Hot Melt Extrusion Process Optimization

Daniel Treffer is the founder of MeltPrep which develops dedicated equipment for ASD and implant formulation development work of thermoplastic formulations. The proprietary and patented VCM technology is based on his Ph.D. findings. Professor Khinast supervised his work at the RCPE in Graz, Austria, from 2011 to 2016. Daniel faced several challenges in hot melt extrusion development projects and recognized the need for novel tools for faster and lower material usage for formulation developments. His invention, vacuum compression molding (VCM), can prepare extrusion-like samples with a few mg of material.

Margarethe Richter, Ph.D. is a pharma application specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific where she develops new applications related to pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion and twin screw granulation. She earned her Ph.D. degree (Dr.-Ing.) researching at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on thermodynamic and reaction kinetics. Margarethe is a chemical engineer by training and graduated from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

With more than 12 years of experience in various functions within the pharmaceutical industry, Thomas holds a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical technology and provides a deep understanding of formulation and technology development in the complex area of additive manufacturing and solubility enhancement.