A method for press testing pellets in a rotary press.

Abstract

To provide a reliable and low-effort method for achieving test pressing for setting a rotary press for production operation.SOLUTION: A method for test-pressing pellets in a rotary press comprises: moving a punch pair to a filling position; filling a material to be compressed into receptacles; moving pressing units of a pressing apparatus toward one another such that an expected web height of a pellet to be manufactured in the test pressing is reached; putting a rotor into rotary motion, so that the punch pair comes into contact with the pressing units for compressing into a pellet the material filled into the receptacle, where the pressing force and / or a parameter characterizing the pressing force is determined; and, upon reaching a preset pressing force and / or a preset value of the parameter characterizing the pressing force, arresting the rotor and rotating the rotor in the opposite direction, so that the punch pair comes out of contact with the pressing units.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for testing pellet pressing in a rotary press, comprising: a rotationally driven rotor with upper and lower press punches, upper and lower punch guides for the upper and lower press punches, and a die plate between the punch guides, wherein the upper and lower press punches interact with receptacles in the die plate during production operation of the rotary press; a filling device for filling the receptacles with material to be compressed during production operation; and a press device having upper and lower press units, wherein the upper and lower press units interact with the upper and lower press punches during production operation, and the press units compress the material in the receptacles to form pellets. [Background technology]

[0002] Press tests are performed, for example, to determine the optimal configuration parameters of a rotary press for a new compressed material or to produce pellets during production runs. In particular, the pellets may be tablets. To press tablets with the minimum possible product load during a press test, so-called single-punch tablet presses are used. These presses have only one pair of upper and lower punches. These presses typically do not have rotors and are specifically designed for press tests that are not suitable or intended for normal production runs, particularly for pellet production. In such press tests, all data within the press test related to how the material will be turned into tablets during production runs is determined for a specific product, i.e., a specific compressed material. The resulting data is then transferred to the respective rotary press for production runs, where it must be adjusted to obtain the desired tablet characteristics. The advantage of single-punch press tests is that a very small product load is required for one or more pellets produced during a press test. However, a disadvantage of this method is the need to prepare a press test in addition to the rotary press for production runs. Furthermore, the resulting data cannot be directly transferred to the rotary press for production runs, especially due to the different press components. Therefore, the data obtained must be adjusted to the production press, which usually requires additional press testing for the rotary press in production operation.

[0003] German Patent Specification No. 10319024 (Patent Document 1) discloses a method for press testing of tablets in a rotary tablet machine, which is carried out on a rotary press in normal production operation. In this method, a punch pair selected for a single compression is automatically moved to the filling position, the filling device is at least partially moved, and the die or a limited number of dies are filled with material while the rotor is stationary. The rotor then rotates and accelerates to reach a predetermined production speed at the pressing position. After one rotation, the rotor again stops in the filling position. During the rotor rotation, signals from the measuring points and their signal paths are recorded and entered into a computer for display and evaluation. An advantage of this method is that a separate press test is not required for the press test, which reduces the effort. At the same time, the data obtained during the press test can be directly used since it is already obtained on the rotary press in production operation and requires little adjustment. This also reduces the effort. Furthermore, since only one or a few dies are filled with material, the amount of product required for the press test can be kept low. However, in the first press test, the web height of the tablets to be produced must be estimated based on the fill volume in the die. An unknown pressing force is initially generated at the press position. The appropriate pressing force for each product must be determined within a range of multiple press tests. This again increases the effort and product usage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Specification No. 10319024 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Departing from the prior art as mentioned above, the present invention aims to achieve the object of providing a method as mentioned at the beginning, in which press tests for setting up a rotary press for production operation can be performed reliably and with minimal effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention achieves the object according to independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are set out in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0007] With respect to a method of the type mentioned at the beginning, the present invention relates to a punch pair of an upper press punch and a lower press punch assigned to a receptacle of the die plate moving to a filling position such that the upper press punch moves upward from the receptacle and the lower press punch is partially located within the receptacle, the lower press punch presetting a maximum filling height of the material to be compressed within the receptacle; Filling the receptacle with the material to be compressed; - moving the press units of the press device relative to one another so that the predicted web height of the pellets produced in the press test is reached before the punch pair exceeds the position of the minimum distance between the press units during rotation of the rotor; the rotor enters a rotational motion, the pair of punches contacts the press unit to compress the material filled in the receptacle into pellets, and determining a pressing force and / or a parameter characteristic of the pressing force; when the preset pressing force and / or the preset value of the parameter characteristic of the pressing force is reached, the rotor stops and rotates in the opposite direction so that the punch pair is out of contact with the press unit; By doing so, the objective is achieved.

