Rotary Tablet Press: The Ultimate FAQ Guide

Today’s guide will answer all questions you have about rotary tablet press machines.

Whether you want to learn about parts, working principle, advantages, limitation, uses or designs – This guide has everything you’re looking for.

Take a look:

What is a Rotary Tablet Press?

This is an equipment that is used to compress powders into tablets of the same consistent size, shape, and weight.

The tablets usually contain the same intended pharmaceutical ingredients.

It’s also being used to compress cosmetics, cleaning products, and herbal medicine.

Rotary tablet press machine

What are the Advantages of Rotary Tablet Press?

There are many advantages of this machine.

These include the following:

• The machine enables high output production of tablets in tens and hundreds of thousands per hour.

Unlike a single press one which has a low production capacity.

• Because this equipment is automatic, it can easily fill, press, and reject the abnormal tablets in a single process.

Therefore, it saves time and human resources.

• The technology being used in the rotary tablet press is advanced.

It has wonderful mechanical components that reduce tablet flaws like capping, lamination, and picking and sticking.

• It exerts a uniform pressure from both top and bottom resulting in uniform shape and size of the tablets.

There is usually a pre-pressing and the main pressing which guarantees tablets without air trapped.

• The rotary tablet press has a good punch tooling of B and D.

This ensures a smooth tablet surface finish that is of good quality.

• This machine has been made from stainless steel and it’s easy to clean and maintain.

What are the Disadvantages of Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

Just like other machines, this device also has some demerits. The disadvantages are outlined below.

• This machine is not cost-effective in terms of sourcing it.
• When using a multi-station rotary tablet press, expert knowledge is very critical. This is because it has several automated systems inbuilt in it.
• Also, the tablets being pressed can easily be contaminated. This is because the system for lubrication uses liquid lubricant.

The lubricant may spill into the die-punch thereby polluting the tablets.

• This machine is only relevant for large scale production. It’s not economical for small batch productions.

What is a Double Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

Rotary tablet press

This is a machine that is used for compressing bigger tablets.

It runs at a relatively high speed and it has a mandatory safety feature.

The machine produces a double output of tablets in comparison to the single rotary one.

It has many tooling stations that rotate to compress powder granules into tablets of different sizes, shapes, and uniform weight.

What are the Parts of Rotary Tablet Press?

This machine has many components and it’s very important to know the major parts.

Below are some of those components.

· Hopper

All the raw materials that you are supposed to be used are injected into the machine through the hopper.

It facilitates the easy flow of the ingredients into the compression chamber.

This component has been made from stainless steel because it comes into direct contact with the materials.

· Feeder System

This is the part through which the materials enter the die system.

It’s made of feeding houses and peddles.

The feeding house facilitates the consistent flow of materials from the hopper to the die system.

It is made from 316 stainless steel since it comes into contact with materials.

The feeding peddle helps in ensuring consistent and accurate feeding of the ingredients into the die system.

It also makes sure the die system is filled before compression can be done.

· Rotary Tablet Press Punches

A tablet press punch can either be simple or complex.

The punch moves inside the die and squeezes the materials into tablets.

It’s made from high-quality materials that can withstand more pressure and prevent it from wear and sticking.

There are upper and lower punch systems.

The upper one is located at the top segment of the machine while the latter at the lower part.

When compression is taking place, the lower punch stays inside the die throughout the entire compression process.

· Rotary Press Die System

This is the component that compresses the pharmaceutical ingredients into tablets of consistent shape and size.

Also, the cavity of the die is the determinant of both the thickness and the size of the tablets.

A good die system should prevent chipping tablets, have anti-corrosion protection and non-sticky.

· Tablet Press Turret

This is the machine tooling with holes that house the die system.

It ensures there is a required punch and dies alignment that helps in facilitating the optimal compression process.

· Cam Trucks

This part of the machine helps in making sure the tablets produced are seamless.

It directs both the lower and upper punches through different compression operation phases as the turret rotates.

That is, it controls filling, compression, and ejection of the formed tablets.

