Steve Osborn, I Holland’s tablet design and multi-tipped tooling expert looks at increasing tablet production and efficiency using multi-tip tooling.
As the demand for improved productivity within modern tablet production grows, the need to increase tablet output in an economical way is a key factor to consider.
The most effective way to fulfil this requirement is through multi-tip tooling which offers a number of benefits, including greater productivity and a reduction in run-time per output of tablets. Multi-tip tooling also reduces the press set up time for the quantity of tablets produced and can exclude the requirement to purchase a new tablet press to increase production.
Here we look at the benefits of multi-tip tooling:
What is a multi-tipped punch and how can it benefit production?
Multi-tipped punches are conceptually as simple as they sound, punches with more than one tip. This can range from a simple two tip punch to a punch with often up to somewhere in the region of 26 tips per punch face. Depending on tablet design it may be more than this.
Multi-tip tooling has transformed the way tablets are produced and it is now considered the most productive form of tablet manufacture.
Successful implementation of multi-tipped tooling can eliminate the need to invest in expensive tablet presses, therefore reducing the overall capital spend. The number of tool set-ups required per production batch can also be reduced and product batches are completed quickly decreasing the overall time required to produce the product.
Of course this reduction leads to other benefits from the reduction in energy consumption due to the press running for shorter periods of time, to reduced man hours required per press. The cost to maintain the machine is also reduced, whilst overall press availability will be increased making time for additional production.
Another less obvious benefit is in the production of tablets which need to be compressed within a very short time of the formulation being prepared. The use of multi-tips enables the formulation to be processed quickly with optimum conditions.
Why are multi-tips the best option for improving tablet productivity?
If your requirement for tablet manufacture is to increase production capacity within a short time frame, multi-tips are considered to be the best solution. They can eliminate the expense and time delay that can be experienced waiting for new capital projects to be approved and implemented. They can also drive a reduction in plant running costs without decreasing output and reduce the time required to get them to market.
With the combination of correctly designed tablets and well manufactured multi-tip tooling, using the correct raw material and coatings, the use of multi-tips is the obvious answer to greater productivity, and a reduction in run-time per output of tablets, leading to less maintenance per batch and reduced press set-up time, which in turn reduces costs.
An example of the benefits gained from multi-tips in production
I Holland was approached by a customer who required increased tablet output, but without incurring costly expenditure on additional tablet presses. The machine being utilised for production of this particular tablet was a Korsch PH800, 77 Station Press. Single tip punches were being used initially, which gave a theoretical maximum tablet output of approximately 831,000 tablets per hour.
In reality, the machine was running at 80% of maximum speed (which is quite typical) and actual tablet output was around 665,000 tablets per hour.
In order to increase tablet output I Holland suggested using multi-two tooling. During trials, tablet output was increased to 1 million tablets per hour at a press speed of 60% resulting in a 66% increase in productivity. But there was further potential for increased productivity, so I Holland provided multi-three tooling. This reached an output of nearly 1.5 million tablets per hour, which was an impressive 125% improvement on the original numbers.
In this instance, production time per batch reduced from 14.5 to 8.5 hours which represents a significant improvement for the customer.
Another example of the successful implementation of multi-tip tooling was with the installation of monoblock multi-two tooling onto a high speed Fette press with a segmented die table. Initially running at 900 RPM with a single tip, resulting in 900,000 tablets being produced per hour. The customer required a greater output so I Holland increased the machine speed to 1200 RPMMP using monoblock multi two tooling and increased tablet output to 2.4 million tablets per hour.
By simply adding multi-tip tooling, both of these companies increased tablet output without the need for expensive machine replacement, therefore providing significant gains to the tablet manufacturers.