FILLING APPARATUS FOR A ROTARY PRESS AND A SYSTEM FOR CONTINUOUSLY PROCESSING PULVERULENT PRODUCTS

Abstract

A filling apparatus for filling cavities of a rotary press includes a filling chamber defining an inlet opening through which filling material enters the filling chamber and an outlet opening through which filling material exits into the cavities of the rotary press. A conveyor wheel is positioned in the filling chamber and defines a plurality of conveyor pockets structured to receive the filing material. The conveyor wheel is rotatable relative to the filling chamber about an axis of rotation arranged at an angle (α) to a vertical axis. The plurality of conveyor pockets are arranged along a circular path and are rotated along the inlet opening and along the outlet opening when the conveyor wheel is rotated about the axis of rotation. The filling material received in each of the plurality of the plurality of conveyor pockets is conveyed from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

Claims

1. A filling apparatus configured to fill cavities of a rotary press, comprising: a filling chamber including an inlet opening through which filling material enters the filling chamber; an outlet opening through which filling material exits into the cavities of the rotary press; and a conveyor wheel positioned in the filling chamber and defining a plurality of conveyor pockets structured to receive the filing material, wherein the conveyor wheel is rotatable relative to the filling chamber about an axis of rotation arranged at an angle (α) to a vertical axis, wherein the plurality of conveyor pockets are arranged along a circular path and are rotated along the inlet opening and along the outlet opening when the conveyor wheel is rotated about the axis of rotation, and wherein the filling material received in each of the plurality of conveyor pockets is conveyed from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

2. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of conveyor pockets are arranged on a perimeter of the conveyor wheel.

3. The filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of conveyor pockets rotate below the inlet opening and above the outlet opening when the conveyor wheel is rotated about the axis of rotation.

4. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inlet opening is positioned at a highest position of the conveyor wheel, and wherein that the outlet opening is positioned at a lowest position of the conveyor wheel.

5. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of conveyor pockets each comprise an upper side and a lower side, wherein each of the plurality of conveyor pockets are open on the upper side and the lower side.

6. The filling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the conveyor wheel comprises a plurality of lateral walls, wherein adjacent lateral walls delimit a conveyor pocket between them.

7. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper side of the comprises a cover, and wherein a distance between the conveyor wheel and the cover is less than 5 mm.

8. The filling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the distance is not greater than 1 mm.

9. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filling chamber further comprises a base, and wherein a distance between the conveyor wheel and the base of the filling chamber is less than 5 mm.

10. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filling chamber further comprises a base, wherein the base is tilted at the angle (α) relative to the vertical axis at least in a region swept over by the plurality of conveyor pockets.

11. The filling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the base of the filling chamber is configured conically at least in a region swept over by the conveyor pockets.

12. The filling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the base of the filling chamber is configured perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

13. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor wheel is configured to convey filling material from the plurality of conveyor pockets into the outlet opening by centrifugal force as the conveyor wheel rotates about the axis of rotation.

14. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a conveyed path of the filling material from the inlet opening to the outlet opening is such that each redirection of a flow direction of the filling material is smaller than 90°.

15. The filling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control apparatus configured to control an amount of at least one of: (1) the filling material supplied to the cavities; and (ii) a filling pressure when filling the cavities with the filling material.

16. A rotary press comprising: a rotor configured to rotate and comprising, an upper punch guide for upper pressing punches, and a lower punch guide for lower pressing punches; a die plate defining a plurality of cavities and positioned between the punch guides, wherein the upper and lower pressing punches interact with plurality of cavities; at least one upper pressing apparatus; at least one lower pressing apparatus, wherein the upper and lower pressing apparatus interact during the upper and lower pressing punches; a filling apparatus comprising, a filling chamber including an inlet opening through which filling material enters the filling chamber, an outlet opening through which filling material exits into the cavities of the rotary press, and a conveyor wheel positioned in the filling chamber and defining a plurality of conveyor pockets structured to receive the filing material, wherein the conveyor wheel is rotatable relative to the filling chamber about an axis of rotation arranged at an angle (α) to a vertical axis; and an ejector apparatus; wherein the plurality of conveyor pockets are arranged along a circular path and are rotated along the inlet opening and along the outlet opening when the conveyor wheel is rotated about the axis of rotation, wherein the filling material received in each of the plurality of conveyor pockets is conveyed from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and filled into the plurality of cavities of the die plate, wherein the upper and lower pressing punches press the filling material in the plurality of cavities of the die plate to form pellets, and wherein pellets generated in the cavities are ejected from the rotary press.

