Rotary press and use of a rotary press

Abstract

Rotary press comprising a rotor rotatable by means of a rotary drive, the rotor having an upper punch guide (18) for upper press punches (14) and a lower punch guide (20) for lower press punches (16), and a die disk (10) arranged between the punch guides (18, 20), the press punches (14, 16) interacting with cavities (12) of the die disk (10), the rotary press further comprising a filling device (26) by which powder material to be compressed is filled into the cavities (12) of the die disk (10), and the rotary press comprising a pressure device (34) with an upper pressure unit (40) and a lower pressure unit (42) which, in operation, engage with the upper press punches (14) and with the lower press punches (16) to compress the powder material in the cavities (12) of the die disk (10) into pellets. (48) cooperate,and wherein the rotary press comprises a stripping device (44) for stripping the compacts (48) ejected after compression by the lower press punches (16) onto the top of the die disk (10) into a first compact discharge (58), and wherein the rotary press comprises a sorting device for individually sorting compacts (48) into a second compact discharge, characterized in that the sorting device comprises a sorting drive (54) and a sorting element movable by the sorting drive (54) between a sorting position and a rest position, wherein the sorting element is located in a conveying path of the compacts (48) to the first compact discharge (58) in the sorting position and directs compacts (48) from the conveying path into the second compact discharge, and that the sorting drive (54) comprises an electric motor (54) with a magnet driven by a stator of the electric motor (54),wherein the magnet translates its drive movement via a translation element of the sorting drive (54) into a drive movement of the sorting element with a higher drive speed.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rotary press comprising a rotor rotatable by means of a rotary drive, wherein the rotor has an upper punch guide for upper press punches and a lower punch guide for lower press punches, as well as a die disc arranged between the punch guides, wherein the press punches interact with cavities of the die disc, wherein the rotary press further comprises a filling device by which powder material to be compressed is filled into the cavities of the die disc, and wherein the rotary press comprises a pressure device with an upper pressure unit and a lower pressure unit which, in operation, interact with the upper press punches and with the lower press punches to compress the powder material in the cavities of the die disc into compacts.and wherein the rotary press comprises a stripping device for stripping the compacts ejected after compression by the lower press rams onto the upper surface of the die disc into a first compact discharge, and wherein the rotary press comprises a sorting device for individually sorting compacts into a second compact discharge. The invention further relates to a use of such a rotary press.

[0002] Rotary presses typically incorporate a multitude of upper and lower press rams, each pair assigned to a cavity of a die. During operation, the upper and lower press rams rotate together with the die, their axial movement controlled by cams and guided by upper and lower ram guides. As the press rotates, the die passes through various components of the rotary press: a filling unit, where powder material to be compressed is fed into the cavities of the die, and a pressing unit, where the upper and lower press rams are typically pressed into the cavities by upper and lower pressure rollers to compress the powder material into pellets, such as tablets.Following the pressing mechanism, the upper press rams are moved upwards out of the cavities, and the pellets produced in the cavities are pushed by the lower press rams onto the top of the die. Such rotary presses also include a stripping device for removing the pellets ejected onto the top of the die after the pressing process by the lower press rams. The stripping device may include a stripping channel, which is located at least partially above the die and directs the pellets ejected onto the top of the die from the rotating die beneath the stripping channel to a first pellet discharge. This first discharge may, for example, be for pellets identified as good.

[0003] A second pressing line is provided, for example, for pressings identified as defective by sensors or for sampling pressings. A sorting device is provided to remove pressings from the flow of pressings moving towards the first pressing line. This sorting device, for example, uses measurement data from sensors integrated into the rotary press to direct pressings into the second pressing line. For instance, appropriate sensors can be used to monitor the pressing force during the pressing process. Based on the measurement data from a corresponding pressing force sensor, defective pressings can be identified and removed.

[0004] Historically, attempts to sort tablets using mechanical sorting devices were made in rotary presses. This involved mechanically driving a deflecting element into a conveyor path carrying the tablets. However, such mechanical sorting devices proved too slow, making reliable individual sorting of tablets impossible, especially at the typically high rotational speeds of the die discs in rotary presses. Furthermore, these systems often had insufficient stroke length, meaning that, for example, tablets with a greater height could not be sorted.

