Tablet Press

In Tableting Machines by Calistus OziokoJanuary 12, 2016

https://www.pharmapproach.com/tablet-press/

Tablet press also referred to as tableting machine, pharmaceutical tablet press, tablet
compressing machine or tablet punching machine is a mechanical device that compresses
powders into tablets of uniform size, shape, and weight containing approximately the same
quantity of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and excipients. Apart from its use in the
pharmaceutical industries for manufacturing varieties of tablets, it can also be used to
manufacture illicit drugs, cleaning products and cosmetics. All tablet press employ the same
basic principle of compression.
The development of tablet press has been a continuous process. In the past, we have hand
driven tablet press which has been modernized to electrical driven tablet press.

Contents [show]

Reason for continuous development of tablet press

 Increased rate of production resulting from increased demand, multiplication of
disease conditions and exponential increase in population.
 Development of newer technology in tablet production e.g. development of direct
compression technology.
 Development of stringent standard of cleanliness to comply with Current Good
Manufacturing Process (CGMP).
 The introduction of automation and continuous monitory of production process.

Types/Classification of Tablet Press

Tablet press in current use can be classified into;

 Single punch/single station/eccentric presses.

 Multi-station/rotary presses.

Single Punch

Single punch tablet press also known eccentric press or single station press is the simplest
machine for tablet manufacturing. This machine uses single set of station tooling (a die and a
pair of upper and lower punches). The compaction force on the fill material is exerted by only
the upper punch while the lower punch is static; such action equivalent to hammering motion
and as a result, the single punch press is referred to as stamping process. The single punch
tablet press produces about 60-85 tablets/min e.g. Manesty F3.

Components/ functional parts of a single punch tablet

press

Labelled diagram of a single punch tablet press

 Hopper – This is connected to the feed shoe and it is where the granules/powder
mixtures are poured into prior to tableting or compression. The hopper can be filled
manually or by using mechanical equipment during subsequent tableting.
 Die cavity – The die cavity is where the powder granules are compressed into tablets.
The die determines;

1.
o The diameter of the tablet
o The size of the tablet
o To some extent the thickness of the tablet.

 Punches – This comprises upper and lower punch and they compress the powder into
tablets of various shapes within the die.
 Cam truck – This guides the position/movement of the punches.
 Tablet adjuster – This is used to adjust the volume of the powder to be compressed
and so determines the weight of the tablet.
 Ejection adjuster – This facilitates the ejection of the tablet from the die cavity after
compression.

In the production of tablets using a single punch tableting machine, the upper punch
compresses the powder into tablets while the lower punch ejects the tablet.

The sequence of events involved in the formation of

tablets.

The events involved in tablet production can be divided into 3 stages;

1. Filing
2. Compression
 3. Ejection

Filing

 Position 1 – The upper punch is raised and lower punch drops to create a cavity in the
die.
 Position 2 – The feed shoe moves over the die cavity and granules fall into the die
cavity under the influence of gravity from the hopper.

Compression

 Position 3 – The feed shoe moves out of the way and the hopper punch descends to
compress the granules/powder mixture into tablets by progressive reduction of the
porosity of the die content and forcing of the particles into close contact with one
another.

Ejection

 Position 4 – The upper punch retracts and the lower punch moves upwards too to
eject the compressed tablet. The whole events repeat over and over again unit the feed
material is exhausted.

Advantages of Single Punch Tablet Press

 The single punch structure is rational and small.
 Easy to operate and it operates at a high utilization ratio.
 It can manufacture odd shaped products with a diameter of up to 20mm.
 It is ideal for development of tablets and small batch production.
 Single punch tablet press utilizes a high amount of pressure to reduce weight
variations between tablets while maintaining a low noise level at the same time.

Multi-Station Press
Multi-station press is a mechanical device that unlike the single punch tablet press has several
tooling station which rotates to compress granules/powder mixture into tablets of uniform
size, shape (depending on the punch design) and uniform weight. It was developed to
increase the output of tablets. In rotary press, the compaction force on the fill material is
exerted by both the upper and lower punches leaving the powder granules to be compressed
in the middle. This is known as accordion type of compression. The capacity of a rotary
tablet press is determined by the rotation speed of the turrent and the number of stations on
the press.
Components/Functional Parts of a Rotary Press

 Hopper- The hopper holds the granules/powder mixture (API plus excipient) that are
to be compressed into tablets.
 Die cavity – This is where the powder granules is compressed into tablets and it
determines.

