EP-4737108-A1 - COMPRESSION MOLDING MACHINE

EP4737108A1EP 4737108 A1EP4737108 A1EP 4737108A1EP-4737108-A1

Abstract

A compression molding machine (A) includes a turret (3) including a die table (31) having die bores (4) penetrating the die table (31), an upper punch (5) and a lower punch (6) slidably retained above and below each of the die bores (4), the compression molding machine (A) being of a rotary type configured to horizontally rotate the turret (3), fill the die bore (4) passing below a feeder with a powdery material containing a lubricant from the feeder, and compression mold the powdery material filled in the die bore (4) when the upper punch (5) and the lower punch (6) being paired pass between an upper roll (14) and a lower roll (15) to produce a molded product. The feeder includes an agitating rotor configured to agitate the powdery material therein, and during trial operation of producing molded products at reduced rotational speed of the turret (3) in comparison to normal operation for mass production of molded products, the compression molding machine (A) measures load torque of a motor configured to drive to rotate the agitating rotor in the feeder or current flowing in a coil of the motor, and controls to reduce rotational speed of the agitating rotor in the feeder if the load torque or the current is large beyond a predetermined value.

Inventors

FUSHIMI, Shinsuke

Assignees

Kikusui Seisakusho Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20250826

Claims (4)

A compression molding machine (A) comprising a turret (3) including a die table (31) having die bores (4) penetrating the die table (31), an upper punch (5) and a lower punch (6) slidably retained above and below each of the die bores (4), the compression molding machine (A) being of a rotary type configured to horizontally rotate the turret (3), fill the die bore (4) passing below a feeder (X) with a powdery material containing a lubricant from the feeder (X), and compression mold the powdery material filled in the die bore (4) when the upper punch (5) and the lower punch (6) being paired pass between an upper roll (12, 14) and a lower roll (13, 15) to produce a molded product, wherein the feeder (X) includes an agitating rotor (X1) configured to agitate the powdery material therein, and the compression molding machine (A) is configured such that, during trial operation of producing molded products at reduced rotational speed of the turret (3) in comparison to normal operation for mass production of molded products, the compression molding machine (A) measures load torque of a motor (X4) configured to drive to rotate the agitating rotor (X1) in the feeder (X) or current flowing in a coil of the motor (X4), and controls to reduce rotational speed of the agitating rotor (X1) in the feeder (X) if the load torque or the current is large beyond a predetermined value.
A compression molding machine (A) comprising a turret (3) including a die table (31) having die bores (4) penetrating the die table (31), an upper punch (5) and a lower punch (6) slidably retained above and below each of the die bores (4), the compression molding machine (A) being of a rotary type configured to horizontally rotate the turret (3), fill the die bore (4) passing below a feeder (X) with a powdery material containing a lubricant from the feeder (X), and compression mold the powdery material filled in the die bore (4) when the upper punch (5) and the lower punch (6) being paired pass between an upper roll (12, 14) and a lower roll (13, 15) to produce a molded product, wherein the compression molding machine (A) is accompanied by a powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) including an agitating rotor (Z44) configured to agitate the powdery material mixed with the lubricant and simultaneously feeding the feeder (X) with the powdery material thus mixed, and the compression molding machine (A) is configured such that, during trial operation of producing molded products at reduced rotational speed of the turret (3) in comparison to normal operation for mass production of molded products, the compression molding machine (A) measures load torque of a motor configured to drive to rotate the agitating rotor (Z44) of the powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) or current flowing in a coil of the motor, and controls to reduce rotational speed of the agitating rotor (Z44) of the powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) if the load torque or the current is large beyond a predetermined value.
A compression molding machine (A) comprising a turret (3) including a die table (31) having die bores (4) penetrating the die table (31), an upper punch (5) and a lower punch (6) slidably retained above and below each of the die bores (4), the compression molding machine (A) being of a rotary type configured to horizontally rotate the turret (3), fill the die bore (4) passing below a feeder (X) with a powdery material containing a lubricant from the feeder (X), and compression mold the powdery material filled in the die bore (4) when the upper punch (5) and the lower punch (6) being paired pass between an upper roll (12, 14) and a lower roll (13, 15) to produce a molded product, wherein the compression molding machine (A) is accompanied by a powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) including an agitating rotor (Z44) configured to agitate the powdery material mixed with the lubricant and simultaneously feeding the feeder (X) with the powdery material thus mixed, the feeder (X) includes an agitating rotor (X1) configured to agitate the powdery material therein, and the compression molding machine (A) is configured such that, during trial operation of producing molded products at reduced rotational speed of the turret (3) in comparison to normal operation for mass production of molded products, the compression molding machine (A) measures load torque of a motor configured to drive to rotate the agitating rotor (Z44) of the powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) or current flowing in a coil of the motor, and controls to reduce rotational speed of the agitating rotor (X1) in the feeder (X) if the load torque or the current is large beyond a predetermined value.
A compression molding machine (A) comprising a turret (3) including a die table (31) having die bores (4) penetrating the die table (31), an upper punch (5) and a lower punch (6) slidably retained above and below each of the die bores (4), the compression molding machine (A) being of a rotary type configured to horizontally rotate the turret (3), fill the die bore (4) passing below a feeder (X) with a powdery material containing a lubricant from the feeder (X), and compression mold the powdery material filled in the die bore (4) when the upper punch (5) and the lower punch (6) being paired pass between an upper roll (12, 14) and a lower roll (13, 15) to produce a molded product, wherein the compression molding machine (A) is accompanied by a powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) including an agitating rotor (Z44) configured to agitate the powdery material mixed with the lubricant and simultaneously feeding the feeder (X) with the powdery material thus mixed, the feeder includes an agitating rotor (X1) configured to agitate the powdery material therein, and the compression molding machine (A) is configured such that, during trial operation of producing molded products at reduced rotational speed of the turret (3) in comparison to normal operation for mass production of molded products, the compression molding machine (A) measures load torque of a motor (X4) configured to drive to rotate the agitating rotor (X1) in the feeder (X) or current flowing in a coil of the motor (X4), and controls to reduce rotational speed of the agitating rotor (Z44) of the powdery material mixing and feeding device (Z) if the load torque or the current is large beyond a predetermined value.