17. A system for continuously processing pulverulent products comprising the rotary press of claim 16 including a press inlet, comprising: at least two system inlets configured to receive pulverulent products; and a mixer configured to continuously mix the pulverulent products, wherein the mixer comprises at least one mixer inlet connected to the at least two system inlets, and a mixer outlet configured receive filling material mixed in the mixer, wherein the filling material is conveyed from the mixer outlet to the inlet of the rotary press.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in greater detail below based on figures. Schematically:

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a system for continuously processing pulverulent products;

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of a rotary press of the system shown in FIG. 1 illustrating an unrolled representation of the rotor;

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a filling apparatus;

[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the cover of the filling chamber removed;

[0036] FIG. 5 illustrates a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3;

[0037] FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the embodiment from FIG. 3; and

[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the filling chamber of the filling apparatus from the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the conveyor wheel removed.

[0039] The same reference signs refer to the same objects in the figures unless indicated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a system for continuously processing pulverulent products, comprising a rotary press 10, presently a rotary tablet press 10. The rotary tablet press 10 is arranged in a housing 12. A module housing 14 is arranged next to the rotary tablet press 10 on the same ground. In FIG. 1, the module housing 14 is shown with the doors 16 opened for purposes of illustration. The housing 12 of the rotary tablet press 10 has windows 18 which can also be opened for access to the rotary tablet press 10.

[0041] The module housing 14 has on its upper side three system inlets 20, 22, 24 through which the pulverulent products can be supplied, for example, active pharmaceutical ingredients and/or excipients. Each of the inlets 20, 22, 24 has a metering apparatus 26, 28, 30 through which the supplied pulverulent products are metered. In the example shown, a supply funnel 32, to which the pulverulent products supplied through the inlets 20, 22, 24 and the metering apparatuses 26, 28, 30 are conducted, is located downstream of the inlets 20, 22, 24 with the metering apparatuses 26, 28, 30. The outlet of the supply funnel 32 is connected to a mixer inlet 34 of a mixer 36. In the example shown, the mixer 36 has a horizontal mixer tube 38 in which a mixing apparatus is arranged, for example, a rotatable mixing auger. In the mixer tube 38, the pulverulent products supplied via the supply funnel 32 are mixed to form a product mixture, namely a filling material, which is provided at a mixer outlet 40 of the mixer. The mixer outlet 40 is in connection with an, in the example shown, funnel-shaped conveyor reservoir 42 of a conveyor apparatus 44. The conveyor apparatus 44 also comprises a conveyor hose 46 connected to the outlet of the conveyor reservoir 42, the other end of which is connected via an outlet hopper 48 to a press inlet 50 on the upper side of the housing 12 of the rotary tablet press 10. In the example shown, the conveyor apparatus 44 is a pneumatic vacuum conveyor apparatus 44. Accordingly, the conveyor apparatus 44 has a vacuum hose 52 and a vacuum generating unit 54. The vacuum generating unit 54 generates, via the vacuum hose 52, a vacuum at the outlet of the conveyor hose 46, by means of which the product mixture located in the conveyor reservoir 42 is conveyed through the conveyor hose 46 into the outlet hopper 48 and to the press inlet 50 of the rotary tablet press 10. For this purpose, an outlet valve at the outlet of the conveyor hose 46 opens intermittently and then closes again after the respectively conveyed product amount has been let out. Then, this cycle is repeated so that the product mixture is conveyed intermittently out of the conveyor reservoir 42 from the mixer outlet 40 located at a vertically lower level to the press inlet 50 of the rotary tablet press 10 arranged at a vertically higher level. In the rotary tablet press 10, tablets are produced from the supplied product mixture forming the filling material in a manner explained in more detail below, wherein the tablets are discharged at a press outlet 56 of the rotary tablet press 10, where they can be supplied to further processing, for example, dedusting and/or packaging.