1.
o The diameter of the tablets.
o The size of the tablets.
o To some extent the thickness of the tablets.

 Feed paddle – Helps to force the feed/ the granules into the dies especially during
faster rotation.
 Punches – This comprises the upper and the lower punches. They move within the
die bore to compress granules into tablets.
 Lower cam track – This guides the lower punch during the filling stage so that the
die bore is overfilled to allow accurate adjustment.
 Cam tracks – This guides the movement of both the upper and lower punches.
 Dept of fill/capacity control – This adjusts the lower punch track during the latter
part of the fill stage to ensure that the appropriate quantity of granules remains within
the die prior to compression.
 Pre-compression rollers – This roller gives the granules an initial compression force
to get rid of excess air that might be entrapped in the die.
 Main compression – This roller applies the final compression force needed for the
formation of tablets.
 Ejection cam– Guides the lower punch upwards facilitating the ejection of tablets
from the die cavity after compression.
 Take-off Blade – This is fitted in front of the feeder housing and it deflects the tablet
down the discharge chute.
 Discharge chute – This is where the tablet passes through for collection after being
deflected by the take-off blade.

Classification of multi-station press

Multi-station press can be classified into several ways but the most important of these
classifications are based on the type of tooling with which the machine is to be used with. A
tooling set comprises the die and its associated punches. Basically, there are two types of
toolings:

1. “B” type
2. “D” type
The above type of configuration constitutes a majority of the tool configuration used today.

“B” Type

The “B” type configuration has a normal, punch barrel diameter of 0.750in. (19mm). The “B”
type can be used with two types of die or can be said to have two different die sizes:

1. The “B” dies with a diameter of 1.1875in. (30.16mm), suitable for all tablet sizes up
to the maximum for the “B” punches.
2. The smaller “BB” dies (small “B” die) that has a diameter of 0.945in. (24mm). This
die type is suitable for tablets up to 9mm diameter or 11mm maximum.

“D” type

This type has larger nominal barrel diameter of 1in. (25.4mm) and a die diameter of 1.500in.
(38.10mm) and thus is suitable for tablets with maximum diameter or maximum length of
25.4mm.

Tablet press is designed to be used with either “B” or “D” tooling but not both. The
compression force obtainable in a machine depends on the type of tooling used. Machines
that are designed to “B” type tooling exert a maximum compression force of 6.5 tones and
machines that use the “D” type configuration exert 10 tones compression force. There are
equally some special machines that are designed with the intention of exerting higher
compression forces. The maximum force that can be exerted on a particular size and shape of
tablets is governed by the size of the punch tip or the maximum force of which the machine is
designed.

Individual manufactures of tablet press have sought to achieve higher output by;

 Increasing the effective number of punches.

 Increasing the number of station.
 Increasing the number of points of compression.
 Increasing the rate of compression turrent speed.

Each of the above approaches has its own advantages and limitations.

Advantages of Rotary Press

 High productivity can be gained with a minimal amount of labour while saving
money.
 Rotary press has an output of between 9000 – 234000 tab/hour thus saves time and
meets up with the high demand of tablet dosage form.
 The powder filled cavity can be automatically managed by a moving feeder.
 Rotary press decreases waste of valuable formulation in non-specific tablets.
 The machine allows independent control of both weight and hardness.
REFERENCES

