Rotary tablet press with torque motor drive assembly including a retractable drive shaft

A rotary tablet press comprising:

• a press housing having bottom and top ends, the bottom for resting on a support surface;
• a compression assembly in the press housing and including pressure roll assemblies;
• a drive housing extending outwardly from the top end of the press housing;
• a motor drive assembly in the drive housing and comprising a turret motor rotationally driving a drive shaft extending downward from the turret motor, the drive shaft being mounted for axial movement along a vertical axis in the turret motor;
• a drive shaft control operable to controllably raise and lower the drive shaft;
• and
• a turret assembly comprising a plurality of die stations, the turret assembly being mounted to the press housing below the drive housing and about the vertical axis so that the pressure roll assemblies engage the turret assembly to compress a granulation into a tablet at the die stations, the drive shaft engaging the turret assembly to rotate the turret assembly responsive to the drive shaft control lowering the drive shaft.