Capsule Making Equipment

Encapsulation technology lines up the capsule bodies on a bed of holders. A stainless steel dosage system pours the formula in the powder tray into the shells. The caps, aligned precisely in their holding section, are ready to be lowered onto the filled capsule bodies. The fins in the body enter the slits of the cap, locking them into position.

The encapsulated ingredients directly impact shell stability. Hygroscopic materials, for example, risk cracking the gelatin capsules. Capsule filling machines must account for the properties of the dosage formula and the materials, thickness, and shelf life of the shells.

Capsule production is either an automatic, semi-automatic or manual process. Manual capsule fillers are still used in smaller production facilities. However, for making large scale pharmaceutical capsules, automation is employed to maximize output and efficiency.

Soft gelatin capsules, also known as softgels, are suitable for non-aqueous solutions such as oil. The active pharmaceutical ingredients are dissolved or suspended into an oil-based form.

One of the challenges in producing softgel capsules is the formation of air bubbles in the gelatin base. This happens when the capsule manufacturing equipment fails to reach the right temperature during the drying stage, and air remains trapped in the mixture. These pockets of unreleased air weaken the structure of the capsule.