Apparatus for the manufacture of pharmaceutical cellulose capsules

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical capsules, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of a capsule body and a capsule cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, comprising:

• a plurality of pinbars, each pinbar having a bar with a plurality of pins mounted to the bar, each pin having a dome;
• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution and gelatinizing solution on the surface of the pins;
• dryer means for drying the gelatinized solution on the surface of the pins of a drying group of pinbars to form capsule bodies and capsule caps, the dryer means having a pin-entry end;
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• and
• transport means for moving the pinbars through the dipper means, the dryer means and the automatics means;
• wherein the dryer means includes a dome-setter radiant heater, proximate to the pin-entry end, disposed to radiate heat onto gelatinized solution on the domes of the pins of the drying group of pinbars axially with respect to the pins so as to further gelatinize the solution on the surface of the domes.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical cellulose capsules, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of a capsule body and a capsule cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, using pins as molds, comprising:

• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution and gelatinizing solution on the surface of the pins;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the surface of the pins to form capsule bodies and capsule caps;
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• and
• transport means for moving the pins in a closed loop path through the dipper means, the dryer means and the automatics means;
• wherein the dryer means includes an elongated duct enclosing a portion of the transport means, the duct having a pin-entry and an air outlet proximate to the pin-entry, and a pin-exit and an air inlet proximate to the pin exit, the transport means adapted to move pinbars with pins carrying gelatinized solution through the duct from the pin-entry to the pin-exit, the dryer means having means for moving counterflow air within the duct from the air inlet to the air outlet, such that air flows first over gelatinized solution on an earlier-dipped pin and the same air later flows over gelatinized solution on a later-dipped pin.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical cellulose capsules, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of two parts, a capsule body and a capsule cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, comprising:

• a plurality of pins;
• greaser means for greasing the pins;
• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution to a dip line and gelatinizing solution on the pins;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the pins to form capsule parts;
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• and
• transport means for moving the pins in a closed loop path through the greaser means, the dipper means, the dryer means, and the automatics means;
• wherein the automatics means includes a gripper adapted to grip a capsule part on a pin and break adhesion between all adhering surfaces of the capsule part and the pin to facilitate removal of the capsule part from the pin, and actuator means for driving the gripper;
• and
• wherein the gripper, the actuator means and the pin are movably mounted with respect to each other to permit alignment such that the gripper may grip the capsule part while the capsule part is on the pin.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical cellulose capsules of a given size number, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of two parts, a capsule body and a capsule cap, the body and cap each having an open end, the body and cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, using cellulose-capsule body-side forming pins and cellulose-capsule cap-side forming pins as molds, comprising:

• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution and gelatinizing solution on the surface of the pins;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the surface of the pins to form capsule parts;
• and
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• each cellulose-capsule forming pin having:
• an elongated pin body;
• a domed head located at one end of the pin body;
• and
• a cylindrical sidewall surrounding the pin body and extending from the domed head, the sidewall having a diameter which varies along the length of the pin body such as to provide a taper with narrower dimension toward the head end of the pin body, and a cut-point defining a cut-point diameter at a position along the length of the pin body at which the capsule part may be cut to form the open end;
• wherein the given size number is selected from among size numbers 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4;
• and
• wherein each cellulose-capsule forming pin is an undersized pin with respect to a corresponding conventional gelatin-capsule forming pin used for manufacturing a gelatin capsule part of the given size number, the cut-point diameter of the undersized pin being smaller than the cut-point diameter of the corresponding conventional gelatin-capsule forming pin.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical cellulose capsules, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of a capsule body and a capsule cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, comprising:

• a plurality of pinbars, each pinbar having a bar with a plurality of pins mounted to the bar;
• greaser means for greasing the pins;
• dipper means for dipping hot pins into the solution to cause solution to gelatinize on the surface of the pins;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the surface of the pins to form capsule bodies and capsule caps;
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• and
• transport means for moving the pinbars through the greaser means, the dipper means, the dryer means and the automatics means;
• wherein the dipper means includes a dipper dish for capsule bodies and a dipper dish for capsule caps, each dipper dish sized to accept the pins of a dipping group;
• and
• wherein the apparatus further comprises non-contact heater means, located between the greaser means and a dipper dish, for heating the pins of the dipping group, as a group, by non-contact heating.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical capsules, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of a capsule body and a capsule cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, using pins as molds, comprising:

• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution and gelatinizing solution on the surface of the pins;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the surface of the pins to form capsule bodies and capsule caps;
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• and
• transport means for moving the pins in a closed loop path through the dipper means, the dryer means and the automatics means;
• wherein the dryer means includes an elongated duct enclosing a portion of the transport means, the duct having a pin-entry and an air outlet proximate to the pin-entry, and a pin-exit and an air inlet proximate to the pin-exit, the transport means adapted to move pinbars with pins carrying gelatinized solution through the duct from the pin-entry to the pin-exit, the dryer means having means for moving air within the duct from the air inlet to the air outlet, such that air moving within the duct moves successively over gelatinized solution on increasingly later-dipped pins.

An apparatus for manufacturing pharmaceutical cellulose capsules of a given size number, the capsules suitable for filling by capsule filling machines, each capsule consisting of two parts, a capsule body and a capsule cap, the body and cap each having an open end, the body and cap formed from an aqueous solution of a thermogelling cellulose ether composition, using cellulose-capsule body-side forming pins and cellulose-capsule cap-side forming pins as molds, comprising:

• dipper means for dipping the pins into the solution and gelatinizing solution on the pins to form on each pin a capsule part of gelatinized solution;
• dryer means for drying gelatinized solution on the pins to form capsule parts;
• and
• automatics means for removing the capsule parts from the pins;
• each cellulose-capsule forming pin having:
• an elongated pin body;
• a domed head located at one end of the pin body;
• and
• a substantially cylindrical sidewall surrounding the pin body and extending from the domed head;
• wherein the given size number is selected from among size numbers "000", "00", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4" and "5";
• wherein the diameter of the substantially cylindrical sidewall of a cellulose-capsule forming pin is smaller than a corresponding diameter of a substantially cylindrical sidewall of a corresponding gelatin-capsule forming pin used for manufacturing a gelatin capsule part of the given size number.