Seminar Information
Faster, Deeper Insights into Tablet Quality Control
Hands-On Seminar on API Quantification Using NIR-SRS
In pharmaceutical formulation development and manufacturing, accurately understanding tablet quality, including API content and content uniformity, is essential.
However, routine quality assessment can present challenges, such as lengthy analysis times, limits on the number of samples that can be tested, and the need to destroy tablets during testing.
What if API content data could be obtained from every tablet, non-destructively and in a short period of time?
In this seminar hosted by Mutual Corporation and Pharma Technology, participants will learn how near-infrared analytical technologies can be applied to pharmaceutical formulation development, quality control, and manufacturing processes, with a particular focus on comparing API quantification performance using NIR-SRS and FT-NIR.
The afternoon session will also include a live demonstration of Pharma Technology’s CUB-X system, giving participants an opportunity to see not only the technology itself but also how the system is operated and used in practice.
Are You Facing These Challenges in Tablet Quality Assessment?
For professionals involved in formulation research, quality control, and production technology, tablet quality assessment is part of everyday work.
However, thorough quality assessment can involve challenges such as:
- Waiting a long time for analytical results
- Being limited in the number of samples that can be tested
- Losing samples because destructive testing cannot preserve the tablets after measurement
- Increasing analytical workload when more data points are required
- Not fully utilizing acquired data to improve manufacturing conditions
One approach to addressing these challenges is PAT (Process Analytical Technology).
PAT is not limited to testing finished products at the end of production. It involves collecting quality-related data from the manufacturing process and using that information to better understand and control the process.
How Can Near-Infrared Analysis Be Applied to API Quantification?
The theme of this seminar is:
A key feature of this seminar is the opportunity to learn about two near-infrared analytical technologies through a comparative approach.
The first is FT-NIR (Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Spectroscopy), which is widely used in pharmaceutical analysis.
The second is NIR-SRS (Near-Infrared Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy), which is used in Pharma Technology’s CUB-X system.
NIR-SRS collects near-infrared spectra from multiple positions on a tablet and uses chemometric models to predict parameters such as API content and moisture. Pharma Technology highlights the ability of NIR-SRS to obtain information from a broader area of the tablet surface and from deeper regions compared with single-point NIR reflectance measurements.
However, the objective is not simply to determine whether NIR-SRS or FT-NIR is the better technology.
When considering implementation, it is important to evaluate questions such as:
- How does analytical performance differ?
- How long does each measurement take?
- What is required for preprocessing and model development?
- What results can be obtained with actual pharmaceutical formulations?
These points should be evaluated according to the objectives and requirements of each organization.
This seminar provides an opportunity to explore these questions through API quantification performance comparisons and practical case studies.
Beyond Faster Measurement
When discussing near-infrared analysis, measurement speed often receives the most attention.
However, what matters most is how the acquired data can be used.
In formulation development, for example, the data may help answer questions such as:
“How does tablet quality change when the formulation is modified?”
“What relationship exists between tableting conditions and API content?”
Access to a larger volume of data may help researchers examine these relationships in greater detail.
For production technology and quality control teams, the data may also help answer questions such as:
“Is the manufacturing process stable?”
“Are there any changes in quality during the process?”
Such information can support faster understanding of what is happening in the manufacturing process.
See CUB-X in Action and Learn How It Is Operated
In addition to the technical presentations in the morning, the seminar will include a hands-on CUB-X session in the afternoon.
Morning | Technical Presentations
- Introduction to Mutual Corporation
- Introduction to Pharma Technology
- Overview of CUB-X and inspection technologies
- Comparison of API quantification performance using NIR-SRS and FT-NIR
- Approaches to process development automation
Afternoon | Hands-On Session
- Preprocessing and model development
- CUB-X live demonstration
- Recipe creation demonstration
When selecting analytical equipment, specifications alone do not always provide a complete picture.
“How are tablets loaded into the system?”
“How are measurement conditions configured?”
“How are measurement results reviewed?”
The opportunity to see these practical aspects of system operation is one of the key features of this seminar.
What Is CUB-X?
CUB-X is an NIR-based 100% tablet inspection system developed by Pharma Technology for oral solid dosage forms (OSD).
