Isopak unveils new capsule sealer

A new capsule sealing machine, called the BD3000 and manufactured by Italy's Dott Bonapace, has been launched in the UK by local distributor Isopak.

The system has been designed for applications where there is a risk of liquid spilling from capsules and is aimed primarily at laboratories and research facilities.

It has an output of 3,000 capsules per hour, and complements the company's recently launched In-Cap bench top automatic capsule-filling machine.

The BD3000 joins the two portions of the filled capsule together by placing the body and cap of the capsule in a sealing station, where a rotating roller applies the specially formulated sealing solution.

Isopak claims that the sealant "is applied to the rotating capsule in exactly the right location at the junction of the body and the cap ensuring a perfectly tight seal." The accuracy of the seal is helped further by some capillary action which assists the absorption of the sealing solution.

The unit also contains a drying station, complete with 240 cavities to hold the sealed capsules vertically while they dry before they are automatically ejected.

An integral control panel shows the temperature of the sealing solution and features a regulating device to control the capsule rotation, which will vary for different size capsules, during the sealing operation.

Isopak managing director Robin Davies said that the system is particularly suited to small-scale research tasks, clinical trials and formulation development, and would also be useful for companies in the herbal supplement sector.