[0008] The rotary press used with the method according to the present invention is a rotary press typically used to produce pellets, especially tablets, from materials, especially powder materials. In a known manner, the rotary press comprises a rotor with a plurality of upper and lower press punches, each paired with a receptacle and / or cavity in the die plate. The receptacles can be implemented as straight holes in the die plate. They can also be designed as sleeve-like inserts inserted into larger receptacles in the die plate. During operation of the rotary press, the upper and lower press punches rotate together with the die plate, their axial movement controlled by a control cam and guided by upper and lower punch guides. The control cam typically interacts with the punch heads of the press punches. During production, the die plate passes through various devices of the rotary press, namely, the filling device and the pressing device. In the filling device, the powder material to be compressed is filled into the receptacle of the die plate. In the pressing device, upper and lower press punches are pressed into the receptacle by upper and lower press units, such as upper and lower press rollers or press wedges, to compress the powder material into pellets, such as tablets. The pressing device may include, for example, a pre-press roller and upper and lower main press units, such as main press rollers. Downstream of the pressing device, the upper press punch is guided upward from the receptacle, and the pellets formed in the receptacle are pushed to the upper side of the die plate by the lower punch. For this purpose, an ejection cam is provided to move the lower press punch upward. A scraper scrapes the pellets from the die plate to the output of the rotary press, from where they are fed for further processing. The control cams also typically include a fill cam which, when the upper press punch is guided upward from its respective receptacle, moves the lower press punch to a preset position such that it is partially guided into the receptacle, in which the lower press punch forms the bottom of the respective receptacle and thus defines the maximum fill height of the material that may be filled into the receptacle.

[0009] As described above, the rotary press used in the method according to the invention is a rotary press for normal production operation. As will be explained in more detail below, the rotary press can be adjusted to perform a press test. In particular, components of the rotary press, such as the upper and lower press punches and / or the filling device, can be removed before the press test begins. In the method according to the invention, a pair of upper and lower press punches assigned to a receptacle in the die plate is moved to a filling position, in which the upper press punch is moved out of the receptacle as described above and the lower press punch is partially positioned within the receptacle, thereby presetting the maximum filling height of the material to be compressed in the receptacle. In the filling position of the punch pair, the rotor can be stopped. The material to be compressed, in particular, a powder material as described above, is then filled into the receptacle. In a particularly practical embodiment, the assigned rotation of the rotor can move the punch pair to the filling position. However, it is also possible to intentionally attach the punch pair to the rotor in the filling position.

[0010] In the method according to the present invention, the upper and lower press units of the press apparatus move further toward each other within a range where the web height of the pellets, particularly tablets, produced in the press test is predicted before the punch pair exceeds, and particularly reaches, the minimum distance between the press units during rotor rotation. In this case, the web height corresponds to the height of the outer surface of the pellet, i.e., the cylindrical portion of the pellet. This is also referred to as the cylindrical height. The web height is the portion of the pellet that is not affected by the shape of the punch tip of the press punch that compresses the pellet. Thus, the opposing press punches approach each other during the pressing process until they reach a minimum distance corresponding to the web height. Convex deviations in the shape of the upper or lower outer surface of the pellet are not taken into account. Therefore, the web height of the produced pellets is determined from the minimum distance occurring between the upper and lower punches during the pressing process. Thus, given the axial punch length, the web height is defined by the distance between the press units.

[0011] As mentioned above, the upper press unit is an upper press roller or an upper press wedge, and the lower press unit is a lower press roller or a lower press wedge.