[0005] Pneumatic sorting devices are therefore commonly used in rotary presses, in which the rejected pellets are deflected into the second pellet feed by a jet of compressed air. The compressed air jet is generated by a sorting nozzle that can be connected to a compressed air source, with a controllable valve arranged in the line to the nozzle. Such sorting devices are known, for example, from DE 10 2005 005 012 B4 or DE 10 2016 101 028 B4. DE 10 2013 202 975 A1 also describes a sorting device in which the sorting is carried out, for example, by a burst of air. Alternatively, sorting via a slide gate is mentioned. Compressed air-operated sorting devices have generally proven their worth and have become established practice in rotary presses.

[0006] Nevertheless, even pneumatically operated sorting systems can cause problems in some applications. For example, the compressed air jet can stir up powdered product or product dust within the pressing chamber of the rotary press. This can lead to contamination of surrounding areas of the pressing chamber. Furthermore, in many applications, pharmaceutical-grade air is required for the compressed air jet, which is a complex process. In addition, even such sorting systems are too slow for the reliable sorting of individual pellets at very high rotor speeds. Moreover, due to the design, particularly the pneumatic control, a reliable correlation between the compressed air jet and a specific pellet being sorted is not always guaranteed.

[0007] Based on the prior art described above, the invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a rotary press and an application of the type mentioned at the outset, with which a safe and precise sorting of individual press pieces is possible in a simple manner and without risk of contamination of the pressing chamber of the rotary press, even at very high rotational speeds of the rotor of the rotary press.

[0008] The invention solves the problem through independent claims 1 and 14. Advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0009] For a rotary press of the type mentioned above, the invention solves the problem in that the sorting device comprises a sorting drive and a sorting element movable by the sorting drive between a sorting position and a rest position, wherein the sorting element is located in a conveying path of the presses to the first press exit in the sorting position and directs presses from the conveying path to the second press exit, and wherein the sorting drive comprises an electric motor with a magnet driven by a stator of the electric motor, wherein the magnet translates its drive movement into a drive movement of the sorting element with a higher drive speed via a transmission element of the sorting drive.

[0010] The basic design of the rotary press, as described in the present invention, has been explained at the outset. As explained, the upper and lower ram guides direct the press rams during their axial movement. The ram heads interact with cam tracks that move the press rams axially as they rotate with the rotor, in particular towards and away from each other. The cam tracks are generally composed of several cam track elements. They can accommodate the ram heads in corresponding guide receptacles or simply bear against a mirror surface of the ram heads. The pressure device generally comprises an upper pressure roller and a lower pressure roller, which interact with the ram heads of the upper and lower press rams, respectively. Multiple pressure devices of this type can also be provided, for example, pre-pressure devices and main pressure devices.The ejector cam, as part of the control cams, moves the lower press rams upwards after the pellets have been formed in the respective cavity, so that the pellets reach the top of the die plate, from where they are conveyed via, for example, a stripper channel to the first pellet discharge. The pellets can be, in particular, tablets. The rotary press can accordingly be a rotary tablet press. The tablets can be, for example, pharmaceutical tablets.

[0011] The stripping device can include a stripping channel arranged at least partially above the die disc, so that the compacts broken out of the cavities onto the top of the die disc by the lower press rams are guided along the stripping channel from the die disc to the first compact discharge. However, the stripping device can also, for example, simply comprise a crescent-shaped stripping element, in particular a stripping plate, which guides the compacts broken out onto the top of the die disc to the first compact discharge. A stripper or stripping channel can be arranged with a first section above the die disc and with a second section radially outside the die disc. It is stationary relative to the rotor, in particular the die disc, so that the die disc rotates under, for example, a stripping channel during operation of the rotary press.The scraper or scraper channel can be positioned a short distance above the die disc. In particular, the distance is smaller than the thinnest pellet produced in the rotary press, ensuring that all pellets are captured. As the die disc rotates, the pellets ejected onto the top of the die disc by the lower press rams after the pressing process are scraped off by a scraper or scraper channel, especially a channel wall, and conveyed towards the first pellet discharge. As explained, the first discharge can be, for example, a "good" discharge for pellets identified as good by sensors in the rotary press. The second discharge can be a "bad" discharge for pellets identified as defective. It could also be, for example, a discharge for sample collection.

