Bosch Packaging Technology has introduced the GKF 720 a new, high-precision capsule filling machine for small batches, with an output of 720 capsules per minute. The specially designed platform for a fully automated washable containment process, is designed to ensure efficient and resource-saving processing for all types of hard capsules.

“The system has been specially tailored to the demands of manufacturers of highly potent solid pharmaceuticals,” said Benedict Kleine-Koenig, product manager at Bosch Packaging Technology. “During the development, the focus was on satisfying their high safety requirements, as well as process precision and stability. The OEB5 containment ensures the highest protection for the operator, machine and product, while its minimal water requirements, 100% defective capsule detection and compact design translate into additional cost savings.”

In the first cleaning stage of the GKF 720, the components that come into contact with the product are automatically cleaned from above with 200 milliliters of water, binding the highly potent residual dust. In the second stage, the processing area is manually flushed with ten liters of water maximum, ridding it of any product residue. The specially designed tabletop and the new dosing stations are designed to ensure that no water penetrates the machine room during cleaning.

The GKF 720 is designed for processing powders, pellets and tablets. For pellets and micro-dosed powders in particular, it features an automatic height-adjusting pellet station and a manually height-adjustable dosing disk. Together with the Net Weight Detection System (NWDS) and the integrated gravimetric check weigher, these features allow consistent in-process control (IPC). The regular adjustment of dosed amounts via IPC is designed to ensure a stable, capacitive measuring process throughout the production cycle.     

The GKF 720 is equipped with a flexible plug-and-play station, which supports rapid switching, for instance from pellets to powders. “For our customers, the growing trend toward dosing different solids in small batches of capsules means frequent product changeovers at relatively short intervals,” said Kleine-Koenig. “The machine’s modular design offers them the highest possible flexibility: the system can be converted in less than five minutes. Moreover, the exchange of the modules is so simple and failsafe that even an inexperienced operator can do it.”