[0012] As the rotor rotates, the punch pair contacts the press unit of the press device. Depending on the shape of the press unit, the distance between the press units decreases along the direction of rotation of the rotor and / or the direction of rotation of the press punch pair. For example, in the case of a press roller, the punch pair advances against the rising range of the press roller as the rotor rotates. The distance between the press units decreases as the rotor rotates further, until the punch pair reaches the minimum distance between the press units. For example, in the case of a press roller, this is achieved when each punch of the punch pair aligns its longitudinal axis on an imaginary line connecting the rotation axes of the opposing press rollers. As the rotor rotates further, the distance between the press units increases again, and the punches of the punch pair move away from each other. The press unit is guided so that the predicted web height of the pellets compressed in the press test is reached before the punch pair exceeds the minimum distance between the press units during rotation of the rotor; By adjusting the press units so that pellets of the predicted web height are produced in the press test before the minimum distance between the press units is reached, it is ensured that the pressing process is completed up to the predetermined maximum pressing force in the region where the distance between the press units decreases along the ascending arrangement of the press units, for example, along the ascending range of the press rollers. During the press test, the rotor of the rotary press rotates, and the punch pair, which compresses the material guided into the receptacle, contacts the press unit. During the pressing process, which is performed by the contact between the upper and lower press punches and the upper and lower press units, a pressing force and / or a parameter indicating the pressing force characteristics are determined. During the press test, as described above, the punch pair moves into contact with the press unit due to the rotor's rotational movement and is further guided against the press unit's upward orientation. As the rotor continues to rotate, the upper and lower press punches approach each other vertically, following the orientation of the press unit in normal production compression. In this way, the material in the receptacle is compressed into pellets. When the detected value confirms that the preset pressing force and / or a parameter indicating the pressing force characteristics has reached a predetermined value, the rotor stops rotating, rotates in the reverse direction, and the punch pair again leaves the press unit. At this time, the produced pellets can be manually removed from the receptacle. In this case, the axial movement of the upper and lower press punches together with the upper and lower punch guides is guided by a control cam of the rotary press. The rotor can then be rotated back to the loading position of the punch pair. However, the rotor can also be moved to another rotational position, for example, to a position where it is easier to remove the produced pellets, such as an ejection position where the lower press punch carries the pellets to the upper side of the die plate.

[0013] The method according to the present invention allows for press test of individual tablets on a normal production rotary press while minimizing the amount of material used for compression. Therefore, the data generated during the press test is directly available within the production rotary press system. Neither the transfer of data from another press test nor the adaptation of data to the production rotary press is necessary. Eliminating the press test reduces the installation effort. The press test itself also requires minimal installation effort. In the present invention, to the extent that the press units of the press are guided relative to one another to the extent that the desired press force for each material is exceeded during one complete pass through the press, it is reliably ensured during the press test that the preset press force is achieved and not exceeded based on the determination of a parameter characteristic of the press force. Once the desired press force is reached, the pressing process is terminated by stopping the rotor rotation, and the press punch pair is guided in the opposite direction, specifically to remove contact with the press unit. The pressing process is completed before the press punch pair exceeds the minimum distance between the press units. This allows the first pellets in a press test to be compressed with the desired pressing force even without knowledge of the compression properties of the respective compressed material, i.e. whatever the web height the pellets reach, which can be determined before the press test and can be achieved exactly with the method according to the invention.

[0014] The method according to the present invention, except for the manual filling of the receptacle with material, can be implemented, in particular automatically, by a control device of the rotary press. The control device can be configured as a machine control device for controlling the production run of the rotary press or can be integrated into the machine control device. Based on the results of the press test, the rotary press can set all components for the subsequent production run. This can also be done via the control device. This relates, for example, to the desired setting of the filling cam and / or the rotation speed of the press device, in particular the press unit such as the press roller or press wedge, and / or the rotor. The pressing force or a parameter characteristic of the pressing force can be measured using assigned sensors. For this purpose, the rotary press is equipped with assigned sensors, such as a pressing force sensor on the press device or a pressing force sensor attached to the press unit. The parameter characteristic of the pressing force and / or the determined additional parameter can also be measured, if necessary, using assigned sensors of the rotary press.

[0015] The steps of the method according to the invention do not have to be carried out in the order set out in claim 1. In particular, the press units can be moved relative to one another before or when the punch pair is moved to the filling position or before or when the material to be compressed is filled into the receptacle.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the parameters characteristic of the pressing force are the rotor rotation position, the web height, the pressing force curve and / or the pressing dwell time at a preset pressing force. The rotor rotation position is typically determined by the rotor angular position. The web height can be determined, for example, by the axial paths of the upper and lower press punches. The pressing dwell time indicates the time during which the pellets are compressed to a minimum volume. During the pressing dwell time, the paths of the press punches do not change at all. The pressing force curve can be determined by time or, for example, by the rotor rotation.

