A capsule filling machine is designed to precisely fill empty capsule shells with measured doses of powder, granules, pellets, or liquid formulations. For large-scale pharmaceutical or nutraceutical production, stable and uninterrupted machine operation is paramount to meet output demands and ensure product quality.
Achieving this essential stability relies on robust engineering features. A leading-edge automatic capsule filling machine incorporates critical components such as precisely engineered built-in cams and oil-free bearings. These elements are fundamental to minimizing vibration, reducing wear, and guaranteeing smooth, reliable motion throughout extended high-speed operation. This inherent mechanical stability is vital for maintaining the high degree of filling precision required for accurate dosage in every capsule produced.
a fully automatic capsule filling machine
Achieving stable, long-term operation requires mastering specific operational practices and maintenance secrets, while selecting a right capsule filler based on critical factors is the essential first step.
●Operational Stability: Precision is paramount, while machine operational stability is the pillar that upholds precision. Look for a capsule filler filling machine incorporating advanced mechanisms like optical dividing heads for indexing that enhances dosing consistency and minimizes capsule weight variation. Crucially, verify claims of a pharmaceutical equipment supplier through documented evidence demonstrating that the capsule filler consistently achieves filling errors ≤3% across its operating range.
●Speed & Output: Pharmaceutical production demands dictate speed requirements. Machines vary widely, from a smaller semi auto capsule filling machine to a high-output industrial capsule filling machine automatic. A high-speed automatic capsule filler machine is capable of outputting over 500,000 capsules per hour. Carefully assess your current and projected volumes to select a pill capsule making machine that efficiently meets your throughput targets without excessive overcapacity or bottlenecks.
●Versatility: Flexibility is key for capsule filling operations. Consider the ability of a capsule machine to handle diverse powder types, including cohesive, free-flowing, and herbal blends, and potentially other formulations like pellets or granules. Equally significant is compatibility with multiple sizes of capsule from size 00 to size 4. A versatile fully automatic capsule filling machine offers significant advantages for product line expansion and adaptation to progressive market needs.
●Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to strict medicine quality and safety standards is non-negotiable in pharmaceutical sector. Ensure the auto capsule filling machine is constructed to meet cGMP, relevant ISO standards (e.g., ISO 13485 for medical equipment), and FDA/EU regulations. Components contacting pharmaceutical ingredients must be compliant (e.g., USP Class VI), and robust documentation, comprising DQ/IQ/OQ/PQ, must be available.
●Ease of Use & Integration: Refer to user-friendliness and seamless integration into a production line. Evaluate the complexity of changeover between capsule sizes and formulations, for quick and tool-less mold changes boosts efficiency, consuming only 11% of time of conventional equipment mold changeover. Furthermore, assess the machine's utility needs (power, air, water), and compatibility with existing upstream or downstream equipment such as capsule elevating loaders, dedusters, and metal detectors, to ensure smooth integration into your pharmaceutical manufacturing line.
Beyond all these considerations, stable running sets the foundation of a machine’s superior performance.
an automatic capsule filling machine completes empty capsule dispensing, capsule opening, ingredient dosing, capsule locking and finished capsule output in automation
For large-scale pharmaceutical capsule production, capsules machine stability is the fundamental pillar enabling superior performance at high operational speeds. It directly dictates the precision synchronization of all processing stations and ensures uncompromised dosage accuracy in every single capsule. When selecting equipment, prioritize these stability-governed factors:
●Rigidity-optimized cam systems: Prefer internal cams over external ones.
●Sub-micron indexing accuracy: An innovative pill capsule making machine utilizes ≤3-arcsecond optical dividers.
●Vibration-damped motion components: PTFE oil-free bearings in a turntable are recommended.
●PTFE oil-free bearings for more stable machine running.
capsule dispensing mechanism of a capsule filler machine
Neglecting these elements risks ±5% dosage variations and over 30% operational downtime. Stability is not an option, but a cGMP-mandated necessity.
