Faster tablet and capsule feed system

A faster and more efficient alternative feed system for tablets and capsules was shown by Electro-mec (Reading). After 18 months of development work the company has launched the EMFC range of tablet and capsule feeders designed to operate with the latest generation of continuous motion blisterpacking machines.

As with the existing EMF range for intermittent blisterpacking machines, individual feed tubes are used to dose a single tablet or capsule into each blister form per cycle.

However, rather than the web being static when the blister receives the product, the tablets and capsules are dispensed from a moving slide that synchronises its speed with that of the moving web.

The dispensing operation is controlled by the servo motor, which is linked directly to an encoder installed within the machine's drive system. Thus the feeder always knows the exact status of the web and can adjust its speed immediately to keep pace with the packing operation.

There are two models in the new range. The EMFC1 is suitable for standard sizes and types of tablets and capsules, while the EMFC2 can handle more difficult products, such as awkwardly shaped tablets or items prone to chipping or shingling. This gentle handling is achieved through the use of an additional 'holding' gate to control the entry of the product carefully into a separate final feeding system, which is the only part of the feeding system to move along the web.