[0017] The pressing force and / or parameters characteristic of the pressing force are taken into account for setting up the rotary press for production operation, as previously described.

[0018] According to another embodiment, additional parameters are determined during and / or after the press test, including the pressing force curve, the punch path curve of the upper and / or lower press punches, the maximum pressing force, the pressing dwell time at a given pressing force, and / or the web height of the produced pellets. Again, as mentioned above, suitable sensors can be provided to measure these additional parameters. Additional parameters can also be determined after the press test, such as by measuring the actual web height of the produced pellets.

[0019] The additional parameters are also taken into account when setting up the rotary press for production operation: As mentioned above, the values ​​or respective parameters determined according to the invention can already be used in the rotary press for production operation and can be used directly to characterize the material to be compressed or, respectively, to set up the rotary press for production operation depending on the material to be compressed.

[0020] According to another embodiment, during the press test, only the punch pairs assigned to the receptacles of the die plate can be attached to the rotor. The remaining punch pairs of the rotor can be removed. Of course, it is also possible to leave some punch pairs on the rotor and remove others, or to leave all punch pairs on the rotor. The advantage of only arranging the punch pairs used for the press test is that the punch pairs do not interact with other rotary press components, for example, when the receptacles assigned to them are not filled with material.

[0021] According to another embodiment, the filling device of the rotary press can be removed or stopped during the press test. This has the advantage that receptacles not used during the press test are not filled with compressed material when not desired. For example, the filling device can be completely or partially removed from the rotor. Also, the filling device can be emptied, or the filling port through which material is filled from the filling device into the receptacle can be sealed. In this way, it is possible to avoid complex measures to prevent the receptacle from being filled, such as inserting a blind die plate.

[0022] According to a particularly practical embodiment, the material to be compressed in the press test can be filled into the receptacle manually, however, it is also conceivable to fill the receptacle with the material via the filling device or other filling equipment.

[0023] According to another embodiment, during press testing, the rotor can be driven to rotate at least one-third the speed of the rotary press during production operation. The rotor can also be driven to rotate up to the maximum production speed during production operation. Using a rotation speed according to the aforementioned embodiment creates particularly representative test conditions for subsequent production operation. Typical production speeds for rotary press rotors are, for example, in the range of 5 rev / min to 120 rev / min.

[0024] According to another embodiment, multiple press tests are performed, and the rotor rotation speed is varied to vary the force progression and / or punch path progression. For example, sinusoidal and / or sawtooth and / or square wave force progression and / or punch path progression are set over time or rotor revolutions. By using a variable rotor rotation drive, different force and / or punch path curves can be easily set. In this way, it becomes easier to find the optimal rotary press settings for subsequent production runs.

[0025] According to another embodiment, multiple press tests can be performed using punch pairs with different punch heads and / or punch tip geometries. During production runs, the punch tips of the press punches sink into receptacles in the die plate, compressing the material into pellets. The punch tips are located at one end of the punch. The punch heads, which interact with a control cam for controlling the axial movement of the press punch, are located at the opposite end. In this way, the rotary press can be preconfigured with different punch heads and punch tip geometries. The optimal operating parameters for each production run are stored in the rotary press's control unit, and the user can select these by specifying the type of punch to be installed. It is also possible to simulate various punch geometries by using the rotor rotational speed to model the movement and / or velocity curve of the press punch during the pressing process to configure the rotary press.