Description

Field of the Invention The invention relates to a compression molding machine configured to compress a powdery material and mold a tablet of a pharmaceutical product, a food product, an electronic component, or the like. Background of the Invention There has been known a rotary compression molding machine including a turret including a die table having an outer circumferential portion including a large number of die bores, and an upper punch and a lower punch slidably retained above and below each of the die bores, and configured to horizontally rotate the die bores and the punches together and fill each of the die bores with a powdery material when the die bore passes just below a powdery material filling device to compression mold or tablet the powdery material in the die bore when the paired upper and lower punches pass between an upper roll and a lower roll. The filling device mounted in the rotary compression molding machine is typically configured as an agitated feeder incorporating a rotatable agitating rotor and configured to inject a powdery material into a die bore while agitating the powdery material. The feeder of the compression molding machine is fed with a powdery material from a powdery material mixing and feeding device. A powdery material feeding device mixes a plurality of powdery materials (a principal agent (main ingredient), an excipient, a lubricant, and the like for production of a pharmaceutical tablet) and then deliver the mixed powdery materials toward the feeder (see JP 2021 000647 A or the like). A method of adding a lubricant to powdery materials obtained by mixing a principal agent, an excipient, and the like to feed a compression molding machine with the powdery materials, and compression molding the mixed powdery materials in the molding machine to obtain a molded product is called an "internal lubrication method". This processing is to prevent part of the mixed powdery materials from adhering to an inner circumferential surface of a die bore or a tip end surface of a punch of the molding machine and obtaining a partially missing molded product. Specific examples of the lubricant include magnesium stearate and talc. These lubricants have expansibility. It is thus unpreferred to add a lubricant to a powdery material as a raw material for molded products, mix together, and then continuously agitate the mixed powdery materials. The lubricant is kneaded in a way to expand and coat powdery material particles of the principal agent, the excipient, and the like to possibly disturb compression moldability of the powdery materials in the molding machine and deteriorate elution properties of the principal agent in the completed molded product, that is, affect quality of the molded product. During normal operation for mass production of molded products with use of the compression molding machine, the turret of the molding machine rotates at high speed and the feeder quickly fills the die bores in the die table with mixed powdery materials a large amount of which are thus consumed. This also increases a flow rate of powdery materials fed from the powdery material mixing and feeding device to the feeder of the molding machine. Accordingly, the powdery materials are less likely to stay in the feeder and the powdery material mixing and feeding device, and the powdery materials containing an internal lubricant are agitated and mixed at a degree that does not increase excessively. On an actual production site for molded products, trial operation of the compression molding machine is executed prior to actual normal operation for mass production of molded products. Trial operation is important for optimization of tableting conditions for mass production of molded products (rotational speed of the turret in the molding machine, an amount of the powdery material to be filled in each die bore (a position of the lower punch in the die bore (height of a bottom of the die bore)), pressure to compress the powdery material (positions of the upper and lower rolls configured to press the punches), rotational speed of the agitating rotor incorporated in the feeder, and the like). Parameters of the conditions differ for each type of molded products to be produced, and are finely adjusted also depending on properties of the powdery material, temperature, humidity, and the like. Trial operation is executed again also after replacement of any of members such as molds like dies or punches and a rail configured to guide the punches. The rotational speed of the turret in the compression molding machine is intentionally reduced during trial operation in comparison to normal operation. This is also for reducing as much as possible the amount of the powdery material consumed during trial operation. The amount of the powdery material filled in the die bores of the die table from the feeder is thus reduced per unit time, so that the powdery material stays in the feeder and subsequently stays in the powdery material