· Filling Station and Weight Control

This component facilitates the movement of the cam track so that there can be correct dosing.

Also, the movement of the powder into the cavity is determined by the position of the punches.

Besides, the weight control aids in regulating the filling of the depth and helps the machine to control the cavity content.

The bottom cam track and the lower punch move to a pre-set height thereby facilitating enough filling before compression begins.

· Compression Rollers

This part of the machine provides enough force required to compress powder into tablets.

It has a pre-compression roller and main compression roller.

The pre-compression roller exerts a small force on both the lower and upper punches.

This helps in removing air present in the powder granules or die because the air compromises the tablet quality.

The main compression rollers apply the final and more force needed to produce the tablets.

It should be stable to produce tablets with consistent size and thickness.

· Ejection Cam

This is located just after the main compression roller.

It gently pushes the lower punch up as the upper cam and upper punch also moves up.

This results in the movement of the fully compressed tablets out of the die cavity.

· Take-off Blade

This component is located above the feeder housing and it deflects the tablets into the discharge chute.

· Discharge Chute

This part of the machine slowly directs the compressed tablets to the collection bin.

· Touch Screen Control Panel

This is a computerized component that allows you to control all the operations during the production of tablets.

It can be directly attached to this machine or it can be used separately.

· Sealing System

This part of the machine seals the tablets and helps in managing dust and prevent cross-contamination.

Because of this system, the frequency of leaning this machine is minimized.

· Electric Motor, Gear, and Belts

There are components of this machine that must move for it to function.

For instance, the die, punch, turrets, and compression rollers.

These movements are made possible through the induction or servo motors.

The filling system uses a servo motor because it can easily be controlled for accurate filling.

A synchronized motor is ideal for providing a good speed for both pre-compression and the main compression process.

The belt and gear are useful in transferring the rotation to other parts of the machine.

Therefore, the application of electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic systems in this machine is very important.

· Lubrication Systems

Because the machine is made up of moving parts, it’s bound to wear and tear due to friction over time.

Therefore, it’s important to lubricate the moving components regularly.

For the automated machine, it has a central lubrication system that will automatically lubricate the rotating parts.

· Hydraulic Pump Unit

This part maintains the required pre-pressure and main pressure that will ensure a smooth and accurate compression process of tablets.

Apart from this, it can automatically stop the machine when it is overloaded.

How does Rotary Tablet Press Work?

This is one of the equipments commonly used in pharmaceutical industries around the world.

Below is the highlight of how it works in four different stages.

· First Stage: Filling

This is the process of overfilling the powder granules into the machine.

This takes place after the material has been mixed, compacted by the rollers, and passed through a wet granulation process.

The geometric shape of the hopper will facilitate the smooth movement of these materials into the punch die cavity.

Second Stage: Metering

This involves the removal of the excess powder granules from the die cavity.

The system normally raises the bottom punch to a recommended level within the die to achieve an accurate powder weight.

Besides, the excess materials flow into the turret to allow accurate weight filled into the punch-die cavity.

Third Stage: Compression

This stage involves the formation of tablets by exerting pressure on the powder granulation.

The lower and upper punches are closed and pressure is applied by the rollers.

Furthermore, the punches both move between the two compression rollers and the rollers close the punches together to produce the tablets.

The hardness and thickness of the resulting tablets are influenced by the distance between the top and bottom punches.

The closer the punches, the thinner and harder the tablets that will be produced.

The farther apart the punches, the soft and thicker the resulting tablets.

Fourth Stage: Ejection

The completely formed tablets are removed from the bottom punch-die.

During this stage, the top punch pulls back from the die cavity to the top of the turret.

The bottom punch moves upwards within the die cavity and this movement thrusts the tablets to the turret surface.

The take-off scrapper pushes the tablets out of the turret surface and tableting press into the discharge chute.

The tablets are then released into the collection container.

Working of rotary tablet press

How do you Clean Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

The cleaning of this machine is very important because it will help in maintaining the hygiene of the products.

Below is an explanation of how it should be cleaned.

