Tamping punch station and method of filling capsules in a tamping punch station

A method for filling capsules with filling material in a tamping punch station of a capsule filling machine, the tamping punch station comprising a rotatably drivable dosing disk, which comprises a group of bore holes, the dosing disk being movable through a cycle that includes a rest time, during which the dosing disk remains stationary, and a switch time, during which the dosing disk is movable between a plurality of positions, a filling device for filling the bore holes with the filling material, a punch support that is vertically moveable, a group of tamping punches and a group of ejection punches held on the punch support, wherein through vertical movement of the punch support the group of tamping punches for pressing the filling material into the bore holes and the group of ejection punches for ejecting pellets created by the tamping punches in the bore holes are moved into the bore holes, a first drive device for incremental rotation of the dosing disk along the group of tamping punches and the group of ejection punches, and a second drive device for vertical movement of the punch support, the method comprising:

• rotating the dosing disk into a rotational position in which the group of bore holes is aligned with the group of tamping punches using the first drive device;
• moving, using the second drive device, the punch support vertically so as to move the group of tamping punches for pressing the filling material filled in the bore holes into pellets into the bore holes, wherein the group of tamping punches is held for a pressure hold time in the bore holes and then retracted from the bore holes;
• rotating the dosing disk into a rotational position in which the bore holes are aligned with the group of ejection punches using the first drive device;
• and
• moving the punch support vertically so as to move the group of ejection punches into the bore holes for ejection of the pellets created by the group of tamping punches in the bore holes, wherein:
• the pressure hold time of the group of tamping punches is varied between different filling processes through variable control of at least one of the first drive device or the second drive device,
• the second drive device is operable separately from the first drive device such that rotating the dosing disk is varied independent of moving the punch support to allow for variation in a ratio between the rest time and the switch time,
• the second drive device comprises at least two spindle drives acting on the punch support, each spindle drive having a respective spindle nut and a respective vertical drive spindle having a first end extending through a holding plate, a second end fastened to the punch support, and guided in the spindle nut, and the holding plate extending in parallel with the dosing disk and having a first surface facing the dosing disk and a second surface opposite from the first surface, and
• the second drive device comprises at least two drive motors, each drive motor axially fixedly mounting one of the spindle nuts against the second surface of the holding plate, and driving one of the spindle drives for the vertical movement of the punch support by rotationally driving the one of the spindle nuts to vertically move the first end of the respective vertical drive spindle relative to the holding plate.