UNDERSTANDING EFFECT OF LASER SPEED AND FORMULATION FACTORS ON PRINTABILITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SLS IRBESARTAN TABLETS- APPLICATION OF DECISION TREE MODEL 2021ICCBIKG (2021)

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a rapid prototyping technique for the production of 3D objects through selectively sintering powder-based layers materials by combinations of energy from the laser beam and the heated chamber of the printer. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of laser speed and formulation factors on printability and characteristics of SLS irbesartan tablets. Physical mixtures of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (46-91%), Candurin® Gold Sheen (3%), colloidal silicon dioxide (1%), and irbesartan (5%) were prepared. Afterward, crospovidone (1-5%), Kollidon®VA 64 Fine (20%), and/or lactose monohydrate (20-45%) were added. Sintratec Kit SLS printer (Sintratec AG, Switzerland) was used for printing tablets. The decision tree model was applied to classify printability factors. Characterization of tablets was done in terms of physicochemical, mechanical and biopharmaceutical characteristics. Correlation between formulation factors, laser speed, and printability was obtained using decision tree model with an accuracy of 80%. FTIR results revealed that there was no interaction between irbesartan and applied excipients. DSC indicated that irbesartan was present in an amorphous form in printed tablets. It was observed that laser speed had a negative effect on weight. Tuning the drug release by laser speed was possible although lactose monohydrate reduced its impact because it was required higher energy for the sintering process. Results suggest that decision tree could be useful tool for predicting the printability of pharmaceutical formulations. Tailoring characteristics of SLS irbesartan tablets by laser speed is possible, however, it needs to be governed by the composition of the whole formulation.