First of all, ensure you switch it off and unplug it from power.

Remove all the powder granules in the hopper, turret top, and other places.

You can now take off the larger top and the gravity hopper.

Using a paper towel with a 95% ethanol solution, clean all the parts of this machine.

Disassemble the right side door and the top punch and detach the upper punches.

Pull out the bottom punch casing access port and spin the turret to the initial station.

Using an alley key, unfasten the die locks and lodge the longer punch installation rod through the bottom access port.

Spin the shaft and align the succeeding stations to the access ports.

This should be repeated for all the punches.

Remove the lower punches, spin the turret to the initial station, and place your hand below the bottom access port.

This will enable you to hold the punch as it falls and unfasten the leaf spring for the bottom punch.

Remove the plastic retaining the plug and place it aside.

Rotate the shaft and align the succeeding stations to the access ports and repeat this for all the lower punches.

You can now remove the dies and arrange them according to the stations and the bottom access ports.

Unfasten the die lock to ensure it’s at the same level as the barrel.

Lodge the long die installation rod through the bottom access port and hit it gently upwards till it comes out.

After this, spin the associate blue shaft and align the next station in line to the access port.

This should be repeated for all the dies.

Using the 95% ethanol and paper towel, clean all the disassembled dies and punches.

You can also clean all the die boreholes using the paper towel with ethanol.

After this, put them on a clean surface.

Once this is done, you can put back the small access ports for both the bottom and top punches.

Return the feeders mount plate and turret guards in place.

Place back the top punch take-out plate and the side cabinet door.

Lastly, shut the glass window, place the gravity hopper, and the large machine covering back and keep the toolbox.

Rotary tablet press

How does Single Punch Tablet Press compare to Rotary Tablet Press?

Single punch tablet press machine employs one tooling station which consists of a die and a pair of lower and upper punches.

Single punch tablet press

It can be operated either manually or driven by power.

Rotary tablet press, on the other hand, is a piece of equipment for manufacturing round tablets from different materials.

Batches of tablets can be produced because you can adjust the turret rotation speed, filling depth, and tablet thickness.

Overloading damages on the punches and apparatus will be avoided through the mechanical buffer unit.

The powder suction unit sucks the residual powder and the collected materials can be reused.

This helps in minimizing the dust on the machine and prevent cross-contamination.

Is Multi Punch Tablet Machine the same as Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

Yes, it is the same.

They have many lower and upper punches and dies.

The materials flow from the hopper to the die as the head carrying the punches and the dies continually rotates.

This facilitates the uniform filling of the dies which results in a uniform tablet weight.

The punches are guided up and down by fixed tracks as it rotates.

Also, this helps in controlling the sequence of filling, compression, and ejection of tablets.

It has a greater output than the single punch tablets machine.

How do you Specify Tablet Compression Machine?

The following are some of the features of tablet compression machine.

• It must be made in compliance with GMP and FDA standards.
• The machine should have a die that can produce tablets of different sizes and accurate weight if adjusted. It should also have the capacity to produce a large output.
• This machine product contact parts should be made from 316 stainless steel that is easy to clean and maintain.
• The tablet press equipment should have a user-friendly automatic control system where all the machine operation parameter is pre-determined.
• It should have a central oil lubrication system with a hand pump for automatic regular machine lubrication.
• This machine should have a good finish that is easy to clean, operate, and maintain.
• It should have additional attachments to other devices like the de-dusting unit.

What is a Semi-automatic Single Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

This tablet press machine has an inverter drive system that enables it to formulate the powder granules into tablets.

The powder is automatically charged into the hopper.

A dust extractor removes the excess dust from the tablets, the compression area, dies, and the punches.

The machine has a touch screen control panel that displays all the important operating parameters.

These parameters make the machine operation simple and user-friendly.

It has been made in compliance with CGMP standards and all product contact parts are made from SS 316 material.

It has a hydraulic overload system that helps in protecting the user, turret, dies, and punches from excess damaging pressure.