 Bill Bennett and Graham Cole (2003). Pharmaceutical Production: An Engineering

Guide. Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), UK.
 David, B. Troy and Paul, Beringer (2006). Remington: The Science and of Pharmacy.
21st edition. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, USA.
 Gilbert, S. B and Christopher, T. R. (2003). Modern Pharmaceutics. CRC Press,
Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_press
 http://www.cadmach.com/images/Tablet-Cycle.jpg
 http://www.erweka.com/products/item/all-purpose/tablet-press-ep-1.html
 http://www.pharmainfo.net/book/pharmaceutical-machines-tablet-press/multiple-
station-tablet-rotary-press
 http://www.pharmainfo.net/tablet-press#WorkingMechanism
 http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/chetan1332/working-of-tablet-punching-machine
 http://www.slideshare.net/mobile/pharmastuffblogspotcom/single-punch-tablet-press
 Jack Zheng (2009). Formulation and Analytical Development for Low-Dose Oral
Drug Products. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
 Larry, L. A. and Stephen, W. H. (2008), Pharmaceutical Dosage Form: Tablet. Third
edtion. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Types of Tablet Press Machines
Broadly, we there are two main types of tableting machines:

 Single station tablet press

 Multi-station tablet press

Now, in the next chapters, I am going to explore all these compression machines in details.

 Single Station Tablet Press

 Parts of a Single Punch Tableting Machine
 The Working Principle of Single Station Tableting Machine
 Advantages of Single Punch Tablet Making Machine
 Multi-station Tablet Press
 Parts of a Rotary Press
 The Working Principle of a Rotary Tablet Press
 Advantages of Multiple Station Tablet Press Machines
 Classification of a Rotary Compression Machine

Single Station Tablet Press

A single station tablet press machine is the simplest tableting equipment.

At times, you may also call it a single punch or eccentric press.

OneTab tblet compression machines for R&D and clinical trials

Depending on its design, you can operate the machine manually or incorporate an electric
motor.

Normally, this machine features a single tooling station with a die, pairs of lower and upper
punches.

Therefore, the compression force of the machine is due to the upper punch only. During this
period, the lower punch remains stationary.

This implies that the working process tends to be similar to that of hammering motion. It is
for this reason that you may refer to is as a single punch press.

You’ll get to know more about this machine as I discuss the working principle of single
station tableting machine.

First, let’s explore the different parts of this tablet making machine.

Parts of a Single Punch Tableting Machine

Obviously, the number of parts will depend on the complexity of the machine. In this section,
I will focus on the basic components of an eccentric press.

This image shows different parts of a single press tablet making machine. Image source:
Pharma Approach

Here are some of the most important parts of a single station tablet making machine:

Hopper: This is the section you’ll put all material to be compressed into a tablet.

Depending on the design, you can fill the hopper manually or using other mechanical means.

Die cavity: It is the die cavity that determines both size and shape of a tablet.

Depending on the type of tablets you intend to produce some of the most common options
available include:
  Round shaped die set; they are common in the pharmaceutical industry. You can use
it to compress normal concave, concave with flat or bevel edges, deep concave with
flat faced and shallow concave with ball shape.
 Oval shaped die set; with this stool set, you can make flat faced tablets with bevel
edges or concave tablets with a deep and bevel edges.
 Capsule dye set; from this die set, you’ll make concave tablets with flat faced or bevel
edges.
 Other geometrical shapes; depending on your unique tablet designs and geometrical
shapes, you can make triangular, benzene, rectangular of rhombus tables

I want you to realize that, choosing a unique or complex die design is essential, especially
when you intend to reduce the level of counterfeits.

Punches: These machines have upper and lower punches that press material within the die
cavity into a desired tablet.

Cam trucks: They guide the movement of compression machine punches.

Tablet adjuster: It helps to control the size and weight of the tablet by regulating the amount
of powder you intend to compress.

Ejection adjuster: It makes it easy to eject the tablet from the die cavity of a tableting
machine.

Now, how does a single press tableting machine work?

Well, I am going to summarize the process in the next section.

The Working Principle of Single Station Tableting

Machine
I am going to explain this process in three main stages and they include:

 Filling process
 Compression process
 Ejection process

Now, let’s discuss each of these processes in details:

Filling Process

At this stage, withdraw the upper punch from the die using the upper cam.

As you lower the bottom punch, the powder will flow into the hopper thereby filling die
cavity.

As the bottom punch moves upwards, any excess powder is swept from the table.

Compression Process
The upper cam forces upper punch into the die cavity.

A predetermined magnitude of force is then applied on the punches to compress powder into
a desired tablet.