[0012] The present invention proposes an electromechanical sorting device, departing from the pneumatic sorting systems currently used in rotary presses. For this purpose, the sorting device comprises a sorting drive and a mechanical sorting element that is movable by the sorting drive between a sorting position and a rest position. The sorting element can be a guide element or a stripper element that, in the sorting position, directs the compacts from the conveyor path into the second compact output or strips them from the die disc. In the sorting position, the sorting element is located in the conveyor path of the compacts to the first compact output, so that it directs compacts from the conveyor path into the second compact output. The die disc rotates beneath the sorting element. In the sorting position, the sorting element can be arranged a short distance above the die disc.In particular, the distance is smaller than the thinnest pellet produced in the rotary press, ensuring that all pellets are captured. As the die disc rotates, the pellets to be rejected are stripped from the die disc by the sorting element and conveyed towards the second pellet run. In its rest position, the sorting element is removed from the conveying path, allowing pellets to enter the first pellet run without contact with it. The sorting element can be straight or curved. It can be positioned at an angle to the rotor's direction of rotation in the sorting position. This angle can be 90° or greater, for example, within a range of 90° to 150°.

[0013] The sorting drive comprises an electric motor with a magnet driven by the motor's stator. The magnet driven by the stator can be either a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. The magnet's movement is translated via a transmission element into a drive movement of the sorting element at a higher speed than the magnet's drive speed. Consequently, the sorting element can move back and forth between the sorting position and the rest position at a higher speed than the moving magnet of the electric motor. This highly dynamic sorting drive enables reliable individual sorting of individual pellets for the second pellet run by a mechanical sorting element, even at very high rotor speeds of the rotary press.

[0014] The invention enables reliable individual sorting of tablets even at very high rotor speeds. Mechanical sorting, and thus the elimination of compressed air, prevents the stirring up of surrounding product powder or dust. Unlike conventional pneumatic sorting systems, no expensive pharmaceutical-grade compressed air is required for the sorting process. Due to the high sorting speed and the design, reliable assignment to a specific tablet produced in a specific cavity by a specific pair of punches is possible even at high rotor speeds. Furthermore, the sorting system according to the invention makes it possible, for example, to selectively sort out several tablets for a sample or to sort out tablets produced at the beginning or end of a production process.This makes it possible to shift the sorting of tablets, previously achieved in downstream tablet-making processes using diverters (e.g., for sample preparation or to remove defective tablets), to the level of the die disc, thus simplifying the design of the rotary press. If necessary, diverters can be omitted, for example, in the first tablet-making process. Furthermore, the sorting device according to the invention, for example, through the use of a lever mechanism described in more detail below, enables a sufficiently large stroke between the sorting position and the rest position, so that reliable sorting is possible regardless of the format of the manufactured tablets, such as their height.

[0015] In one embodiment, the sorting element can include a sorting lever that pivots between the sorting position and the rest position. The pivot axis of the pivoting sorting lever can run parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the die disk. The sorting lever can, for example, be designed as a sorting plate. It allows a large stroke between the sorting position and the rest position for format-independent sorting and represents a particularly practical design for fast sorting.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the sorting element can comprise a sorting wheel with at least one sorting wing, rotatable between the sorting position and the rest position. The axis of rotation of the rotatable sorting wheel can run parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the die disc. The sorting wheel can include one or more sorting wings, which, for example, can be arranged regularly around the circumference of the sorting wheel. The at least one sorting wing can extend radially. However, curved configurations of the sorting wing are also conceivable. Reliable and rapid sorting of pressed products is also possible with such a sorting wheel.

