Manufacture of Toothpaste

Manufacture of Toothpaste

Toothpastes are generally either white abrasive pastes or clear gels. Although the formulations differ, they share many common ingredients; these may vary from country to country according to legislation on use of ingredients, etc.

The Process

Processing methods vary depending on the product type and ingredients used.

A typical process could be described as follows:

• The liquid base is prepared first - water, sorbitol/glycerin and other liquid ingredients.

• Rheology modifiers may be pre-mixed with a non-aqueous liquid ingredient such as glycerin or the flavoring oil, or dry blended with other powdered ingredients to aid dispersion.

• The active ingredient, sweetener and preservative are added and dispersed.

• The abrasive/filler is then added. This may be supplied as a slurry, or premixed with part of the water prior to blending with the liquid base.

• Flavoring and coloring are added.

• The detergent is added last under slow speed agitation to minimize foaming. It is typically in solid form to avoid adding water to the formulation at this stage.

Process challenges

Bubbles are a major problem in toothpaste production. All powders contain a certain amount of air and detergents can aggravate the problem. To overcome this, mixing is usually done under vacuum. Other visible problems are :

Rheological modifiers form lumps that are difficult to break with a stirrer.
Adding compounds to other liquid or powder materials increases the time and cost of the process.
Some rheology modifiers require high shear stress to achieve maximum performance.
Some ingredients, such as hydrated silica, are low in density and very difficult to combine and moisturize.
Conventional mixers, especially when mixing powders, allow air to enter the mix.
Abrasives such as calcium carbonate can be prepared as a water dough and mixing equipment must be able to open them apart.

The solution provided by Arkan Metal Company

Making all kinds of toothpastes can be done using a vacuum homogenizer mixer of Arkan Metal Company. The high viscosity and abrasiveness of toothpastes have made the necessity of using powerful homogenizers as well as high-speed clinker mixers made by Arkan Metal Company a necessity.

Important Notes

Prepare the liquid base before adding fillers and abrasives.

Thoroughly mix the mixture before adding detergents and thickeners, especially in cases where fillers such as calcium carbonate are used as water doug.

Advantages of using a vacuum homogenizer mixer

Construction time is significantly reduced.
Quick combination and moisturizing powders.
Product quality and stability are greatly improved.
By operating under a vacuum homogenizer mixer, the possibility of bubbling the product can be minimized.
At the end of the process, the components of the deaeration process are possible.

Vacumm Mixer Homognizers of Arkan Felez Company

VMH Series

VC Series

Vacumm Mixer Homognizer - LAB Series