Manufacturers renowned for introducing innovative machinery naturally command greater trust. Rich Packing stands as a pillar of reliability in this sector, alongside top the pharmaceutical equipment suppliers like Syntegon and Fette. For example, Rich Packing’s auto pill capsule filler models incorporate 180DS indexing boxes and German-engineered Zeiss optical dividing heads for consistent precision, employ oil-free bearings beneath main turntables for enhanced stability, and feature built-in cam drives to power station operations for smooth performance.
Rich Packing showcases its NJP 1500D auto capsule filler at CPhI Expo 2025
Internal cams demonstrate significant advantages over external counterparts in operational stability, precision retention, and long-term reliability. This performance edge fundamentally stems from principles of mechanical dynamics, structural rigidity, and motion control characteristics.
internal cams in a capsule filling machine
|
Comparison |
Internal Cams |
External Cams |
Outcome |
|
1. Structural Rigidity |
Cam track is either cast integrally with the main shaft or tightly nested, forming a rigid monolithic structure and delivering exceptional deformation resistance. |
Cam track is bolted to an external bracket. During high-speed operation, centrifugal forces and vibration cause track oscillation (0.05–0.1mm amplitude) and induce station deviation. |
Internal cam maintains processing station synchronization within ±5μm vibration amplitude, while external cams induce 0.05–0.1mm track oscillation that causes positional errors across filling, locking, and ejection stations. |
|
2. Motion Path Precision |
Rods slide linearly within the main shaft, eliminating cantilever effects. The cam profiles are precision-ground, ensuring short and direct power transmission paths. |
With rods extending to external tracks, any flatness deviation in tracks or shaft misalignment is amplified into arcuate motion at rod tips. |
The internal design maintains capsule fill depth variation ≤3%, whereas the external design may cause ≥8% fill deviation. |
|
3. Thermal Stability |
Frictional heat dissipates through the shaft's bulk metal conduction, achieving gradual temperature gradients with controlled thermal deformation. |
Localized frictional heat concentration on external tracks causes uneven heat dissipation, inducing differential thermal expansion that increases kinematic pair clearance. |
After 8 hours continuous operation, punch positional drift is <10μm in internal designs, reaching 50μm in external configurations. |
|
4. Lubrication & Lifespan |
The enclosed system adopts closed oil bath lubrication, with cam tracks fully immersed in lubricant to form an oil film (thickness ≥5μm). |
Rely on grease application or drip lubrication, exhibiting 3–5 times higher wear rates. |
Internal cams typically achieve service lives exceeding 100,000 hours, but external cams require replacement every 20,000 hours. |
A 2020 study published by Leibniz University Hannover in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics compared fill weight RSD% between capsule filling machines with internal cams and external cams at 2,000 capsules/minute using identical formulations. The outcome demonstrated an RSD of 1.7% for machines equipped with internal cams, while those with external cams exhibited an RSD of 5.3%. The vibration amplitude of external cams was five times higher than that of internal ones, directly resulting in RSD% exceeding GMP limit of ≤3%.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers must weigh production capacity requirements against quality risks to select an ideal capsule making machine. Internal cams, through their integrated rigid structure, ultra-short power transmission path, and enclosed oil-bath lubrication system, fundamentally resolve precision degradation issues caused by cantilever effects, vibration amplification, and thermal deformation in external cams. For high-speed (>2,000 capsules/minute) and prolonged continuous-operation cGMP-compliant production lines, the internal cam design is essential to ensure filling weight precision and production stability. Conversely, external cams are only suitable for low-speed, intermittent operation, or budget-constrained scenarios.
The performance of a capsule filling machine indexer dictates its ability to deliver stable, high-volume output. Noted international pharmaceutical equipment suppliers such as Germany's Bosch, Italy's MG2, and Rich Packing equip their flagship capsule filling models with indexers rated between 144DS and 180DS. For understanding this technology, knowing the definition of DS is a must.
DS refers to Division per Station, and represents the number of capsule filling processing stations completed per full rotation of the indexer's main shaft. The DS index determines the max capacity in theory. More processing stations mean higher yield per cycle.
180DS Specification: An 180DS indexer completes operations at 180 stations per rotation.
Corresponding to high-speed automatic capsule filling machine models, theoretical output exceeds 180,000 capsules/hour at standard RPM.