This machine has interlocking upper and lower guards and audio-visual alarms that enable the user to take precautions on time.

How do you Classify Rotary Table Press Tooling System?

Tablet press tooling

The system can be classified as type B, D, BB, and DB.

There are some variations in terms of tablet press tooling configurations between B and D tooling.

These differences are seen in the diameter of the punch barrel and the outer diameter of the die.

For example, the diameter of the punch barrel type B, D, BB, DB is 19.0mm, 25.4mm, 19.0mm, and 25.4mm respectively.

The outer diameter of the die for type B, D, BB, and DB are 30.16mm, 38.10mm, 24.00mm, and 30.16mm respectively.

How does TSM Tooling and EU Tooling in Pharmaceutical Tablet Press compare?

This means tablet specification manual and Euro standard respectively.

Both of them are international standards for tooling configurations which protects users while maintaining the set processes and procedures.

The TSM has punch head configurations that have an angled top profile.

On the contrary, the EU has a punch head configuration that has a domed profile.

Moreover, the TSM punch inside the head angle for the “B” punch is 37 degrees.

On the other hand, the EU is 30 degrees.

Besides, the TSM has a greater overall head thickness whereas the EU punch head thickness is lesser.

The TSM has a relatively shorter punch length of 0.010. On the contrary, the EU punch length is greater than 0.010 which is more than that of TSM.

You will choose the type of tooling system for pharmaceutical tablet press depending on production requirements.

Why is Tablet Compression Machine Tooling Standardization Important?

Rotary tablet press tooling

This is important because of the following reasons:

• It creates a global limit for accepting or rejecting produced tablets.
• The standardization will allow for interchangeability between tablet presses from different manufacturers from the plants and across worldwide locations.
• It’s cost-effective since there is a reduction in tooling inventories.
• This is also important because it facilitates shorter lead times based on tooling.
• It allows for standardized procedures like procurement, operation, maintenance, validation, and inspection of the machine.
• There are a uniform quality and grade of tooling across all products and sites.
• Lastly, this will give room for the exchange of international technical development of tooling and problem solving of challenges experienced.

How do you Troubleshoot Rotating Pill Press Machine?

Pill press machine like other machines can pose some challenges to you while using it.

The following are some of its problems.

Wearing of the pressing wheel:  This occurs due to a lack of lubrication of the press wheels.

When the wear is not so much, it can be fixed and lubricated.

But when there is serious wear, the pressing wheel should be changed.

Wear of the upper track: Dry wear that occurs due to lack of lubricants cause damage to the track surface.

It can be fixed and lubricated it using air compressor grease before you can turn it on to operate it.

If the wear is serious, the track should be substituted.

Accumulation of excess dust: This can make the tableting press to lift and this may lead to wearing out of the track.

Also, this can be solved by changing the formulation production process to prevent the powder constituents from accumulating beyond 10%.

The inconsistent tablet weight: This happens when this machine is installed inappropriately.

It can also occur when there is wear of the feeder.

If this problem has been caused by inappropriate installation, adjust it.

But if it’s because of the wear of feeder, replace it.

Sometimes, it could be a result of a problem in the die and if it’s beyond tolerance, just change it.

Which Industries use Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

This machine is used by many industries.

For instance, it is used by pharmaceutical industries to produce tablets and vitamins.

It’s also used by cosmetics, confectionery, and herbal industries.

How fast should Rotary Tablet Press Turret Rotate?

The turret speed is usually adjustable. Smaller rotary tablet compression machines have the highest turret speed of 84 rpm.

Unfortunately, this creates a challenge of limiting power flow into the machine cavities.

What is the Compression Cycle of Rotary Tablet Press Machine?

The cycle has five stages which involve the rearrangement of the powder to its packaging where they are deformed elastically.

Besides, the materials break up when they go beyond the elastic limit.

They are compressed between the die and the rollers to form tablets which are then ejected from the machine.

All these processes make up the compression cycle of this machine.

How does Single Rotary Tablet Press compare to Double Sided Rotary Tablet Press?

These equipment have some similarities and differences.