Ejection Process

Upper cam withdraws the upper punch.

At the same time, the lower punch moves upwards, expelling compressed tablets.

In most machines, it’s the surface plate that removes compressed tablets from the system.

This is a continuous process that you should monitor to ensure consistency and accuracy of
the tablet compressing process.

With all these in mind, it is now time to find out why we need this tablet machine.

Advantages of Single Punch Tablet Making Machine

In most cases, you can use this machine to make chewable and effervescent tablets.

During this process, the machine will offer the following key advantages:

 Easy to operate, hence, no need for advanced training

 Robust structure and space saving
 You can manufacture tablets with odd shapes
 Suitable for small batch production more so in R&D
 Reduces weight variations since it uses high pressure
 Operates with low noise levels
 Easy to control material loading process

I know evaluating this machine at times can be a difficult process.

This is why at SaintyCo we are always ready to help.

Choosing a tablet compressing machine with appropriate parts/sections guarantee safe and
optimal performance.

Normally, I recommend this equipment for laboratories or R&D institutions.

When you invest in this tablet press, chances of profiting from your tableting business are
always high.

Apart from the single station tablet making machine, another machine that is popular is the
multi station tablet press.

I’ll explore its features shortly.

Multi-station Tablet Press

A multi-station press tablet manufacturing machine, also called a rotary press is one of the
most popular equipment in the pharmaceutical industry.

This is due to its high production capacity and cost saving benefits.

Like the single punch tableting machine, rotary presses have upper punches, dies and lower
punches.

The name rotatory tablet press is due to the rotating tableting assembly.

It is this assembly that holds dies, upper and lower punches.

As you can see from the section of multi-station tablet press below, this equipment has
several tooling stations.

Section of a tablet making machine

In these compression machines for tablets, it is the rotation speed of the turret and the number
of stations that determine the production capacity.
Later in this section, I’ll explore the working principle of multi-station tablet press.

For now, let’s focus on the various parts of this machine.

Parts of a Rotary Press

A rotary tablet press has a complex design when you compare it to as single station press.

Still, it shares the same parts, with the single station press.

Therefore, in this section, I will focus on parts that are unique to multi-station tablet making
machine.

For instance, hopper, die cavity and punches, all perform the same function as in a single
station press machine.

Image showing action of punch and die system.

Remember, I had discussed some of these parts in the previous paragraphs.

Now, let me focus on features that are unique to this machine:

Feed peddle: This part plays an integral role in high speed rotations where it forces materials
into the dies.

Lower cam track: During the filling stage, lower cam track guides the lower punch to ensure
the die cavity is overfilled.

This allows for easy adjustment of the system.

Cam tracks: It guides the movement of both the upper and lower punches to ensure precise
movement.

Capacity control: During the filling stage, capacity control adjusts the lower punch track.
This ensures the quantity of material remains within the allowable range before compression.

Compression: There are two stages here:

 Recompression stage; it gives material the initial compression and this helps to get rid
of excess air. At times, air may be trapped within the die cavity.
 Main compression; main rollers apply the final compression force to form tablets.

Ejection cam: To facilitate ejection of tablets from the die cavity, ejection cam guides the
lower punch upwards.

Take-off blades: It deflects the tablets to a discharge chute, which then moves to the
collection container.

NOTE: Number of parts may vary depending on the tablet punching machine design.

For this reason, always remember to read the entire manual of a tablet compression machine.

It is the only way to learn more about any multi-station tablet press machine.

Statistics show that, nearly 63% of people don’t read machine manuals.

Don’t be part of this group.

You may end up operating the machine inappropriately, which can be costly.

Having said all these, now let’s have a quick overview of how a multi-station press works.

The Working Principle of a Rotary Tablet Press

To make it easy for you to understand, I will summarize the working principle of this
machine in three steps.

These include:

 Filling
 Compression
 Ejection
This is a section of the rotary tablet press machine.

Now, let’s discuss every process:

 Filling Multi-station Tablet Making Machine

You’ll place the material to be compressed in fixed hopper. The material is then fed into
several dies simultaneously.

