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.