Below are highlights of some of them.

• The single rotary tablet press has a small production output in comparison to the double-sided counterpart.
• The single one has only a set of die and a pair of lower and upper punches.

On the other hand, the double-sided one has many sets of dies, lower and upper punches that work simultaneously.

• Both of them have their product contact parts made from SS 316 material.
• They are easy to clean, changeover, and have de-duster for dust suction.
• They have been made in compliance with CGMP for good manufacturing practice.
• These machines have a central lubrication system with a hand pump that automatically lubricates the machines regularly.

What is Rotary Tablet Press Machine used for?

This machine is used for compressing powder granular into tablets of different sizes, shapes, thickness, and weight.

Tablets

What is Multi-station Tablet Press Dies and Punches?

This is a station of tablet press with many dies and punches.

It can be used to produce hundreds of tablets in a single compression cycle.

This device has a great output of tablets, can meet the market demands, and bring good returns to the industries.

How do you Test the Quality of Tablets?

During the processing of tablets, many tests are carried out to ensure the right quality is achieved.

The tests are both pharmacopeia and none- pharmacopeia.

Pharmacopeia test is a standardized test that limits the acceptability of the tablets produced.

These include the active ingredient content, weight uniformity, time for disintegration, and dissolution test.

The non-pharmacopeia test consists of CQ tests that are not listed in pharmaceutical compendia.

These tests evaluate tablet porosity, its hardness, friability, tensile strength, and thickness.

Unfortunately, some of these non-pharmacopeia tests have no limit on acceptance or rejection.

For this reason, they vary from one manufacturer to the other and this may depend on the formulation used.

How does Rotary Tablet Press Control Weight of Tablets?

During the tablet manufacturing process, the machine controls the weight of the tablets using the compression force.

The achievement of a uniform tablet weight is enabled by the constant gap between the rollers that exerts the pressure.

Besides, the hardness, thickness, and pressure to be exerted are pre-determined and therefore tablets with the same weight are produced.

Any variation in the compression force means that the content of the punch die cavity varies.

When this happens, ensure you measure the compression force and compare it to the predetermined parameters.

This will enable you to know if the tablet is within its expected weight or not.

What Determines the Production Capacity of Rotary Tablet Press?

The production capacity of this rotary tablet compression equipment is influenced by tooling systems like the die, upper and lower punches.

Also, the number of compression stations and the rotation speed is also other factors that influence its production capacity.

What Determines the Efficiency of Multi-station Tablet Press?

Multi-station tablet press

The efficiency of this machine is determined by several factors.

For instance, the diameter of the turret, the number of compression stages, and the possibility of cleaning the machine.

It is also determined by the number of dies and punches, and the automation level of the equipment.

Which Support Equipment do you need Alongside Rotary Tablet Press?

There are many support equipment that you should use alongside this machine.

These include:

• Fluid bed granulation machine which is used for processing of tablet formulation.
• The high mixer machine for mixing the ingredients of the tablets easily and homogenously.
• The conical mill that is used for sizing the granulation before tableting.
• The fluid bed dryer is used for drying the screened wet granules for a set period.
• A table coater for coating formed tablets.
• A de-duster that helps in wiping off the dust from the tablets press machine.
• The metal detector that detects the fragments within the formed tablets.
• The weight checker that verifies the tablet weights.

 Are Compaction and Compression the same in Tablet Manufacturing Process?

They are more or less the same.

Compression is the reduction of powder granule volume.

Compaction does the same by eliminating spaces or air present in the powder.

For tablet compression to be successful, both are important.

They help in squeezing the materials into tablets of different shapes, sizes, and accurate weight.

Which Parts Tend to Wear Fast in Tablet Compression Machine?

The components that tend to wear fast in this machine are the rotating parts.

For example, the upper and lower punches, the dies, compression roller, and the upper track usually wear fast.

At SaintyCo, we design, manufacture, supply and commission high quality and reliable rotary tablet press machine.

So, if you have any question or you would like to invest in a new machine, feel free to contact us.