Capsule filling machine is a commonly used equipment in pharmaceutical, health care products and other industries, which is able to accurately fill powders or granules into capsules. The automatic capsule filling machine is usually composed of multiple stations, including the bladder seeding station, the filling station, the waste rejection station, the capsule locking station, the bladder removal station and the cleaning station, each of which has a different function. This article will introduce the main stations of the capsule filling machine and its working principle in detail, helping readers to gain an in-depth understanding of this complex mechanical equipment.
Bladder broadcasting station
The bladder spreading station is the first station of the capsule filling machine, and its main function is to broadcast the capsule shell to the mold in an orderly manner, and realize the separation of the capsule cap and the capsule body. The bladder insertion station is usually composed of a capsule hopper, a bladder feeding mechanism, an orientation device, and a body cap separation mechanism.
1. The capsule hopper is used to store the capsule shell, and the capsule feeding mechanism conveys the capsule shell from the hopper to the orientation device through the conveying track. The role of the orientation device is to keep the orientation of the capsule shell consistent so that the subsequent capsule cap and capsule body can be separated.
2. In the bladder propagation station, the working principle of the capsule feeding mechanism is usually to take out the capsule shell by vacuum adsorption. Vacuum adsorption uses the negative pressure generated by a vacuum pump to adsorb the capsule shell, and then transports it to the orientation device through a pipeline.
3. The orientation device usually adopts a mechanical structure to realize the orientation of the capsule shell. Mechanical structures such as capsule combs, etc., make the capsules are arranged in a state of capsule caps on top by restricting the movement direction of the capsule shell, and fall into the bladder plate hole on the main working plate.
4. The body cap separation mechanism is to set a vacuum negative pressure below the capsule, and under the action of vacuum, the capsule body is adsorbed downward, and due to the different aperture of the upper and lower molds, the capsule cap is stuck in the upper mold, so as to realize the separation of the capsule cap and the capsule.
Filling station
The filling station is the core station of the capsule filling machine, and its main function is to fill the powder or granules into the capsule shell. The filling station usually consists of a metering device, a filling mechanism and a control system.
1. The metering device is used to accurately measure the volume of the drug to ensure the accuracy of the filling amount. A commonly used dosing device is the dosing disc, the main function of which is to provide precise dosing control during the capsule filling process.
2. The function of the filling mechanism is to fill the measured material into the capsule shell. The filling mechanism usually works by pushing the material into the capsule shell through mechanical motion. For example, a screw metering device pushes the material into the capsule shell several times in a row by rotating and pressing down the screw.
3. The control system is responsible for coordinating the work of the metering device and the filling mechanism to ensure the accuracy and stability of the filling process. The control system is usually implemented by a programmable logic controller (PLC), which can receive signals from sensors, control the actions of motors, valves and other actuators, and achieve accurate filling control.
Waste removal station
The main function of the rejection station is to remove the empty capsules that have not been separated from the upper capsule plate so that they do not mix with the capsules of the charge. The rejection station realizes the removal of the cap body from the production line, and the working principle is usually to push the hollow capsule out of the mold through the mechanical movement of the thimble under the mold, and then suck the unseparated empty capsule away by vacuum adsorption.
the lock bag station
The main function of the capsule lock station is to tightly combine the filled capsule cap with the capsule body to form a complete capsule. It works by pushing the capsule upwards by the upward movement of the ejector needle below the locking station, so that it is tightly locked with the capsule cap above.
out of the bag station
The ejection station is responsible for discharging the locked finished capsule from the machine. The principle of the bladder ejection station is to eject the locked capsules from the upper and lower modules and convey them to the discharge port by means of a mechanical device. The discharging mechanism should be designed to ensure that the capsule is not damaged during the discharge process and can enter the discharge port smoothly.
Cleaning station
The cleaning station is the last station of the capsule filling machine, which is responsible for cleaning the impurities such as drug powder and broken capsule skin remaining inside the machine. This station is of great significance to ensure the normal operation of the machine and the quality of the product. It works by means of a vacuuming system to achieve the purpose of cleaning. The vacuum system is one of the main equipment of the cleaning station. It sucks the impurities inside the machine into the suction duct and discharges it out of the machine through strong suction.
Each station of the capsule filling machine cooperates with each other to jointly complete the work of capsule seeding, filling, locking and ejection. These stations work together to ensure that the capsule filling process is efficient and accurate, and that the capsules produced meet quality standards. It is worth noting that different models or brands of automatic capsule filling machines may differ in the specific configuration and name of the station, but the basic functions are similar. Each station has its own unique working process and principle, the reasonable combination and optimization of these working processes and principles can improve the production efficiency and product quality of the automatic capsule filling machine, and bring higher economic and social benefits to pharmaceutical and health care product manufacturers.