[0017] In a further embodiment, the magnet can move the translation element translationally, whereby the translational movement of the translation element is transferred to the sorting element for movement between the sorting position and the rest position. The sorting drive can be a linear drive. The magnet is then moved translationally by the magnetic field of the stator, for example, a coil. This translational movement can be transferred to the movement of the sorting element.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the transmission element can have a transmission bolt with a rack section, wherein the rack section engages with a gear connected to the sorting element in order to transmit a translational movement of the transmission bolt into a pivoting or rotary movement of the sorting element. The rack section can be formed integrally with the transmission bolt or, for example, detachably connected to it. In this embodiment, a translational movement of the transmission bolt, and in particular of the magnet of the electric motor, is translated into a rotational movement of the sorting element, so that the sorting element performs a rotary movement with lever action.

[0019] In a further embodiment, the translation element may have a translation projection that engages in an elongated hole of the sorting lever, with the magnet driving the translation projection translationally to pivot the sorting lever between the sorting position and the rest position in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated hole. In this embodiment, the sorting lever has one end located on or directly above the die disk in the sorting position and an opposite end. This opposite end has the elongated hole and forms a pivot point of the sorting lever. A translation projection, for example, a translation bolt, engages in the elongated hole and is moved translationally by the moving magnet of the electric motor in a direction oblique to the longitudinal axis of the elongated hole.If the electric motor is a linear drive, the axis of movement of the translationally moving magnet can run parallel to the axis of rotation of the die disk. The translational movement of the transmission element causes the sorting lever to rotate between its rest position and the sorting position.

[0020] In principle, the sorting drive can have a gear ratio, for example a lever ratio, of more than 2:1, for example 2.5:1, or even more than 3:1. A small movement of the magnet of the electric motor then results in a correspondingly large movement of the sorting element.

[0021] As explained, the electric motor could be a linear drive. Of course, it could also be a rotary drive. In this case, the magnet is moved rotationally by the stator's magnetic field. This rotational movement can then be directly converted into a rotational movement of the sorting element, for example, via a transmission gear. Another possibility is to convert the rotational movement of the magnetic field into a translational movement.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the magnet can maintain a constant distance from the stator throughout its entire rotational or translational movement. The magnet can be mounted relative to the stator by a sliding bearing and a spring element, allowing for rotational or translational movement. In this embodiment, the magnet exhibits a highly dynamic yet linear force profile over its entire range of motion for adjusting the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position. This results in particularly reliable and precise sorting of the pressed parts. This force profile is made possible by maintaining a constant distance between the moving magnet and the stator of the electric motor throughout the entire travel range, achieved through a sliding bearing and, for example, a coil spring as a spring element.For example, the coil of a moving electromagnet can be constructed such that a centering spring is arranged at one end and a sliding bearing at the other. The centering spring is located on the side facing away from the sorting element.

[0023] While such an arrangement slightly reduces the system's dynamics, it improves its mechanical strength. High dynamics can still be achieved, for example, by briefly overcurrenting an electromagnet in the electric motor for a period of milliseconds. For even faster magnet acceleration, a lighter armature material can be used in the electric motor instead of an iron armature. If one of the electric motor's coils is designed as an induction coil, this can achieve debouncing. The sorting element then bounces less, or ideally not at all, off the die disk when moved into the sorting position.

[0024] In a further embodiment, the rotary press may include a control device and a position sensor, wherein the position sensor detects the rotational position of each cavity of the die disk, wherein the position values ​​detected by the position sensor are available to the control device, and wherein the control device is configured to control the sorting drive to move the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position depending on the position values ​​detected by the position sensor.Furthermore, the sorting device may include a sorting element sensor for detecting the sorting position and / or the rest position of the sorting element. The position values ​​detected by the sorting element sensor are transmitted to the control unit, which is configured to control the sorting drive for moving the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position based on the position values ​​detected by the sorting element sensor. The aforementioned configurations enable precise and individual assignment of a sorting process to a single compact, either cavity-specific or punch-specific. The incremental position sensor, for example, detects the rotational position of the die disk and thus (indirectly) the rotational position of each cavity or each punch pair of the die disk.The recorded position values ​​are transmitted to the rotary press's control unit, which uses this information to precisely control the sorting drive to remove a specific press from a particular cavity. Furthermore, by using a sorting element sensor to detect the sorting position and / or the rest position of the sorting element, such as a sorting lever, and also feeding these position values ​​to the control unit, the rotary press's rotor's rotational position can be determined exactly in relation to the sorting element's position. This ensures that the sorting element moves precisely into the space between two adjacent presses on the conveyor path leading to the first press discharge, so that the correct press is specifically picked up by the sorting element and deflected from the conveyor path.Furthermore, the position monitoring ensures that the lever returns to its rest position in time to prevent another pellet from being unintentionally rejected. This allows for individual sorting of pellets even at high speeds. This is not reliably possible with pneumatic sorting systems currently in use. Factors such as the control and valve switching times of pneumatic sorting systems, as well as the timing of the compressed air pulse, can lead to the rejection of incorrect pellets.

