Isopak Limited

The BD 3000 capsule banding machine from Dott Bonapace is a fully automatic unit that has an output of 3,000 capsules per hour, and complements the In-Cap capsule filling machine.

This unit seals the two portions of the filled capsule together by rotating it in a sealing station while a rotating disc transfers an appropriate sealing solution onto the area where the portions join.

The sealing solution can be at ambient temperature for HPMC capsules while a heated water bath ensures the gelatine sealing solution is maintained at the required temperature for hard gelatine capsules.

Although primarily designed for sealing capsules filled with liquids, thus preventing leakage, the unit is also used to close any gaps and crevices between the two sections of each capsule. This allows for subsequent effective enteric coating with minimal material usage for controlled release products, regardless of the capsule filling.

Each capsule is accurately located in the sealing area to ensure the sealant is applied in exactly the right location at the junction of the body and the cap, ensuring a perfectly tight seal. The unit also contains a drying station, complete with 240 cavities to hold the sealed capsules vertically while they dry before they are automatically ejected.  An integral control panel shows the temperature of the sealing solution and features a regulator to control the speed of the capsule rotation in the sealing station. This varies for different capsule sizes.

The unit is fully automatic yet compact enough to allow for bench mounting while being easy to use, simple to strip down and clean yet quick to change from running one sized capsule to another by means of specific change parts.