:57
Elaborate Control of Inkjet Printer for Fabrication of Chip-based Supercapacitors
Published on: November 30, 2021
Tailoring controlled-release oral dosage forms by combining inkjet and flexographic printing techniques
Natalja Genina1, Daniela Fors, Hossein Vakili
1Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Abo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6A, FI-20520 Turku, Finland. natalja.genina@abo.fi
Summary
This study developed novel drug delivery systems using inkjet and flexographic printing. The combined printing approach enabled precise dosing and controlled drug release from paper substrates, offering tailored pharmaceutical solutions.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Technology
- Materials Science
- Printing Technology
Background:
- Conventional drug delivery systems face challenges in achieving precise dosing and controlled release.
- Developing flexible and tailored drug delivery systems requires innovative manufacturing techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate drug delivery systems with accurate doses and tailored drug release profiles.
- To investigate the impact of different paper substrates and polymer coating thicknesses on drug release kinetics.
- To evaluate the feasibility of combining inkjet and flexographic printing for pharmaceutical applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized inkjet printing for precise deposition of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) onto paper substrates.
- Employed flexographic printing to apply water-insoluble polymeric films of varying thicknesses for controlled release.
- Characterized substrates for wettability, surface roughness, air permeability, and cell toxicity.
- Assessed content uniformity and drug release profiles of the fabricated dosage forms.
Main Results:
- All tested paper substrates were found to be non-toxic to human cell lines.
- Triple-coated inkjet paper (Substrate B) exhibited the slowest drug release kinetics, followed by double-coated offset paper (Substrate C), while uncoated woodfree paper (Substrate A) showed the fastest release.
- Increasing the thickness of the polymer coating significantly decreased the drug release rate.
- The printed solid dosage forms demonstrated excellent content uniformity.
Conclusions:
- The combination of inkjet and flexographic printing successfully produced controlled-release oral dosage forms with tailored drug release.
- This hybrid printing approach offers a promising method for manufacturing flexible and customized drug delivery systems.
- The study highlights new manufacturing perspectives for advanced pharmaceutical dosage forms.
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