[0025] The control unit can further be configured to control the sorting drive for moving the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position, depending on a sorting signal from at least one pellet quality sensor of the rotary press. The pellet quality sensor can measure the pellet quality, for example, the composition of the pellet. For instance, the pellet quality sensor can include a spectroscopic sensor, such as a NIR or LIF sensor. It can also be a pressing force sensor that measures the pressing force during the compaction of the pellets. The pellet quality sensor measures quality criteria individually and thus on a pellet-specific basis, so that the control unit receiving the measurement data can assess whether a particular pellet meets the quality requirements (good) or not (poor).If a defective pellet is detected, the sorting unit can then be precisely controlled to remove that specific pellet, ensuring that only that defective pellet is passed on to the next pellet production run. As previously explained, the control unit can also control the sorting drive, for example, to remove a sample of pellets or to remove pellets at the beginning and / or end of a production process.

[0026] The invention also solves the problem by using a rotary press according to the invention for sorting individual pellets into the second pellet feed. The rotor of the rotary press can be driven at a speed of at least 80 revolutions per minute, in particular at least 100 revolutions per minute, for example up to 120 revolutions per minute.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. They schematically show: Figure 1 shows a rotary press according to the invention in a developed view of the rotor, Figure 2 shows a part of the rotary press made of Figure 1 in a perspective enlarged view with a sorting device according to the invention, Figure 3 Figure 2 Sorting device shown in perspective view, Figure 4 the sorting device from Figure 3 Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of a sorting device according to the invention in a side view, Figure 6 shows further embodiments of sorting devices according to the invention in a perspective view.

[0028] Unless otherwise stated, identical reference symbols in the figures denote identical objects.

[0029] The in Figure 1The rotary press shown according to the invention is a rotary press for tablet production, in which powdered material is compressed into tablets. The rotor of the rotary press is driven by a rotary drive and comprises a die disk 10 having a plurality of cavities 12. The cavities 12 can, for example, be formed by bores in the die disk 10. The rotor further comprises a plurality of upper press rams 14 and lower press rams 16, which rotate synchronously with the die disk 10. The upper press rams 14 are axially guided in an upper ram guide 18, and the lower press rams 16 are axially guided in a lower ram guide 20. The axial movement of the upper press rams 14 and lower press rams 16 during the rotation of the rotor is controlled by upper control cam elements 22 and lower control cam elements 24.Furthermore, a filling device 26 is provided, which has a filling reservoir 28 and a filling chamber 30, which are connected via a filling tube 32. In this way, in the present example, powder material flows from the filling reservoir 28 through the filling tube 32 into the filling chamber 30 by gravity and from there, via a filling opening provided on the underside of the filling chamber 30, again by gravity into the cavities 12 of the die disk 10.

[0030] The rotary press also includes a pressure unit 34. The pressure unit 34 comprises a pre-pressure unit with an upper pre-pressure roller 36 held on an upper support 35 and a lower pre-pressure roller 38 held on a lower support 37, as well as a main pressure unit with an upper pressure roller 40 held on an upper support 39 and a lower pressure roller 42 held on a lower support 41. Furthermore, the rotary press includes a stripping unit 44 with a stripping channel 46. The stripping channel strips tablets 48, which are conveyed onto the upper surface of the die 10 by the lower press rams 16, from the die 10 and conveys the tablets 48 through the stripping channel 46 to a first tablet discharge 58. The stripping channel 46 can, for example, be crescent-shaped and is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.Furthermore, the rotary press includes a control unit 52 for controlling the operation of the rotary press. The rotary press also includes a [missing information]. Figure 1 second pressing process, not shown in detail, which is located in the direction of rotation of the die disk 10 in front of the first pressing process 58 and may, for example, be arranged parallel to it.

