Capsule Pressure Control Assembly for Thermal Elongation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pharmaceutical capsules elongate due to thermal expansion of air within them during the fill process when the fill material is heated above room temperature, leading to malformation and packaging issues.
Innovation Solution
A capsule pressure control assembly that includes a support unit with trays and a cooling device to regulate the internal pressure by exposing the capsules to air at a temperature lower than the fill material, thereby reducing or eliminating elongation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the fill material is heated above room temperature during the fill process, then the fill material can be properly charged into the capsule body, but the air contained within the capsule undergoes thermal expansion causing capsule elongation and malformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by cooling the capsules before they are filled with hot fill material. The capsules are pre-cooled to a temperature below room temperature, so that when the hot fill material is introduced, the temperature differential is minimized, preventing excessive thermal expansion of the air inside the capsule and thus preventing capsule elongation and malformation.
2Productivity
If the internal pressure of the capsule is not regulated, then the capsule can be filled quickly, but capsule elongation occurs due to thermal expansion of air
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling of capsules before filling to establish optimal temperature conditions in advance, allowing rapid filling without causing thermal expansion issues. This preliminary temperature adjustment ensures that subsequent filling operations maintain consistent capsule quality without elongation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring the temperature of capsules and fill material, and by regulating the cooling process to maintain capsules at a temperature below room temperature. This feedback mechanism ensures that the temperature differential between capsule and fill material remains within optimal ranges, preventing capsule malformation while maintaining high fill rates.
3Device complexity
If capsules are not cooled before filling, then the process is simpler, but pre-inspection processes become labor-intensive due to elongated capsules
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing preliminary cooling of capsules before filling, the process prevents capsule elongation at the source, eliminating the need for labor-intensive post-fill inspection and sorting operations. This preliminary temperature control measures simplifies the overall process by preventing quality issues rather than requiring complex post-processing inspection systems.
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
The solution effectively reduces capsule elongation, increasing the yield rate of acceptable filled capsules by maintaining internal pressure below the locking mechanism's strength, ensuring proper packaging and reducing labor-intensive pre-inspection processes.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the at least one capsule to a volume of air having a temperature that is less than that of the fill material
Implementation Method 2
the material filled into the capsules is above room temperature during the fill process... the thermal expansion of air contained within a filled capsule
Data Source
AI summary
A capsule pressure control assembly for regulating or controlling the internal pressure of filled capsules, whereby instances of capsule elongation are reduced or eliminated, thus resulting in an increased yield rate of acceptable filled capsules.