Method and apparatus for test pressing multi-layer tablets or coated tablets

• US 8,119,045 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fette GmbH (LMT Leading Metalworking Technologies GmbH & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Fette GmbH (LMT Leading Metalworking Technologies GmbH & Company KG)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Ingo, Gathmann, Ulrich, Malner, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khanh P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoover, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US11/352,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,199 Days
• Field of Search: 264/112, 264/113, 264/6, 264/35, 264/60, 264/241, 738/24
• US Class Current: 264/113
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/10 into the form of compressed tablets tablet presses B30B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 11/005 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 11/085 for multi-layer articles
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 11/34 for coating articles, e.g. tablets

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for test pressing tablets with at least two layers.

Claims

1. A method for test pressing tablets consisting of n layers in a rotary tablet press, said rotary press having a rotationally driven rotor, the rotor having only a single pair of punches associated therewith, the single pair of punches comprising one upper punch and one lower punch, the rotary press further having a plurality of die bores, punch guides, at least one press station and a control cam system, wherein the control cam system has a filling cam and an ejection cam for the lower punch, and wherein pressure rollers of the press station and the cams are adjustable in height by suitable adjustment drives, the method comprising:

moving the rotationally driven rotor and the single pair of upper and lower punches to a defined filling position and then stopping the rotor;

filling the die bore, which is associated with the pair of punches with material for a first layer of a tablet;

moving the filling cam into a first position, the ejection cam into a lower position, and the pressure rollers into a first pressing position by means of associated adjustment drives;

rotating the rotor by a full revolution;

testing, without ejecting the tablet, a first layer of the n layer tablet during the rotation of the rotor and then stopping the rotor;

stopping the single pair of punches in the filling position;

adjusting the filling cam to a second filling position;

adjusting the pressure rollers to a second pressing position;

thereafter filling the one die bore containing the first layer with material for a second layer;

rotating the rotor by a further full revolution and then stopping the rotor;

stopping the single pair of punches again in the filling position; and

repeating the foregoing steps until at the n-th revolution of the rotor, the lower punch ejects the multi-layer tablet by the ejection cam in an ejection position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein during testing, pressing force values are recorded and transferred online to an operating computer for the rotary tablet press.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a drive means for the rotor is dimensioned such that it operates in a range of the press station.

4. A method for test pressing tablets consisting of n layers in a rotary tablet press, comprising:

providing a rotary table press having a rotationally driven rotor, the rotor having only a single pair of punches associated therewith, the single pair of punches comprising one upper punch and one lower punch, the rotary press further having die bores, punch guides, at least one press station and a control cam system, wherein the control cam system includes, a filling cam and an ejection cam for the lower punch, and wherein pressure rollers of the press station and the cams are adjustable in height by suitable adjustment drives; and

providing a control computer for controlling the rotary tablet press, wherein the control computer is programmed such that the single pair of punches is automatically movable in a defined filling position, in which the lower punch is movable into a desired filling position by means of its filling cam and the ejection cam is movable to an inactive position by its adjustment drive, and wherein the control computer is configured to test each layer of the n layer tablet prior to ejection of the tablet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a filling device is provided which is rotatable about a vertical axis, and which exhibits one chamber per layer for receiving a layer material, and wherein a filling outlet of a chamber can be aligned with a die bore in the filling position, when the filling device is rotated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a rotary drive for the filling device is provided, which is controllable by an operating computer and control computer.