Rotary tablet press

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518443-B2
Application number	US-201715410985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 21, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A rotary tablet press having a rotatably driven rotor and a die plate with a plurality of die bores. A plurality of upper and lower punches are configured to produce tablets in the plurality of die bores. The tablets are monitored for one or more characteristics and are sorted by an ejection apparatus according to the one or more characteristics into a reject channel and a satisfactory channel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rotary tablet press comprising:
a rotatably driven rotor having a die plate including a plurality of die bores and an upper face;
a plurality of upper and lower punches that rotate with the die plate, the plurality of lower punches configured to eject tablets from the plurality of die bores;
a deflector configured to deflect tablets from the upper face of the die plate into a satisfactory channel;
an ejection apparatus configured to eject tablets into a reject channel that is positioned upstream of the satisfactory channel;
a monitoring apparatus configured to monitor at least one property of the tablets, wherein the monitoring apparatus is configured to produce a reject signal when the at least one property of the tablets deviates inadmissibly from a reference value;
a control apparatus configured to actuate the ejection apparatus in response to the reject signal;
a first vacuum apparatus positioned in the reject channel and configured to produce a vacuum, the vacuum configured to discharge tablets ejected by the ejection apparatus through the reject channel;
a second vacuum apparatus positioned in the satisfactory channel and configured to produce a vacuum, the vacuum configured to suction tablets from the die plate which are deflected by the deflector in a direction of the satisfactory channel and discharge the suctioned tablets through the satisfactory channel; and
at least one detector device positioned in at least one of the reject channel and the satisfactory channel and configured to detect tablets passing through the at least one of the reject channel and the satisfactory channel,
wherein the at least one detector device is positioned in at least one of the first vacuum apparatus and the second vacuum apparatus.

2. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum apparatus is a Venturi nozzle.

3. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , wherein the second vacuum apparatus is a Venturi nozzle.

4. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , wherein the satisfactory channel discharges into a conveyor channel downstream of the second vacuum apparatus.

5. The rotary tablet press according to claim 4 , wherein the conveyor channel comprises a rising channel portion configured to lead to a height that is greater than a height of the second vacuum apparatus.

6. The rotary tablet press according to claim 5 , wherein the conveyor channel comprises a falling channel portion, the falling channel portion positioned at a lower height than the rising channel portion and configured to adjoin the rising channel portion, wherein the tablets are conveyed therethrough as a result of gravity.

7. The rotary tablet press according to claim 6 , wherein a suction channel is connected to the falling channel portion and to a suction pump, the suction pump configured to suction gas from the falling channel portion via the suction channel in a direction that is counter to a conveyance of the tablets.

8. The rotary tablet press according to claim 4 , wherein the conveyor channel is connected to a tablet dust removal and deburring device, wherein the tablet dust removal and deburring device is connected to a collection container.

9. The rotary tablet press according to claim 8 , wherein the tablet dust removal and deburring device is a mechanical dust removal and deburring device.

10. The rotary tablet press according to claim 8 , wherein a shunt is positioned in the conveyor channel, and wherein the shunt is coupled to the monitoring apparatus and configured to remove tablets from the conveyor channel and supply them to the monitoring apparatus.

11. The rotary tablet press according to claim 8 , wherein the conveyor channel and the dust removal and deburring device are positioned in a gas-tight isolated chamber having an atmosphere, wherein the atmosphere is replaced via an exhaust air line and an air supply line, and wherein a tablet outlet is connected by a gas-tight connection to the conveyor channel.

12. The rotary tablet press according to claim 11 , wherein the gas-tight connection of the tablet outlet to the conveyor channel comprises an inflatable seal.

13. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one detector device comprises a light barrier.

14. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cleaning device with a cleaning line configured to be connected to one of the satisfactory channel, the reject channel, the first vacuum apparatus, or the second vacuum apparatus; and
a cleaning fluid supply configured to supply the cleaning line being with a cleaning fluid.

15. The rotary tablet press according to claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum control apparatus configured to control the vacuum produced by the first vacuum apparatus and the vacuum produced by the second vacuum apparatus, and wherein the vacuum control apparatus is configured to adjust the vacuum produced by the first vacuum apparatus and the vacuum produced by the second vacuum apparatus independently of one another.

16. A multiple rotary tablet press comprising:
a die plate;
a plurality of satisfactory channels and a plurality of reject channels;
a deflector assigned to each of the plurality of satisfactory channels; the deflector configured to deflect satisfactory tablets into a respective satisfactory channel;
an ejection apparatus assigned to each of the plurality of reject channels and configured to eject reject tablets into one of the plurality reject channels;
a monitoring device configured to monitor one or more characteristics of a tablet, the monitoring device configured to produce an reject signal in response to a value of the one or more characteristics being below a predetermined value;
a control apparatus configured to actuate a respective ejection apparatus and eject the reject tablets in response to the reject signal produced by the monitoring device;
a first vacuum apparatus positioned in each of the plurality of reject channels and configured to produce a vacuum, the vacuum configured to discharge the tablets ejected by the respective ejection apparatus through a respective reject channel; and
a second vacuum apparatus positioned in each of the plurality of satisfactory channels and configured to produce a vacuum, the vacuum configured to suction tablets that are deflected by the respective deflector from the die plate and discharge them through a respective satisfactory channel.

17. A rotary tablet press comprising:
a rotatably driven rotor having a die plate including a plurality of die bores and an upper face;
a plurality of upper and lower punches that rotate with the die plate, the plurality of lower punches configured to eject tablets from the plurality of die bores;
a deflector configured to deflect tablets from the upper face of the die plate into a satisfactory channel;
an ejection apparatus configured to eject tablets into a reject channel that is positioned upstream of the satisfactory channel;
a monitoring apparatus configured to monitor at least one property of the tablets, wherein the monitoring apparatus is configured to produce a reject signal when the at least one property of the tablets deviates inadmissibly from a reference value;
a control apparatus configured to actuate the ejection apparatus in response to the reject signal;
a first vacuum apparatus positioned in the reject channel and configured to produce a vacuum, the vacuum configured to discharge tablets ejected by the ejection apparatus through the reject channel;
a second vacuum apparatus posi

Assignees

• Fette Compacting Gmbh

Inventors

• Arning Andreas
• Petersen Nils

Classifications

• B30B15/32

  Discharging presses · CPC title

• B29C31/002

  Handling tubes, e.g. transferring between shaping stations, loading on mandrels · CPC title

• B30B15/022

  Moulds for compacting material in powder, granular of pasta form · CPC title

• B29C43/04

  using movable moulds · CPC title

• B29C2043/563

  combined with mechanical pressure, i.e. mould plates, rams, stampers · CPC title