Industry-Standard DS Ranges:
|
Equipment |
DS Range |
Output |
Application Scenario |
|
Economy Class |
60–80 DS |
30,000–60,000/h |
Labs / Small-batch Production |
|
Standard Class |
100–120 DS |
80,000–120,000/h |
Mid-sized Pharma Plants |
|
High-Speed |
144–180 DS |
150,000–180,000/h |
Large-scale Continuous Lines |
|
Ultra-High-Speed |
200+ DS |
200,000+/h |
Multinational Enterprise Lines |
As for an capsule filler filling machine equipped with a 180DS indexers, it enjoys over 50% higher single-machine output compared to a 120DS capsule filling machine automatic model, and meets consistency evaluation requirements for mass production.
The operational stability of an automatic capsule filler machine hinges critically on the performance of main turntable bearings. Oil-free bearings, particularly PTFE-based self-lubricating bearings, have emerged as indispensable components that fundamentally facilitate:
oil-free bearings
●Motion Smoothness Superiority
With friction coefficients of just 0.04-0.1, 50% lower than lubricated metal bearings, oil-free bearings eliminate stick-slip effect during turntable start/stop cycles. This ensures:
○Positioning accuracy of processing stations is enhanced to ≤±0.01mm.
○Due to vibration-induced bearings, powder fluidity variations are reduced by 34%, leading to the capsule fill weight RSD improvement from 1.2% to 0.8%.
FDA/EU GMP joint trials confirm that oil-free bearings reduce capsule fill weight RSD by 0.3—0.8% in high-speed machines, with 42% improvement for micronized powders (particle diameter<50μm).
●Zero Lubricant Contamination
Owing to the self-lubricating characteristic, PTFE oil-free bearings help a fully automatic capsule filling machine:
○Eliminate grease leakage risks so as to keep pharmaceutical ingredients away from lubricant contamination, staying compliant with FDA standard).
○Enable ISO Class 5 cleanroom operation (≤3,520 particles/m³).
●Chemical and Thermal Resilience
Oil-free bearings are engineered to withstand:
○Aggressive sanitizers such as ethanol, IPA, VHP hydrogen peroxide, etc.
○Extreme temperatures from -200°C to 260°C.
○Validated for SIP (Steam-in-Place) sterilization cycles under high heat.
●Maintenance-Free Operation
Benefiting from a low friction coefficient, and self-resistance to ultra heat and chemical corrosion, oil-free bearings outperforms oiled ones with:
○Service life over 50,000 hours, 3 times that of oiled counterparts.
○Zero relubrication requirements, enabling the overall equipment effectiveness to be enhanced by 12% with reduced downtime.
Critical Impact on Capsule Filling Quality:
|
Parameter |
Oil-Free Bearings |
Traditional Oiled Bearings |
|
Micro-dust generation |
≤0.1mg/m³ |
≥5mg/m³ |
|
Turret radial runout |
≤0.03mm |
≥0.08mm |
|
8-hour fill weight drift |
±0.5% |
±1.8% |
A case in favor of lubricant-free bearings is that an oncology capsule production line reduced batch rejection rates from 1.2% to 0.05% after the bearing retrofit, saving $380,000 annually in waste avoidance.
PTFE oil-free bearings deliver transformative stability through their self-lubricating, contamination-free, and chemically inert properties. They are particularly vital for high-value drug manufacturing where cleanness and precision are uncompromising. While load capacity requires careful design consideration, these bearings outperform traditional solutions within mainstream operational ranges, establishing themselves as the cGMP-compliant benchmark for future capsule filling.
oil-free bearings together with SIL silicon seal rings
Ultimately, achieving capsule filling precision hinges on stability-engineered components. Prioritize a pill capsule making machine with internal cam systems for motion consistency, high-DS indexers (144–180DS) for maintaining throughput, and oil-free bearings for eliminating contamination-induced variation.
These elements collectively reduce fill weight RSD, ensuring batch uniformity and regulatory compliance. Investing in such validated technologies not only enhances operational excellence but also future-proofs production against evolving standards.
E-mail : manager@richpacking.cn
Building D, No. 226, Beishan Qiaotou Street, Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China
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