Which Capsule Filling Machine is best for your business?

Last month we looked at how to choose the best delivery method for your formulation, and in previous posts we’ve looked at choosing a tablet press for your business.

But having chosen to go down the route of producing your formulations in capsule form, our customers often have some really interesting questions about which model might be right for their application.

So we thought we would share some of these questions and insight into how to choose a capsule filling machine.

The good news is there is a variety of machines in the market to choose from, irrespective of whether you use large or small capsules, coloured or clear. One issue you do need to consider is the capsule size you plan to use.

Most Capsule Filling Machines are typically able to manufacture capsule sizes from #000 to #5, largest to smallest which will cover most needs.

What capsule size should I choose?

In order to choose the right capsule size for your formulation, you need to know two key metrics, the density and the mass of the product you want to encapsulate. There is a mathematical formula that will calculate the space needed for your planned dosage, and this determines the optimum capsule size. Get in touch for further help.

What type of capsule should I choose?

If you don’t have special requirements, gelatin capsules are probably the best choice as they are cheap and readily available. However, gelatin capsules are not suitable for vegans or vegetarians, and this may be important for your marketing.

There are now 2 main types of vegan and vegetarian capsules available – HPMC and Pullulan. HPMC which is made from cellulose and Pullulan is an extract of tapioca roots. As veganism becomes more widespread, we are finding that HPMC capsules and Pullulan capsules are becoming increasingly popular.

Is capsule colour important?

Before purchasing a capsule filler, check that the type and colour of capsule. Some capsules such as the organic vegetarian, chlorophyll, or other types are not available in pre-separated form which negates the use of manual capsule fillers.

If you choose to work with these types of capsules, then you will need at least a semi-automatic capsule filler because they use joined capsules, which the machine separates during the process.

How important is production speed and capacity to you?

If you plan to produce in excess of say a hundred capsules a day, of one or several different product types, you are better choosing a semi-automatic capsule filler.

A semi-automatic capsule filler is quick to set up and can produce up to 25,000 capsule per hour. If you are going to produce less than a couple of hundred capsules per day, then a manual machine is cheaper and will be better.

So, which type capsule filling machine really is best?

Manual capsule filler is just that, like a hand operated tablet press, one capsule is produced each cycle. These machines are relatively low cost, easy in operation and fast in filling, but obviously not best suited to volume production. They can however utilise a wide variety of capsule types.

Semi-Automatic capsule filling machines are mid-priced, simple to use needing only a minimal amount of user training. Semi-Automatic machines can fill thousands of capsules per hour and are suitable for medium size production applications. But typically they only can fill joined capsules with the separation done in process.

Automatic capsule filling machines are at the top end of the market. They need no manual intervention and as such highly productive filling anywhere from 28,000 capsules to 432,000 per hour. They are best suited to mass production and will only fill joined capsules.