[0026] Embodiments of the invention are explained in detail below with reference to the figures, which are shown diagrammatically. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an exploded view of the rotor of a rotary press used in the method according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the rotary press shown in FIG. 1 to illustrate the method according to the invention;

[0028] In the figures, like reference numerals refer to like objects unless otherwise indicated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The rotary press shown in FIG. 1 is a rotary press for tablet production used in the present invention, compressing powder material into pellets, particularly tablets. The rotary press rotor is driven by a rotary drive and includes a die plate 10 having a plurality of receptacles 12. The receptacles 12 are formed, for example, by holes in the die plate 10. The rotor further includes a plurality of upper and lower press punches 14 and 16 that rotate synchronously with the die plate 10. The upper and lower press punches 14 and 16 are axially guided by an upper punch guide 18 and a lower punch guide 20, respectively. During rotor rotation, the axial movements of the upper and lower press punches 14 and 16 are controlled by upper and lower control cam components 22 and 24. A filling device 26 is also provided, which includes a filling storage chamber 28 and a filling chamber 30, which are connected via a filling pipe 32. Thus, in this embodiment, the powder material flows by gravity from the fill storage chamber 28 through the fill tube 32 into the fill chamber 30, and from there is supplied to the receptacle 12 of the die plate 10 through a fill opening provided on the underside of the fill chamber 30.

[0030] The rotary press further includes a press device 34. In the illustrated example, the press device 34 includes a preliminary press device having an upper press roller 36 fixed to an upper holder 35 and a lower press roller 38 fixed to a lower holder 37, and a main press device having an upper press roller 40 fixed to an upper holder 39 and a lower press roller 42 fixed to a lower holder 41. The rotary press further includes an extrusion device 44 and a scraper device 46 having a scraper element that supplies tablets 48 produced by the rotary press to a discharge device 50 for discharging the tablets from the rotary press. The scraper device 46 preferably includes a crescent-shaped scraper element that scrapes tablets 48 transported to the upper side of the die plate 10 by the lower press punch 16 in the area of ​​the extrusion device 44 from the die plate 10 and supplies them to the discharge device 50.

[0031] The rotary press further comprises a controller 52 for controlling the operation of the rotary press and for carrying out the method according to the present invention, as further described below.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a portion of the rotary press shown in FIG. 1 to illustrate the method according to the present invention. Only the upper control cam element 22 and the lower control cam element 24 are shown, as are two pairs of upper and lower press punches 14, 16. Furthermore, only the upper press roller 36 and the lower press roller 38, which are pre-pressing devices in the press device 34, are shown. For example, it is also possible to mount only one pair of upper and lower press punches 14, 16 on the rotor to perform the method. FIG. 2 shows two pairs of punches to illustrate the different steps of the method.

[0033] The punch pair, consisting of the upper press punch 14 and the lower press punch 16 shown on the left side of FIG. 2, is moved upward from the receptacle 12 of the die plate 10 by the upper control cam element 22 shown in FIG. 2, and the receptacle 12 is positioned in the fill position assigned to the punch pair. The lower press punch 16, controlled by the control cam element 24, specifically the fill cam element 24, is positioned partially within the receptacle 12, thereby defining the maximum fill height of the receptacle 12. In this fill position, material can be manually filled into the receptacle 12, for example, when the rotor is stopped. At this time, the receptacle 12 is completely filled to its upper end. If necessary, excess material can be scraped off the top surface of the die plate 10.

[0034] Next, as can be seen from the punch pair shown on the right side of FIG. 2, the rotor is rotated, causing the punch pair to move to the right side of FIG. 2 as the die plate 10 rotates and come into contact with the press rollers 36, 38. The press rollers 36, 38 are moved toward each other to some extent in advance so that the punch pair reaches the predicted web height of the pellets produced in the press test before exceeding, and particularly reaching, the minimum distance between the press rollers 36, 38 during the rotor rotation. The present invention ensures that, during the press test, the upper and lower press punches 14, 16 never exceed, and particularly do not reach, the imaginary connecting line 54 depicted in FIG. 2 between the rotation axes of the press rollers 36, 38.

[0035] This setting of the press rollers 36, 38 ensures that the press device 34, particularly the upper and lower press rollers 36, 38, reaches a preset maximum pressing force before the upper and lower press punches 14, 16 exceed the minimum distance between the press rollers 36, 38 during their rotational movement. The pressing force and / or a parameter characteristic of the pressing force are measured by appropriate sensors, particularly in the rotary press, during contact between the press punches 14, 16 and the press rollers 36, 38. When the preset pressing force and / or a parameter characteristic of the pressing force is reached, the rotor's rotational movement stops and then rotates in the opposite direction so that the punch pair does not again come into contact with the upper and lower press rollers 36, 38. The produced pellets 48 can then be removed from the receptacles 12 of the die plate 10. The measured values ​​can be used to configure the rotary press for production runs using material compressed within the press test range.