[0031] Based on the Figures 2 to 4 A first embodiment of a sorting device according to the invention is explained. Figure 2 For illustrative purposes, only a portion of the die disk 10 and the upper die guide 18 with only one upper press die 14 is shown. Figure 2The cavities 12 formed along a circular path in the die disk 10 can be seen, in which the upper and lower punches 14, 16 each compress the tablets 48. After compression, the tablets 48 are ejected onto the upper side of the die disk 10 by the lower punches 16, as explained. Figure 2 This is shown as an example for tablet 48. The ones in the Figures 2 to 4 The sorting device shown comprises a sorting drive 54, which, for example, includes an electric motor 54 designed as a linear drive. A magnet of the electric motor 54, for example designed as an electromagnet, is moved translationally back and forth along the axis of motion 56. The translationally movable magnet is located in the Figures 2 to 4In the illustrated embodiment, the magnet is connected to a transmission bolt 60, the longitudinal axis of which corresponds to the axis of movement 56 of the magnet. At its end facing away from the electric motor 54, the transmission bolt 60 has a rack section 62 which engages with a gear 64 of a sorting element. The sorting element comprises a sorting lever 66, at the free end of which a stripping section 68 is arranged, which is located in the Figure 2 The sorting position shown is arranged on the upper side of the die disc 10 in the conveying path of the tablets 48 to the first tablet discharge 58, so that in the Figure 2 In the example shown, the tablet 48 shown on the top side of the matrix disc 10 is stripped into the second tablet discharge by the stripping section 68.

[0032] The gear 64 is fixedly arranged at the end of the sorting lever 66 opposite the stripping section 68, so that when the transmission bolt 60 is moved translationally by the electric motor 54, the sorting lever 66 is rotated about the axis of rotation 70 of the gear 64. In this way, the translational movement of the transmission bolt 60 is converted into a rotational movement of the sorting lever 66, with a lever ratio preferably greater than 2:1, for example 2.5:1. From the in Figure 2 In the sorting position shown, the sorting lever 66 can be pivoted upwards into a rest position by a translational movement of the translation bolt 60 towards the electric motor 54, in which tablets 48 can pass under the stripping section 68 further towards the first tablet discharge 58.

[0033] Figure 5Figure 1 shows another embodiment of a sorting device according to the invention. While in the one described in the Figures 2 to 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the axis of movement of the magnet of the electric motor 54, and thus of the translation bolt 60, runs perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the die disk 10; in the embodiment of the Figure 5 parallel to the axis of rotation of the die disk 10, namely along the cylinder axis of the cylindrical housing of the electric motor 54. The electric motor 54 is arranged on a housing plate 72, which can be mounted in the press housing of the rotary press adjacent to the rotating die disk 10. In Figure 5 The sorting element is also designed as a sorting lever 74, at the free end of which a stripping section 76 is arranged, which, like the stripping section 68, is designed according to the Figures 2 to 4In the sorting position, the tablet section 76 is arranged in the conveying path of the tablets 48 to the first tablet discharge 58 on the upper side of the die disc 10 and is pivoted upwards away from the die disc 10 in a rest position. The stripping function of the stripping section 76 corresponds to the stripping function of the stripping section 68.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment according to Figure 5 The movable magnet of the electric motor 54, which is also designed as a linear drive, drives a translation projection 80 arranged in an elongated hole 78 of the sorting lever 74 translationally along the direction of movement of the magnet of the electric motor 54. Figure 5 that is, in a vertical direction. In this way, the sorting lever 74 is pivoted between the sorting position and the rest position by a back-and-forth movement of the translation projection 80.

