Method for manufacturing soft capsule and apparatus for manufacturing the same

An apparatus for manufacturing a soft capsule containing a filling coated with a shell portion formed of a shell-sheet, comprising:

• a sheet molding section forming the shell-sheet having an almost uniform thickness from a molten shell material,
• a capsule molding section joining shell-sheets supplied between a pair of die rolls so as to face each other by butt joint function of the pair of die rolls having a molding projection, and
• a filling supply section supplying a filling to the shell-sheets in time for joining the shell-sheets,
• wherein the sheet molding section comprises a spreader box ejecting a molten shell material in the form of sheet having an almost uniform thickness and a casting drum cooling the shell-sheet ejected from the spreader box,
• the sheet molding section is further provided with a dryer equipped with a medium wavelength infrared heater;
• the shell-sheets are irradiated with a medium wavelength infrared ray from the heater to thereby obtain an almost uniform thickness, an appropriate viscosity, and moisture content;
• and the sheets of this state are fed to the capsule molding section,
• wherein the dryer is configured to dry the shell-sheet by employing a single-sided drying, in which the shell-sheet placed on the casting drum is irradiated with a medium wavelength infrared ray to thereby dry mainly the one surface of the shell-sheet,
• wherein the wavelength of the medium wavelength infrared ray applied from the medium wavelength infrared heater of the dryer to the shell-sheet is 0.8 to 4.0 μm, and
• wherein the dryer dries the shell-sheet prior to encapsulation of the capsule.

A method for manufacturing a soft capsule containing a filling within a shell portion formed of a shell-sheet, comprising

• ejecting a molten shell material in the form of a sheet having an almost uniform thickness from a spreader box, and cooling the shell-sheet ejected from the spreader box by a casting drum, and
• supplying shell-sheets thus obtained between a pair of die rolls so as to face each other, joining the shell-sheets by butt joint function of the die rolls, and supplying the filling from a segment in a filling supply section between the shell-sheets in time for joining,
• wherein the shell portion is formed by blending starch, λ carrageenan, a metal salt, dextrin, a plasticizer, and water as components for a raw material composition,
• wherein the shell-sheets are dried by irradiation of a medium wavelength infrared ray before they are joined by the pair of die rolls,
• the shell-sheets used herein are each dried by double-sided drying, in which the shell-sheet is removed from the casting drum and taken out in a transport path, in which the medium wavelength infrared ray is separately applied to each of the surfaces to thereby dry both surfaces of the shell-sheet,
• to form into a sheet-form having an almost uniform thickness, an appropriate viscosity, and moisture content and enhanced adhesiveness between mutual sheets;
• and
• the filling is supplied to the shell-sheets in time for joining the shell-sheets at a segment section temperature of 35 to 50° C. without applying excessive heat load to a capsule filling to perform encapsulation,
• wherein the drying of the shell-sheets occurs prior to the encapsulation.

An apparatus for manufacturing a soft capsule containing a filling coated with a shell portion formed of a shell-sheet, comprising:

• a sheet molding section forming the shell-sheet having an almost uniform thickness from a molten shell material,
• a capsule molding section joining shell-sheets supplied between a pair of die rolls so as to face each other by butt joint function of the pair of die rolls having a molding projection, and
• a filling supply section supplying a filling to the shell-sheets in time for joining the shell-sheets,
• wherein the sheet molding section comprises a spreader box ejecting a molten shell material in the form of sheet having an almost uniform thickness and a casting drum cooling the shell-sheet ejected from the spreader box,
• the sheet molding section is further provided with a dryer equipped with a medium wavelength infrared heater;
• the shell-sheets are irradiated with a medium wavelength infrared ray from the heater to thereby obtain an almost uniform thickness, an appropriate viscosity, and moisture content;
• and the sheets of this state are fed to the capsule molding section,
• wherein the dryer is configured to dry the shell-sheet by employing a double-sided drying, in which the shell-sheet is removed from the casting drum and taken out in a transport path, in which the medium wavelength infrared ray is separately applied to each of the surfaces to thereby dry both surfaces of the shell-sheet,
• wherein the wavelength of the medium wavelength infrared ray applied from the medium wavelength infrared heater of the dryer to the shell-sheet is 0.8 to 4.0 μm, and
• wherein the dryer dries the shell-sheet prior to encapsulation of the capsule.