[0042] The system shown in FIG. 1 serves to continuously process pulverulent products to form pellets produced in the rotary press 10, in the example shown in particular to form tablets pressed in the rotary tablet press 10. The system can be contained, as explained above.

[0043] In FIG. 2, a rotary tablet press 10 used, for example, in the system shown in FIG. 1 is shown in an unrolled representation of the rotor. The rotary tablet press shown in FIG. 2 comprises a rotor rotatingly driven by a rotary drive (not shown in detail) with a die plate 62 having a plurality of cavities 64. The cavities 64 can be formed, for example, by bores in the die plate 62. The rotor further comprises a plurality of upper pressing punches 68 guided in an upper punch guide 66 and a plurality of lower pressing punches 72 guided in a lower punch guide 70, which run synchronously with the die plate 62. Each pair of an upper pressing punch 68 and a lower pressing punch 72 is associated with a cavity 64. The axial movement of the upper pressing punches 68 and lower pressing punches 72 in the course of the rotation of the rotor is controlled by upper control curve elements 74 and lower control curve elements 76. The rotary tablet press also comprises a filling apparatus 78 according to the invention. The filling apparatus 78 comprises a funnel-shaped filling material reservoir 82 which is in connection with a filling chamber 80 via a filling tube 84. In this manner, in the present example, the pulverulent filling material enters into the filling chamber 80 through the filling tube 84 due to gravity and out of it again into the cavities 64 of the die plate 62. In addition, the rotary tablet press comprises an upper pressing apparatus 86 and a lower pressing apparatus 87. The upper pressing apparatus 86 has an upper preliminary pressing apparatus with an upper preliminary pressing roller 88 and the lower pressing apparatus comprises a lower preliminary pressing apparatus with a lower preliminary pressing roller 90. The upper pressing apparatus 86 also an upper main pressing apparatus with an upper main pressing roller 92 and the lower pressing apparatus 87 comprises a lower main pressing apparatus with a lower main pressing roller 94. When passing through the pressing apparatuses 86, 87, the upper and lower pressing punches 68, 72 are pushed into the cavities 64 and in the process press the filling material filled into the cavities 64 to form tablets 100. The rotary tablet press further comprises an ejector apparatus 96, in the present case with a stripper 98 which supplies the tablets 100 produced in the rotary press and conveyed by the lower pressing punches 72 and the upper side of the die plate 62 to a tablet discharge 102. A control apparatus 104 controls the operation of the rotary press and is connected inter alia to the rotary drive of the rotor via lines (not shown in detail).

[0044] Based on FIGS. 3 to 6, the embodiment of the filling apparatus 78 according to the invention shall be explained in more detail. The lower end of the filling tube 84 forms an inlet opening 106 of the filling chamber 80 through which the filling material enters from the filling tube 84 into the filling chamber 80 due to gravity. The upper side of the filling chamber 80 is closed by a cover 110 fastened by means of screw connections 108. The cover 110 is not shown in FIG. 4 for purposes of illustration. As can be seen in the figures, the filling chamber 80 is arranged at an angle tilted to the horizontal, for example at an angle between 30° and 60°. As can be seen in particular in the section view in FIG. 5, the base 112 of the filling chamber is designed in the shape of a truncated cone. A conveyor wheel 114 is arranged in the filling chamber 80 to be rotatable around a drive shaft 119 about an axis of rotation 118 aligned at an angle α (see FIG. 5) to the vertical 116 by means of a rotary drive (not shown in detail), for example an electric motor. The angle α can be, for example, in a range between 30° and 60°. On its radially outer perimeter, the conveyor wheel 114 has a plurality of conveyor pockets 120 which are arranged along a circular path and each of which are delimited by adjacent side walls 122 and are open on their upper and lower sides. The filling tube 84 is arranged so that filling material falls from the filling tube 84 through the inlet opening 106 into the conveyor pockets 120 of the conveyor wheel 114 rotating below the inlet opening 106 so that the filling material received in the conveyor pockets 120 is further conveyed along the circular path to an outlet opening 124 arranged on the lower side of the filling chamber 80 (see FIG. 6).

