Tablet & Capsule Packaging Machine Suppliers & Manufacturers

Tablet and capsule counting and bottling

Tablet and capsule packaging for bottles involves counting a precise number of dosage units into a bottle or container, applying the closure (screw cap, child-resistant cap, induction seal), and then labelling and cartoning the bottle. This is the standard for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical solid oral dosage forms sold in HDPE or PET bottles — the classic prescription medicine bottle, OTC tablet bottle, and food supplement bottle. Counting technologies: slat counter — a traditional mechanical counter using a rotating slat disc with cavities; the slats catch and convey individual tablets/capsules, counting them into a bottle; reliable for high-speed production; less gentle for coated or fragile tablets. Electronic counting — sensors (optical, vision, or vibration) count dosage units as they pass along a vibratory track; more accurate and gentler than slat counters; standard for modern pharmaceutical lines; can handle mixed tablet sizes and detect broken fragments. Multi-lane counting — multiple parallel lanes count simultaneously to achieve high throughput; speeds of 100–500+ bottles per minute on multi-lane electronic counters. Visual inspection: all pharmaceutical counting lines include camera inspection to detect broken tablets, capsules, or foreign matter in the bottle before the closure is applied. Desiccant insertion: most tablet and capsule bottles require a desiccant canister (silica gel or molecular sieve) or a desiccant pillow to be inserted into the bottle to control headspace humidity — desiccant insertion stations are integrated into the bottling line. Cotton or rayon plug insertion: traditional pharmaceutical bottles include a cotton or rayon wool plug above the tablets to prevent rattling during transport — automated plug inserters are integrated into the line.

Pharmaceutical bottling line and GMP compliance

A complete pharmaceutical tablet and capsule bottling line typically includes: bottle depalletiser or bottle unscramblers (to orientate and feed bottles at speed); bottle cleaner (air rinser); tablet/capsule counter; desiccant inserter; cotton or rayon plug inserter; bottle capper (screw cap, CRC cap, dropper cap); induction sealer (for aluminium foil inner seal); bottle labeller (wrap-around or front-back label); carton erector, leaflet inserter, and cartoner; checkweigher; tamper-evident neck seal or sleeve; serialisation and track-and-trace camera system. GMP requirements for pharmaceutical packaging equipment: all product-contact surfaces must be 316L stainless steel or equivalent food-grade material; HEPA-filtered air supply to the filling area; fully enclosed and sealed machine frames to prevent dust; 21 CFR Part 11 compliant HMI (human-machine interface) with audit trail, electronic batch records, and role-based access; complete documentation package (IQ/OQ/PQ validation protocols and reports); CE marking for Europe; FAT (factory acceptance testing) and SAT (site acceptance testing). Key suppliers for pharmaceutical tablet and capsule packaging equipment: IMA (Italy), Marchesini Group (Italy), Romaco, Uhlmann, Körber, Elizabeth (India), and a growing number of validated Chinese pharma equipment manufacturers. When sourcing, specify: tablet or capsule type and dimensions (size 0, 00, or specific tablet dimensions), bottle dimensions and count per bottle, GMP compliance level (FDA 21 CFR or EU GMP), required output (bottles per minute), closures and sealing requirements, labelling requirements, and downstream cartoning integration.

Frequently asked questions