Patent GB-1054977-A (GB)
IPC: A61J3/07
Abstract: 1,054,977. Moulding capsules by dipping. R. P. SCHERER CORPORATION. Aug. 4, 1964 [Jan. 20, 1964], No. 31090/64. Heading B5A. [Also in Division B8] In a process for making capsules, body pins BP, Figs. 5, 6 (not shown). on pin bars PB are slowly dipped in a tank 56 containing, e.g. gelatin, to form capsule bodies, the pin bars are inverted and plug pins PP are similarly dipped in a tank 56a to form the capsule plugs, thereafter the pin bars are conveyed through a drying kiln, the capsule bodies and plugs stripped from the pins and the pins greased. Fig. 12 shows diagrammatically the complete moulding process and a filling and closing process is also described (see Division B8). General operation.-Stations 1-4 (numbers circled on drawings) show the abovementioned dippings together with an additional inversion of the pin bars which helps the gelatin assume a uniform thickness on the pins. From station 5 the pin bars are advanced six at a time to the drying kiln DK where they are translated between, and inverted at stations 6-10. The kiln operates at room temperature with flow of air from right to left through the machine and out of an exhaust hood attached to the kiln. At station 11 the pin bars are flopped over one at a time and each is raised so that the capsule plugs, now uppermost, may be stripped from the pins at station 13 of a turret T1. The ttripped plug pins are greased at station 18, the plug bodies are stripped from the body pins at station 20 of a turret T2 and the body pins greased at station 25, the pin bars being formed into groups of six before re-entering station 1. Turrets T1 and T2 are similar in operation conveying the capsule plugs and bodies respectively to a plug trimmer PT and body trimmer BT and thence to sockets SP, SB where the capsule is housed prior to filling and closing. Stripping operation.-At stripping station 13, Fig. 33 (not shown), of turret T1, pin bar PB3 is raised by a post 164 to introduce the capsule plugs P into collets 162, the pin bar being reinforced by a pair of scissor bars 170 which close upon it. Notched stripper plates 163 are moved towards each other by levers 178 and close about the plug pins PP so that on retraction of the latter the plugs are left in the collets 162. Similar stripping action occurs at station 20 for the capsule bodies. Trimming operation.-Fig. 31 (not reproduced), shows the body trimmer BT at station 21, the capsule bodies being pushed from adjacent collets 162 by pins 192, Fig. 33 (not shown), on to arbors 196a having grooves 204a. Trimming discs 205a adjacent these grooves are rotated, 180 degrees clockwise for one cycle of operation and 180 degrees anticlockwise in the succeeding cycle, and arbors 196a are also rotated to effect trimming of the open ends. Push pins 210a and a stripper bar 224a return the trimmed bodies to the collets 162 and a gate 197a, which descends on to the pins 210a when extended, subsequently removes the waste rings from the arbors 196a. The cap trimmer at station 14 is similar in operation. Pin greasing operation.-The pins PP at station 18, Fig. 33 (not shown), are greased by lowering of the pin bar and simultaneous raising of the pin greasers PG which contain felt rings charged with grease, Fig. 17 (nor shown). The body pins BP are similarly greased at station 25. The machine is built in replaceable units, Fig. 11A (not shown) to facilitate maintenance and, e.g. replacement of pin bars with others having differently sized pins.