Machine and method for filling capsules

A filling machine for filling capsules or similar containers with a product in powder, granules, tablets, micro-tablets, delayed-action drugs or similar, comprising a rotating transfer turret, arranged to transfer said capsules through successive operating stations and provided with at least seats to house bodies and caps of said capsules, and at least one dosing station that is arranged to fill said bodies with a product picked-up from a tank and comprising a supporting element and at least one dosing unit mounted on said supporting element and comprising a hollow and inferiorly open dosing cylinder and a respective piston, said supporting element being movable by a first moving system along two operating directions at least between a lowered picking position, in which said dosing unit is inserted in said tank, and a dosing position, in which said dosing unit is aligned with and facing a body of a capsule, said respective piston of said dosing unit being movable by a second moving system inside said dosing cylinder between a first internal position to form inside said dosing cylinder a dosing chamber suitable for picking up and retaining a dose of product, a second internal position to reduce a volume of said dosing chamber and compress said product dose in said dosing chamber in said lowered picking position of said supporting element, and an external position to push said dose out of said dosing cylinder and release the dose into a body in said dosing position of said supporting element.