[0035] Figure 6Figure 1 shows three further embodiments of a sorting device according to the invention, which initially largely correspond to the embodiment according to the electric motor 54 and the transmission bolt 60 with rack section 62. Figures 2 to 4 correspond. They differ from the embodiment shown in the following. Figures 2 to 4 firstly with regard to the sorting element and partly with regard to the orientation of the translation bolt 60. Thus, in the embodiments according to the Figures 6a) and 6c ) the translation bolt 60 with the rack section 62 compared to the embodiment according to Figure 4 Each rotated by 90°. The rack sections 62 after the Figures 6a) and 6c ) each engage with a gear 82, which is formed on a cylindrical retaining section 84. In the embodiment according to Figure 6aAt the lower end of the holding section 84, facing away from the gear 82, a sorting block 86 is formed, which can be pivoted by the electric motor 54 around the axis of rotation 88 of the holding section 84 into the conveying path of the tablets 48 to the first tablet discharge 58 (sorting position) and out of it (rest position). In the sorting position, the sorting block 86 is located essentially directly above the top of the die disk 10 and thus guides the tablets 48 into the second tablet discharge.

[0036] In the exemplary embodiment according to Figure 6cAt the lower end of the holding section 84, facing away from the gear 82, is a sorting wheel 90 with, in the illustrated example, three sorting wings 92 projecting radially from the center of the sorting wheel 90 at equal circumferential intervals. Of course, other numbers of sorting wings 92 are also possible, for example, two or four. The electric motor 54 allows the sorting wheel 90 to be rotated about the axis of rotation 88 of the holding section 84 essentially directly above the die disk 10, so that, depending on its rotational position, it directs tablets 48 into the second tablet discharge or allows them to pass through to the first tablet discharge 58.

[0037] The exemplary embodiment according to Figure 6b ) largely corresponds to the embodiment shown Figure 6c), with the difference that the axis of rotation 94 of the gear 82 is tilted by 90°. In this case, the sorting wings 92 of the sorting wheel 90 can be rotated into or out of the conveying path of the tablets 48 on the die disk 10 by corresponding rotation driven by the electric motor 54.

[0038] In the exemplary embodiments according to the Figures 6a) to 6c ) the translation is ensured by the translation bolt 60 with rack section 62 in engagement with the respective gear 82.

[0039] Although the electric motor 54 has been described as a linear drive with a translationally movable magnet in the embodiments shown in the figures, it would also be possible to design the electric motor 54 as a rotary drive, so that the magnet performs a rotational movement. This could either be transmitted directly to, for example, the gears 64, 82 via a transmission gear. Alternatively, the rotary movement of the electric motor 54 can also be converted into a translational movement, so that the transmission elements according to the embodiments can again be used. Furthermore, the movable magnet of the electric motor 54 can be either an electromagnet or a permanent magnet. Reference symbol list

[0040] 10 Die disc 12 Cavities 14 Upper press ram 16 Lower press ram 18 Upper ram guide 20 Lower ram guide 22 Upper control cam elements 24 Lower control cam elements 26 Filling device 28 Filling reservoir 30 Filling chamber 32 Filling tube 34 Pressure device 35 Upper bracket 37 Lower brackets 36 Upper pre-pressure roller 38 Lower pre-pressure roller 39 Upper bracket 40 Upper pressure roller 41 Lower bracket 42 Lower pressure roller 44 Stripping device 46 Stripping channel 48 Tablets 52 Control device 54 Sorting drive / Electric motor 56 Shaft of motion 58 Tablet discharge 60 Transmission bolt 62 Rack section 64 Gear 66 Sorting lever 68 Stripping section 70 Shaft of rotation 72 Housing plate 74 Sorting lever 76 Stripping section 78 Slotted hole 80 Gear ratio projection 82 Gear 84 Holding section 86 Sorting block 88 Rotary axis 90 Sorting wheel 92 Sorting wing