 Compression Process in Rotary Tablet Press

Like in the case of single punch tablet making machine, it is the punches that exert required
magnitude of force to transform powder or granules into tablets.

During this process, it is the rollers and cam track that control these punches by guiding their
movement as the table rotates.

Next, the lower cam guide pulls a lower punch to the bottom of the dies.
This ensures all dies are overfilled with material.

As the lower punch rises, excess powder is removed by the swipe blade, which then the
pushes material to oncoming die.

After this, the lower punch drops, then the upper punch penetrates the die.

It is at this point that the compression process begins.

Depending on the design of the machine, the process may involve pre-compression and main
compression.

By the end of this process, you should have a fully formed tablet within the die cavity.

 Ejection of Formed Tablets

After full compression, the automatic tablet press machine will withdraw the upper punch as
the lower punch rises.

This brings tablet above the die’s surface.

All fully formed tablets will be swept off the die to a chute container.

The pull-down cam will then return the lower punch to the bottom of the die.

This will mark a complete cycle of a tableting process, after which the process starts again.

This is a continuous process that takes place fast to meet any high production needs in
pharmaceutical and drug industries.
These are fully processed and packed tablets.

These machines are popular in most industrial setups due to the numerous benefits they offer.

Now, we need to explore the main advantages of multiple station tablet press machines.

Advantages of Multiple Station Tablet Press Machines

Rotary tablet presses guarantee the following key advantages:

 Cost efficient than single punch tablet press

 Suitable for continuous operations where bulk production of tablets is required with
an output of over 8,000 to 200,000 tablets per hour. This will depend on design and
configuration of the tableting machine
 Features an automated system, thus, eliminating most human interventions. This
ensures consistency and accurate tableting process.
 Guarantee independent control of both tablet hardness and weight.

Apart from all these factors I have mentioned, you can classify multi-press tableting
machines further depending on the type of tooling.

I want to state categorically this is an important pill press machine design feature that affects
the characteristics of tablets.
So, in the next sections, I am going to focus on yet another segment of classifying rotary
press machines.

Classification of a Rotary Compression Machine

Broadly, all the available multi-station press machines may have either “B” type or “D” type
tooling.

Normally, when we refer to a tablet press tooling, it simply implies a set of all dies and
punches.

This is not a random process.

It is guided by certain regulations and laws depending on the geographical location.

For instance, there is the Tablet Specification Manual (TSM) that acts as a guideline to tablet
press tooling in the U.S.A.

Moreover, the Euro Standard (EU) tooling is widely used in this industry.

This is the front cover of a tablet specification manual.

Let’s evaluate these types of multi-station tablet compression machines:

“B” Type Multi-station Press

The diameter of the punch barrel is 0.75 inches or 19mm.

In most cases, you can use with two types of dies:

 “B” dies that have a 1.1875 inches (30.16mm) diameter

 “BB” dies with a diameter of 0.945 inches (24mm)

“D” Type Multi-station Tableting Machine

Nominal diameter of this barrel is 1 inch (25.4mm).

You can use it with a die that has a diameter of 1.5 inches (38.10 mm).

Normally, you’ll find that the “B” type tooling can exert 6.5 tons as a maximum compression
force.

On the other hand, a “D” type tooling exerts a maximum compression force of 10 tones.

With all this information, I am sure you can choose the best tablet compression machine that
meets the specific needs of any application.

Again, if you still find it difficult to choose the right accessory, feel free to contact us.

Conclusion
In short, we have two types of tablet making machines – multi-station machine that is suitable
for large scale production and single station press, which is mainly used for R&D.

By knowing your production requirements, it will be easier to choose a suitable tableting

machine that will guarantee a reasonable ROI.

Further Reading
 Tablet Press – Source: Wikipedia
 Tablet Press Instrumentation – By M. Levin
 Tablet Press Monitoring System – By AIA
 Multiple Station Tablet Rotary Presses – Saraswathi.B
 Tablet Press – By Saraswathi.B
 Working of Tablet Punching Machine – By Chetan Signh Bisht
 Drug Dosage Forms – By Vinay Gupta
 Tablet Press – By Calistus Ozioko