Capsule Filling Machine Dosing Station Weight Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Capsule filling machines with multiple dosing stations face challenges in accurately determining the fill quantity of individual dosing stations, especially when filling different types of products, as the total weight of the filled capsule does not provide conclusive information, leading to increased complexity and cost with additional measuring devices and potential product mixing issues.
Innovation Solution
The method involves independently actuating dosing stations within the capsule filling machine, temporarily switching off one or more dosing stations during normal operation to produce incompletely filled capsules, which are then weighed externally and used to calculate the fill quantity of individual dosing stations, allowing for accurate determination of filling goods without additional sensors or process stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional measuring devices are installed in dosing stations to detect individual filling quantities, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The measuring device is extracted from the capsule filling machine and placed outside. Incompletely filled capsules are ejected and fed to an external measuring device, which determines the filling quantity without the capsule shell. This eliminates the need for sensors inside dosing stations while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Incompletely filled capsules serve as intermediaries to transfer information about dosing station performance. By creating capsules with known missing filling quantities (from switched-off dosing stations), the system uses these intermediaries to indirectly measure dosing accuracy without requiring direct sensors in the dosing stations.
2Measurement precision
If capacitive sensors are arranged within dosing stations to measure filling material, then measurement precision is improved, but cleaning effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measuring device is completely extracted from the capsule filling machine environment. By placing it outside the machine, the sensor is removed from areas requiring frequent cleaning and disassembly, significantly reducing cleaning effort while maintaining measurement capability.
3Measurement precision
If additional process stations with scales are added between dosing stations to measure filling, then measurement precision is improved, but the volume of the capsule filling machine increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement function is extracted from the main machine body and relocated to an external position. The measuring device is arranged outside the capsule filling machine, eliminating the need for additional internal process stations and reducing machine volume.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple dosing stations are used to fill different products, then adaptability is improved, but the ability to check individual filling goods after closing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement by ejecting and measuring incompletely filled capsules before they are closed. By determining the filling quantity of incompletely filled capsules from switched-off dosing stations, the system verifies dosing accuracy before the capsule is sealed, enabling individual filling good verification even with multiple dosing stations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach simplifies the design and operation by enabling reliable detection of systematic errors and product losses, reducing space requirements, and allowing for separate checking of individual filling materials, while maintaining process reliability and reducing cleaning efforts.
Implementation Method 1
a testing device arranged outside the capsule filling machine, into which the incompletely filled capsules are fed, measures the weight of the incompletely filled capsules
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Method for operating a capsule filling machine, wherein the capsule filling machine comprises a plurality of capsule conveying devices, each having a plurality of capsule holders for receiving one capsule each, wherein the capsule filling machine further comprises a plurality of process stations arranged along a preferably circular conveying path, namely at least one feeding station for feeding capsules to be filled into the capsule holders of the capsule conveying devices, at least one opening station for opening the capsules to be filled by separating the capsule parts from the capsule bottoms, several dosing stations for filling the capsule bottoms with filling material, at least one closing station for closing the filled capsules, and at least one ejection station for ejecting the filled capsules.wherein the capsule conveying units with the capsules contained therein are conveyed intermittently or continuously along the conveying path through the process stations by means of a conveying drive, and wherein at least the dosing stations each have at least one dosing drive that can be actuated independently of the conveying drive, wherein the method is characterized by the following steps: - during operation of the capsule filling machine, at least one of the dosing stations participating in filling the capsules is deactivated for a predetermined period of time by appropriate control of its dosing drive, so that no filling material is filled into the capsule bottoms in this at least one dosing station, and - the capsules produced in the capsule filling machine during the test series that are not completely filled are ejected in the at least one ejection station and fed to a test device arranged outside the capsule filling machine,which measures the weight of these not fully filled capsules and transmits the measurement result to an evaluation unit.