German machine manufacturing specialist Seidenader Maschinenbau GmbH will introduce its new generation of automatic thickness sorting machines for tablets, DS12+ at P-MEC India 2015 in Mumbai.

The P-MEC India 2015, an international trade fair for pharmaceuticals, medical devices and accessories, to be held from December 1-3 in Mumbai.

According to a company press release, its DS12+ new generation of automatic thickness sorting machines for tablets has designed to make for easy maintenance in the automatic sorting of tablets. Additional practical design details and a touchscreen (HMI) have optimized operating comfort and make for easy maintenance in the automatic sorting of tablets.

At the heart of the re-engineered version of the DS12+ are the inclined sorting channels: each with two counter-rotating, high-precision and robust rollers which reliably guide tablets or comparable products successively through the channel for sorting. Moving and adjustable rows of flaps above the sorting channel prevent the products from overflowing and separate any tablets which may be lying on top of one another. The precisely adjustable gap between the rollers increases along their length: in the upper section it is narrower than in the lower section.

Depending on thickness, the tablets automatically drop into three different discharge channels: “too thin” at the top, “good” in the centre and “too thick” at the bottom end. Optionally, smaller fragments can be screened out through a perforated plate prior to the actual sorting process.

New technical details make the machine even easier to operate and contribute to reduced maintenance. It features a user-friendly control panel (HMI) with touchscreen. In the event of a product change the formulae for the product-specific machine settings can be retrieved from the HMI. Menu-guided, the dimensions for the new tablets format are set manually and reproducibly, and confirmed in the HMI.

A convenient new feature is sensor-protected setting of the gap between the rollers of the sorting channels. Adjustment wheels in the upper and lower section of the cylinders simultaneously regulate the clearance in all sorting channels. A sensor in each setting range checks the roller spacing, which is displayed in the HMI with hundredth millimetre precision.

The DS12+ offers a high sorting capacity of up to 1,000 kg/h, depending on the size and type of product. The sorting accuracy is continuously adjustable up to ± 0.05 mm. A format change requires only the replacement of a single format part. The machine can be integrated into the production line at various different points: installing the DS12+ upstream of a blister machine prevents interruptions to the packaging process caused by products that are under- or oversized.

When installed prior to the coating of tablets or dragees, the DS12+ ensures that only products of the correct size and shape are coated. Following coating, tablets that are stuck together or whose coating is too thick or irregular can be ejected. The machine can also be used for separating off foreign material that can be detected on the basis of size.