Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Sara Jane Edwards

Douglas Wraige

Alan Phillip Davies

Pauline Farnworth

In a process for making detergent tablets comprising spraying a coating of a water-soluble organic polymeric binder onto the exterior of particles of detergent composition containing detergent active and detergency builder and compacting the composition, the improvement comprises spraying an external coating of a film-forming water-soluble organic polymer onto the tablets. The coating on the tablet exterior reduces friability and abrasion and provides extra enhancement of strength while permitting disintegration/dissolution in a wash liquor.

Preparation of laundry detergent tablets

Detergent tablets, compacted from detergent powder containing detergent active and detergency builder, contain a polymer which acts as binder and as a disintegrant when the tablets are added to water. Preferably the binder is sprayed into the powder before compaction. The strength of such tablets is improved, without detriment to other properties, by tabletting at a temperature above ambient but below melting point of the polymeric binder. Preferably the temperature is only 5.degree. C. to 10.degree. C. below the melting point of the binder.

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Cheshire, United Kingdom

Sara Jane Edwards