[0045] In this manner, the filling material is actively conveyed by the conveyor pockets 120 from the inlet opening 106 to the outlet opening 124. The inlet opening 106 is arranged at a highest position of the conveyor wheel 114 and the outlet opening 124 is arranged at a lowest position of the conveyor wheel 114. As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the base 112 of the filling chamber 80 is designed tilted in relation to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 118 in the region swept over by the conveyor pockets 120, according to the truncated cone shape explained above. The trough-shaped embodiment of the filling chamber 80 achieved by the truncated cone can be seen particularly well in FIG. 7, in which, in addition to the filling tube 84 and the cover 110, the conveyor wheel 114 is also not shown for purposes of illustration. This reliably prevents product buildup and dead spaces in the conveyor pockets 120. Here, the filling material received in the conveyor pockets 120 is conveyed into the outlet opening 124 and thus into the cavities 64 of the rotary press 10 by centrifugal force in the course of the rotation of the conveyor wheel 114. As can be seen, for example, in FIG. 5, the conveyed path of the filling material from the inlet opening 106 to the outlet opening 124 is such that redirections of the flow direction of the filling material are each smaller than 90°.

[0046] A control apparatus, for example the control apparatus 104 of the rotary press 10, can control the rotary drive of the conveyor wheel 114, in particular its rotational speed, and thus the rotational speed of the conveyor wheel 114 in order to control in a suitable manner the amount of filling material supplied to the cavities 64 and/or the filling pressure when filling the cavities 64 with filling material.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0047] 10 Rotary tablet press [0048] 12 Housing [0049] 14 Module housing [0050] 16 Doors [0051] 18 Windows [0052] 20 System inlet [0053] 22 System inlet [0054] 24 System inlet [0055] 26 Metering apparatus [0056] 28 Metering apparatus [0057] 30 Metering apparatus [0058] 32 Supply funnel [0059] 34 Mixer inlet [0060] 36 Mixer [0061] 38 Mixer tube [0062] 40 Mixer outlet [0063] 42 Conveyor reservoir [0064] 44 Conveyor apparatus [0065] 46 Conveyor hose [0066] 48 Outlet hopper [0067] 50 Press inlet [0068] 52 Vacuum hose [0069] 54 Vacuum generating unit [0070] 56 Press outlet [0071] 62 Die plate [0072] 64 Cavities [0073] 66 Upper punch guide [0074] 68 Upper pressing punches [0075] 70 Lower punch guide [0076] 72 Lower pressing punches [0077] 74 Upper control curve elements [0078] 76 Lower control curve elements [0079] 78 Filling apparatus [0080] 80 Filling chamber [0081] 82 Filling material reservoir [0082] 84 Filling tube [0083] 86 Upper pressing apparatus [0084] 87 Lower pressing apparatus [0085] 88 Upper preliminary pressing roller [0086] 90 Lower preliminary pressing roller [0087] 92 Upper main pressing roller [0088] 94 Lower main pressing roller [0089] 96 Ejector apparatus [0090] 98 Stripper [0091] 100 Tablets [0092] 102 Tablet discharge [0093] 104 Control apparatus [0094] 106 Inlet opening [0095] 108 Screw connections [0096] 110 Cover [0097] 112 Base [0098] 114 Conveyor wheel [0099] 116 Vertical [0100] 118 Axis of rotation [0101] 119 Drive shaft [0102] 120 Conveyor pockets [0103] 122 Side walls [0104] 124 Outlet opening