[0036] As is clear from the above description, in the present rotary press, the press test is performed using the press rollers 36, 38, which are pre-pressing devices of the press device 34. Naturally, the press test can also be performed in a similar manner using the press rollers 40, 42, which are the main pressing devices of the press device 34, and can also be performed in a similar manner in a rotary press that does not have a pre-pressing device, or even if the pre-pressing devices, the press rollers 36, 38, are sufficiently spaced from each other so that the punch pair of the upper and lower press punches 14, 16 does not come into contact with them at all, or is not sufficiently spaced from each other to achieve a preset pressing force or parameter value that indicates a pressing force characteristic. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 Die Plate 12 receptacles 14 Upper press punch 16 Lower press punch 18 Upper punch guide 20 Lower punch guide 22 Upper control cam parts 24 Lower control cam parts 26 Filling equipment 28 Filling storage room 30 Filling room 32 Filling tube 34 Press equipment 36 Upper press roller 38 Lower press roller 40 Upper press roller 42 Lower press roller 44 Extrusion equipment 46 Scraper 48 pellets 50 Ejector 52 Control device 54 connecting wire

Claims

1. 1. A method for testing pellets in a rotary press, comprising: a rotatingly driven rotor having upper and lower press punches (14, 16); upper and lower punch guides (18, 20) for said upper and lower press punches (14, 16); A die plate (10) is provided between the punch guides (18, 20). Equipped with and a filling device (26) for filling the receptacle (12) of the die plate (10) with a material to be compressed during a production run of the rotary press, wherein the upper and lower press punches (14, 16) interact with the receptacle (12) of the die plate (10) during a production run of the rotary press. a press device (34) having an upper press unit (36) and a lower press unit (38) that interact with the upper and lower press punches (14, 16) during a production run to compress material located within the receptacle (12) into pellets. The method comprises: - moving a pair of upper and lower press punches (14, 16) assigned to a receptacle (12) of said die plate (10) into a filling position such that said upper press punch (14) moves upward from said receptacle (12) and said lower press punch (16) is partially located in said receptacle (12), said lower press punch (16) presetting a maximum filling height of material to be compressed in said receptacle (12); - filling the material to be compressed into said receptacle (12); - moving the upper and lower press units (36, 38) of the press apparatus (34) relative to one another so that the predicted web height of the pellets (48) produced in the press test is reached before the punch pair exceeds a position of a minimum distance between the press units (36, 38) during rotation of the rotor; the rotor enters a rotational motion, the punch pairs contact the press units (36, 38) to compress the material loaded in the receptacle (12) into pellets (48), and determining a pressing force and / or a parameter characteristic of the pressing force; When a preset pressing force and / or a preset value of a parameter characteristic of the pressing force is reached, the rotor stops and rotates in the opposite direction so that the punch pair is removed from contact with the press unit (36, 38). A method comprising:

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the parameters characteristic of the pressing force can be the rotational position of the rotor, the web height, the pressing force curve, and / or the pressing dwell time at a preset pressing force.

3. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pressing force and / or the parameters characteristic of the pressing force are taken into account for setting up the rotary press for production operation.

4. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that additional parameters are determined during and / or after the press test, comprising a pressing force curve, a punch path curve of the upper press punch and / or the lower press punch, a maximum pressing force, a pressing dwell time at a preset pressing force, and / or the web height of the produced pellets (48).

5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional parameters are taken into account for configuring the rotary press for production operation.

6. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that during the press test only the punch pairs are mounted on the rotor in the receptacles (12) of the die plate (10).

7. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that during the press test the filling device (26) is removed or stopped.

8. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the press test, the material to be compressed is manually filled into the receptacle (12).

9. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the press test the rotor is driven in rotation at at least one third of the rotational speed reached during production operation of the rotary press.

10. 5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that a number of press tests can be carried out, and that the pressing force curve and / or the punch path curve are varied by varying the rotational speed of the rotor.

11. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that a sinusoidal and / or sawtooth and / or square wave pressure curve and / or punch path curve is set.

12. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a number of press tests are carried out, and punch pairs with different punch head geometries and / or punch tip geometries are used.

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