A filling apparatus comprises a filling material reservoir and a filling chamber that is connected to the filling material reservoir with a filling opening configured to dispense filling material into cavities in the rotary press. A first rotatably driven stirrer blade wheel with one or more stirrer blades and a second rotatably driven stirrer blade wheel with one or more stirrer blades are arranged in the filling chamber. The first rotatably driven stirrer blade wheel has at least one of a different geometry, a different direction of rotation, or a different rotary speed, than the second rotatably driven stirrer blade wheel.

A rotary press comprises a press frame and a rotor arranged thereon. The rotor has a die plate, an upper punch receiver receiving upper punches, a lower punch receiver receiving lower punches, an upper cam that guides the upper punches, and a lower cam that guides the lower punches. A rotor drive can drive the rotor rotationally. Within at least one dosing station, material is filled into receivers of the die plate for pressing. An upper pressing station has an upper pressing roller and a lower pressing station has a lower pressing roller. Coupling means couples at least one drive that operates the rotary press to the rotor such that, with movement of the at least one drive, the rotor is raised out of its operating position and into a removal position where the rotor can be removed out of the press frame in a lateral direction.

Horizontally layered tablets, methods of making the horizontally layered tablets, and tableting equipment capable of producing the horizontally layered tablets are described. The horizontally layered tablets can be produced by simultaneously feeding a segregated flow of different compositions that form the respective layers of the tablet.

The invention presented is a die filling apparatus that includes a unique powder feed assembly that includes a novel plurality of vertically stacked drive gear-feed gear pairs that move filling powder through a series of sieves into a die used for compressing powder into a tablet. At least the bottom feed gear includes a plurality of logarithmic vanes or blades with an offset axis of rotation. Also presented is a method to fabricate pellets from powder using an apparatus to form a pellet.

In one embodiment, a method for controlling a manufacturing process can include obstructing a part receiving path of a press station with a part detection fixture. The part detection fixture can include a moveable contact member and a target body that moves in response to motion of the moveable contact member. The moveable contact member of the part detection fixture can obstruct the part receiving path such that the target body of the part detection fixture is positioned in a dissenting state. The target body of the part detection fixture can be positioned in an assenting state coincident with contact between the moveable contact member of the part detection fixture and the workpiece. Image data of the target body of the part detection fixture can be detected with a vision system. The press station can be actuated when the image data is indicative of the assenting state.

In one embodiment, a method for controlling a manufacturing process can include obstructing a part receiving path of a press station with a part detection fixture. The part detection fixture can include a moveable contact member and a target body that moves in response to motion of the moveable contact member. The moveable contact member of the part detection fixture can obstruct the part receiving path such that the target body of the part detection fixture is positioned in a dissenting state. The target body of the part detection fixture can be positioned in an assenting state coincident with contact between the moveable contact member of the part detection fixture and the workpiece. Image data of the target body of the part detection fixture can be detected with a vision system. The press station can be actuated when the image data is indicative of the assenting state.

A drive unit drives a slide which vertically reciprocates for pressing the workpiece. A detection unit detects positional information about the slide. A speed control unit controls the speed of the slide by the drive unit, based on motion information defining operation of the slide. A stoppage determination calculation unit sets a deceleration start point at which deceleration of the slide is to be started, based on the motion information and a set point at which the slide is to be forced to stop. A speed control unit determines whether an abnormality signal regarding transportation of the workpiece is input, when the slide reaches the deceleration start point based on the positional information about the slide detected by the detection unit. The speed control unit performs deceleration control for the slide so that the slide is stopped at the set point, when determining that the abnormality signal is input.

A drive unit drives a slide which vertically reciprocates for pressing the workpiece. A detection unit detects positional information about the slide. A speed control unit controls the speed of the slide by the drive unit, based on motion information defining operation of the slide. A stoppage determination calculation unit sets a deceleration start point at which deceleration of the slide is to be started, based on the motion information and a set point at which the slide is to be forced to stop. A speed control unit determines whether an abnormality signal regarding transportation of the workpiece is input, when the slide reaches the deceleration start point based on the positional information about the slide detected by the detection unit. The speed control unit performs deceleration control for the slide so that the slide is stopped at the set point, when determining that the abnormality signal is input.

Machine and method for compacting a powder material; the machine comprises a compacting device, which is designed to compact the powder material; a conveyor assembly to transport the powder material along a first portion of a given path to the compacting device; and a feeding assembly, which is designed to feed the powder material to the conveyor assembly and comprises a transfer chamber designed to hold and transfer the powder material; movable elements are present at a wall of the transfer chamber.

A rotary press comprises a rotor that can be rotated by a rotary drive. The rotor has an upper punch guide for upper press punches and a lower punch guide for lower press punches and a die plate arranged between the punch guides. The upper and lower press punches are configured interact with cavities of the die plate. A filling device loads filling material into cavities of the die plate and at least one measuring device coupled to the filling device for monitoring the availability of the filling material in the filling device. The rotary press further includes at least one upper pressing device and at least one lower pressing device that are configured to interact with the upper press punches and the lower press punches to press the filling material in the cavities of the die plate into a pellet. An ejection device is configured to eject the pellets. wherein at least one measuring device is arranged on or in the filling device for monitoring the availability of the filling material in the filling device.