To control the quality and weight of capsules, we need to understanding of every aspect of a capsule filling machine dosing disc. All these revolve around calculating a proper thickness of the dosing disc.

Normally, the dosing disc thickness calculation of capsule filling machines is a difficult process that is done during the manufacturing process. In most cases, a capsule filling machine will come with different types of dosing discs depending on the type or size of capsule you intend to fill.

Now, this brings us to an integral aspect we need to consider when calculating the thickness of capsule filling machine dosing discs.

How Size of Capsules Affect Size of Dosing Disc Thickness

The modern capsule filling machines can fill a wide range of capsule sizes. This makes them suitable for a wide range of applications. It is for this reason that the manufacturer will specify the specific capsule sizes which can use with a given dosing disc thickness.

Remember, the dosing disc thickness will also affect other vital components and specifications of a capsule filling machine.

How Dosing Disc Thickness Affect Other Part Specifications of Capsule Fillers

The thickness of a capsule filling machine dosing disc influence the size of other components such as height of filling rod retainer and furthermore, a change in the height of the filling rod will affect both the density and volume of the powder.

Station	1	2	3	4	5
Depth into Dosing Disc	9	5	3	2	0.5

Clearly, we can see that the correct specifications of the dosing disc dimensions will affect the efficiency and accuracy of the capsule fill weights. Therefore, we have to perform a wide range of tests based on a number of parameters such as:

• Type of motion – the disc is normally subjected to a rotary indexing motion.
• How the powder moves from the hopper to the disc
• The magnitude of centrifugal force that carries the powder to outer edges of the disc
• Magnitude of the compression force

In the modern capsule filling setups in pharmaceutical industries, there are different test mechanisms that simulate the operation of capsule filling machines. With this, it’s easy to tell the dosing disc thickness a capsule filling process requires.

How Product Formulations Affect Dosing Disc Thickness

For different product formulations, we may required multiple dosing discs with different thickness.

But, why is this so?

A light, fluffy and a bulk heavy density product will require capsule filler dosing discs with different thickness. Therefore, we need to understand the key properties of the fill material.

Conclusion

In short, the dosing disc thickness of a capsule filling machine will determine the accuracy, precision, reliability and predictable performance of the machine. Normally, the capsule filling machine manufacturer will provide a guideline on this and remember that all the necessary calculations are done during the manufacturing process.

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