Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists, fill prescription medicines, and do other tasks in the pharmaceutical industry. For technicians, it goes beyond dispensing drugs, where pharmacy technician tools are used for the process. Pharmacy technicians play an important role in ensuring whether the customers receive their medicines safely and efficiently.
In this article, you will learn more about what tools pharmacy technicians use in their training process, and how each tool helps those technicians.
What Does a Pharmacy Technician Do?
A pharmacy technician can work in a hospital or a pharmacy and performs many tasks, like helping pharmacists fill prescriptions, offering customer service, and maintaining the pharmacies they work in. Some of the duties of pharmacy technicians are:
- Counting medicines and packing them into bottles.
- Creating labels for medicines.
- Taking inventory of medicines available in the pharmacy.
6 Pharmacy Technician Tools
During lab training, pharmacy technicians use the following tools
- Lab Balances.
- Lab Blenders.
- Tube Filling Machines.
- Automatic Bottle Filling Machines.
- Computer-Operated Dispensing Equipments.
- Tablet Coating Machine.
LAB BALANCES
Lab balances are a very useful tool for pharmacy technicians. A lab balance measures an object’s mass precisely. They come in handy in preparation for counting tablets for accuracy, filling prescriptions, and performing other measurements. This includes specifications, like resolution, capacity, platform width and length, display, and interface.
Lab balances come in various types like precision balance and analytical balance. Categories, like semi-micro, micro, and ultra-micro balances. There are many applications for lab balances, including research and other professional activities. This lab balance guarantees reliability, speed of results, and safety.
LAB BLENDERS
Lab blenders are used to create a new product by mixing different compounds, ingredients, and powders. Apart from the main use of lab blenders, they are used for other purposes as well, such as dissolving solid particles into liquid, mixing different materials, and powders, and assisting poor-flowing materials to be part of the main ingredient.
There are multiple kinds of blenders in the market. The most considered blenders are:
- 3D Mixers.
- V Shaped Blenders.
- Double Cone Blenders.
Lab blenders can be beneficial if you are in other business sectors and industries, too, such as the oil and gas industry, mining industry, or cosmetic sector.
TUBE FILLING MACHINES
Medical products are available in many tubes and containers. Tube filling machines are used to fill liquid and paste products into tubes. A tube filling machine can fill efficiently of shape, size, and capacity of the tube. Filling machines have adjustments to ensure the correct volume.
It also has an inbuilt mechanism to change over from one tube to another without skipping and spilling. These machines can fill the tube with the help of automated and programmed machine units which are able to fill, seal, and sort products in an appropriate manner.
There are multiple kinds of filling machines like:
- Automatic tube filling machines
- Semi-automatic tube filling machines
- Manual tube filling machines
These machines fill products, like ointments and creams. The liquid machines fill products like syrup.
AUTOMATIC BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES
Automatic bottle-filling machines are designed to fill each bottle with an accurate and specific volume of the product. These bottle-filling machines are the most important tools for the packaging process when it comes to pharmacy technician tools.
In these modern industries cannot apply the methods of filling bottles manually Bulk filling requirements in manual methods can consume time and may cause spilling or wastage of the product. These bottles are available in different formats and specifications and there are different formats for filling round bottles vs. square-type bottles.
When you think of thousands of products dispensed each day, you may understand the need for an automatic bottle-filling machine.
COMPUTER-OPERATED DISPENSING EQUIPMENT
In today’s modern world, various equipment has been put in place to allow the easy dispensing of drugs. These types of systems not only enhance operations but also help with the accuracy and reliability of the pharmacies.
Computer-operated dispensing equipment receives the instruction as keyed by the technician, and follows the command as stated. These computer-operated tools have more than one function that differentiates the settings for the job by the technician.
TABLET COATING MACHINES
The tablet coating machine applies a dry and thin coating to the surface of the tablet. It works by applying ingredients to tablets in a bed that moves both horizontally and vertically. There are several types of tablet coating machines in the market based on three principles, which are:
- Standard Coating Pan.
- Perforated Coating Pan.
- Fluidized Bed or Air Suspension Coater.
This machine can achieve fast and even coating distribution. This machine is applicable for both the sugar coating and film coating process.
Wrapping Up
As described above, pharmacy technician’s tools are used. Before you qualify for the pharmacy technician certificate you have to learn all these tools. With these basic details of tools, you may have an understanding of the functions and benefits.
If you want to become a pharmacy technician, or you have a friend who is interested in becoming a pharmacy technician and preparing for an exam, make sure to use our take your free PTCB practice test to help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT DO PHARMACY TECHNICIANS USE?
Technicians need the equipment for lab purposes. Pharmacy technicians use special lab equipment for counting tablets, liquid dispenses, tube filling, and blenders for mixing compounds.
WHAT IS PHARMACEUTICAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT?
Pharmaceutical processing equipment includes a wide variety of tools, that includes capsule filling machines, x-ray inspection systems, and spray drying accessories. Automating almost every process ensures precision manufacturing.
WHAT TYPES OF EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED IN THE PHARMACY?
The equipment mainly used in the pharmacy are flasks, beakers, spatulas, needles, syringes, and scales. They also require personal protection equipment like gloves, masks, and goggles that protect the technicians from drug materials.
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