How a Single Station Tablet Press Works

Today we’re going to be looking at how a single station tablet press works. Although a rotary press is more complex, compression is still achieved the same way using a set of tooling. A top punch, a bottom punch and a die.

If you’d like to know more about tooling and tooling terminology, please see the links in the description below.

Before compression, your tablet mix can go through multiple stages of Unit Operations from weighing, granulation, milling and blending which all affect the final product.

We’re using LFA’s TDP 5 Desktop tablet press for this example.

The motor powers the belt to the electrical drive wheel which in turn rotates the cam drive cog which rotates the cam bar. The cam bar is keyed which rotates eccentric sheave and rotating the eccentric sheave strap up and down. This moves the upper drift pin assembly which holds the upper punch, up and down, in and out of the die.

Whilst this is happening the lower timing bar lifts and lowers the lower drift assembly which holds the lower punch which will lift and eject the tablet out of the die bore.

Also on the cam bar is the boot timing cam, which moves the timing bar, the timing bar moves the boot back and forth, filling the die bore with the formulation whilst pushing the compressed tablet down the ejection tray.

If we look inside the die we can see the powder filling the die bore, the upper punch coming down and compressing the formulation with 50kN of force and producing a tablet. The tablet is lifted out of the die and ejected. This process is repeated.

After this process your tablets may go through a de-duster to remove excess dust from your tablets or a metal detector to detect metal.