It is designed for a wide range of applications, from product and process development in R&D through IPC (In-Process Control) in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Using non-destructive NIR-SRS measurements, the system can measure parameters such as API content and moisture at a throughput of up to 20,000 tablets per hour.
The integrated 4P Tester can also measure sampled tablets for:
at a throughput of up to 400 tablets per hour.
It is important to note that not all quality attributes are measured at 20,000 tablets per hour.
The system combines NIR-SRS measurements of parameters such as API content and moisture with physical property measurements performed by the 4P Tester, enabling a multidimensional evaluation of tablet quality.
Data obtained with the 4P Tester can be fed back to the tablet press and used for tablet weight and compression force control.
Pharma Technology also positions CUB-X as a platform that can be scaled from R&D and pilot operations through technology transfer and commercial manufacturing, while supporting the use of acquired data for real-time decision-making.
Who Should Attend?
This seminar is particularly relevant for professionals in the following areas:
| Area | Relevant Challenges and Interests |
|---|---|
| Formulation Research & Development | Understanding the relationship between formulation or manufacturing conditions and tablet quality in greater detail |
| Analytical Research | Exploring API quantification using NIR and chemometrics |
| Quality Control | Evaluating non-destructive analysis and more efficient analytical workflows |
| Production & Manufacturing Technology | Advancing process control and process understanding through PAT |
| Automation & Digital Transformation | Using analytical data more effectively in manufacturing and quality management |
About Pharma Technology
Pharma Technology is a Belgium-based equipment manufacturer specializing in solutions for oral solid dosage forms (OSD).
Since 1993, the company has developed pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies including tablet and capsule dedusting, polishing, metal detection, and IPC systems.
Today, Pharma Technology is also active in the PAT field, offering solutions for measuring a wide range of tablet quality attributes, including weight, content uniformity, thickness, porosity, diameter, and hardness.
CUB-X is one of these solutions and is positioned not simply as an inspection system, but as a platform for utilizing quality data from research and development through manufacturing.
About Mutual Corporation
Mutual Corporation provides manufacturing equipment and inspection and packaging systems primarily for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and food industries.
Founded in 1949, the company combines four core capabilities:
These capabilities enable Mutual Corporation to provide support ranging from production equipment proposals and design through installation, commissioning, validation, and post-installation maintenance.
In addition to introducing equipment from overseas manufacturers, the company’s technical centers in Japan support demonstration runs and a variety of testing services. The Tokyo Technical Center, where this seminar will be held, is one of the facilities where customers can see and evaluate actual equipment.
When introducing equipment from overseas manufacturers, product performance is only one consideration. Technical support during implementation and ongoing maintenance are also important.
Mutual Corporation’s ability to provide this support domestically is one of its key strengths.
Seminar Details
| Seminar Title | Innovative Near-Infrared Analytical Technologies for Pharmaceutical Tablet Quality ControlAPI Quantification Performance Using NIR-SRS and Case Studies |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, October 2, 2026 |
| Time | 10:00 AM–4:00 PMRegistration opens at 9:30 AM |
| Format | In-person attendanceOnline participation via Microsoft Teams is also available |
| Venue | Mutual Corporation Tokyo Technical Center3129-1 Nishikata, Koshigaya, Saitama 343-0822, Japan |
| Participation Fee | Free of charge |
| Registration Deadline | September 24, 2026 |
*The program and schedule are subject to change depending on the progress of the seminar.
Before Choosing a System, Consider What Data You Really Need
When considering PAT, equipment specifications should not be the only starting point.
Where are the current bottlenecks in formulation development or quality control?
Which quality information would you like to obtain more quickly?
What decisions could become easier if you had access to more data?
The first step is to clearly identify the challenges within your own organization.
This seminar provides an opportunity to compare the API quantification performance of NIR-SRS and FT-NIR while also learning about preprocessing, model development, process development, and the actual operation of CUB-X.
Rather than viewing near-infrared analysis simply as a measurement technology, the seminar explores how the data obtained can be used in formulation development and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
We invite you to join us and explore the future of tablet quality control.
