Fette Compacting America, supplier of tablet press equipment for pharmaceutical and nutritional applications, has introduced the fastest capsule filler to date.
Capsules are second only to tablets in terms of dosage forms for pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements. More than 400 billion hard gelatin capsules are produced worldwide every year. Despite this continued popularity, the output volume of machines used to date had maxed out at 250,000 capsules per hour.
The FEC40 features a dual capsule filling process using the company's Duplex Concept. Fette Compacting claim significant production savings from this method – up to 30 percent per 1,000 capsules.
Users can apply all tried-and-tested process parameters for capsule filling and optimise them further when necessary.
The FEC40 Capsule Filler is available in two configurations. Users can choose between two tamping pin stations and up to four pellet stations.
Changes between tamping pin stations are made with the aid of a patented assembly system, making it possible to swiftly change between various dosing methods as well as between various products or batches.
The stations can be dismantled and cleaned outside the machine, reducing standard conversion and cleaning times.
Where additional pre-fitted filling stations are used, the FEC40 is designed to have brief downtime periods.
When process equipment is connected, all of the window flaps on the FEC40 can be opened in full to permit access from all sides.
The capsule magazines are positioned on the central column, making them easily reached and seen by operators.
The process area is free of cables and tubes and is separate from the drive area for ease of cleaning.
An optional Radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for detecting the appropriate format parts ensures maximum safety during changeovers.