Claims

1. Rotary press comprising a rotor rotatable by means of a rotary drive, the rotor having an upper punch guide (18) for upper press punches (14) and a lower punch guide (20) for lower press punches (16), and a die disk (10) arranged between the punch guides (18, 20), the press punches (14, 16) interacting with cavities (12) of the die disk (10), the rotary press further comprising a filling device (26) by which powder material to be compressed is filled into the cavities (12) of the die disk (10), and the rotary press comprising a pressure device (34) with an upper pressure unit (40) and a lower pressure unit (42) which, in operation, engage with the upper press punches (14) and with the lower press punches (16) to compress the powder material in the cavities (12) of the die disk (10) into pellets. (48) cooperate,and wherein the rotary press comprises a stripping device (44) for stripping the pellets (48) ejected after compression by the lower press rams (16) onto the top of the die disc (10) into a first pellet discharge (58), and wherein the rotary press comprises a sorting device for individually sorting pellets (48) into a second pellet discharge, , characterized by the fact thatThe sorting device comprises a sorting drive (54) and a sorting element movable by the sorting drive (54) between a sorting position and a rest position, wherein the sorting element is located in a conveying path of the compacts (48) to the first compact discharge (58) in the sorting position and directs compacts (48) from the conveying path into the second compact discharge, and that the sorting drive (54) comprises an electric motor (54) with a magnet driven by a stator of the electric motor (54), wherein the magnet translates its drive movement via a transmission element of the sorting drive (54) into a drive movement of the sorting element with a higher drive speed.

2. Rotary press according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the sorting element comprises a sorting lever (66, 74) that can pivot between the sorting position and the rest position.

3. Rotary press according to claim 2, characterized by the fact thata pivot axis of the pivotable sorting lever (66, 74) runs parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the die disk (10).

4. Rotary press according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the sorting element comprises a sorting wheel (90) rotatable between the sorting position and the rest position with at least one sorting wing (92).

5. Rotary press according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that a rotation axis of the rotatable sorting wheel (90) runs parallel or perpendicular to the rotation axis of the die disk (10).

6. Rotary press according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that The magnet moves the translation element translationally, whereby the translational movement of the translation element is transferred to the sorting element to move between the sorting position and the rest position.

7. Rotary press according to claim 6, characterized by the fact thatthe translation element has a translation bolt (60) with a rack section (62), wherein the rack section (62) engages with a gear (64, 82) connected to the sorting element in order to transmit a translational movement of the translation bolt (60) into a pivoting movement or a rotary movement of the sorting element.

8. Rotary press according to claims 7 and 2, characterized by the fact that the translation element has a translation projection (80) engaging in an elongated hole (78) of the sorting lever (74), wherein the magnet translationally drives the translation projection (80) to pivot the sorting lever (74) between the sorting position and the rest position in a direction extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the elongated hole (78).

9. Rotary press according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact thatthe magnet maintains the same distance from the stator throughout its entire rotational or translational movement.

10. Rotary press according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that The magnet is mounted so that it can be moved rotationally or translationally relative to the stator by means of a sliding bearing and a spring element.

11. Rotary press according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the rotary press comprises a control device (52) and a position sensor, wherein the position sensor detects the rotational position of each cavity (12) of the die disk (10), wherein the position values ​​detected by the position sensor are available at the control device (52), and that the control device (52) is configured to control the sorting drive (54) to move the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position depending on the position values ​​detected by the position sensor.

12. Rotary press according to claim 11, characterized by the fact thatthe sorting device comprises a sorting element sensor for detecting the sorting position and / or the rest position of the sorting element, wherein the position values ​​detected by the sorting element sensor are available at the control device (52), and that the control device (52) is configured to control the sorting drive (54) to move the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position depending on the position values ​​detected by the sorting element sensor.

13. Rotary press according to one of claims 11 or 12, characterized by the fact that the control device (52) is further configured to control the sorting drive (54) to move the sorting element between the sorting position and the rest position, still dependent on a sorting signal from at least one pressing quality sensor of the rotary press.

14. Use of a rotary press according to one of the preceding claims for sorting individual pellets (48) into the second pellet discharge.

15. Use according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that the rotor of the rotary press is driven at a speed of at least 80 revolutions per minute, in particular at least 100 revolutions per minute, for example up to 120 revolutions per minute.

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