ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the various types of capsule filling machines, their operations, processes and capabilities, and various types of capsule filling support equipment currently in use. Capsule filling machines employ a variety of mechanisms to handle the various dosage ingredients. The dosator principle is employed by numerous fully automatic capsule filling machines. The dosator consists of a hollow metal tube with a spring-loaded adjustable piston that is volumetrically adjusted to capture the powder dose. The compression filling method is employed by certain models of Qualicaps filling machines. It is a modified version of the Tamping Pin/Dosing Disc method that employs four subhoppers, tapping rods, and a powder molding plate. The Xcelodose precision powder micro-dosing systems use the "pepper-pot" principle to dispense dose weights as low as 100 µg, and can precisely, accurately, and repeatedly fill capsules and other small dose containers without excipients or bulking agents.
