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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-01-16 Origin: Site
How are softgel capsules made? The soft capsule encapsulator creates precise, easy-to-swallow capsules.
This article explains how these machines work and the process behind them. You’ll learn about the key components and technology used.
By the end, you’ll understand the working principle of soft capsule encapsulators. Learn more about our products at Sinagel.
A soft capsule encapsulator works by filling liquid or semi-solid substances into gelatin shells. The machine uses precise control to inject the fill material, form the capsule, and seal it. The entire process ensures uniformity in size and accurate fill amounts in every capsule. The gelatin shell serves as a protective layer, safeguarding the active ingredients from environmental factors, ensuring stability, and enhancing ease of consumption.
Several key components are involved in soft capsule encapsulation:
● Gelatin Melting Tank: Melts the gelatin to the proper viscosity for capsule formation.
● Ribbon Former: Spreads the gelatin into thin, uniform ribbons that will eventually form the capsule shell.
● Filling Unit: Injects the prepared fill material, such as oils or suspensions, into the gelatin ribbons.
● Rotary Dies: Presses the gelatin ribbons together, forming and sealing the capsules.
● Drying System: Removes excess moisture from the capsules, ensuring they retain their shape and integrity.
With these components working together, a soft capsule encapsulator can ensure the smooth, high-speed production of consistent and reliable softgel capsules.
Component | Function |
Gelatin Melting Tank | Melts and prepares gelatin for capsule formation |
Ribbon Former | Spreads the gelatin into thin, uniform ribbons |
Filling Unit | Injects fill material into gelatin ribbons |
Rotary Dies | Shapes and seals the capsules |
Drying System | Removes excess moisture from capsules |
The soft capsule encapsulator operates by combining both rotary and linear movements. Rotary movements ensure that the gelatin ribbons are continuously fed through the machine, while linear movements help position the ribbons and fill material precisely. This combination of movements ensures smooth, consistent encapsulation, especially in large-scale production environments.
Gelatin is the primary material used for the capsule shell, providing a flexible and durable casing for the active ingredient. It helps protect sensitive compounds from external elements like moisture, light, and air. Moreover, gelatin ensures that the capsule is easy to swallow, which is particularly important for consumers who may struggle with pills or tablets.
The soft capsule encapsulator begins by melting the gelatin in a specialized tank, mixing it with plasticizers, water, and sometimes colorants. The gelatin is heated to a specific temperature to achieve the desired viscosity, ensuring that it flows easily but retains enough structure to form a solid shell around the fill material.
Once the gelatin has reached the right consistency, it is spread into thin ribbons by the ribbon former. These ribbons are then cooled to a controlled temperature before being moved into the next phase of the encapsulation process. The precise formation of gelatin ribbons is crucial for ensuring uniform shell thickness across all capsules.
The fill material can be anything from oils, pastes, and suspensions to powdered ingredients, depending on the formulation. For example, essential oils, fish oil, and vitamins are often encapsulated in softgel form. The soft capsule encapsulator handles a wide variety of fill materials, each with specific viscosity and consistency requirements.
After preparing the fill material, it is injected into the gelatin ribbons. The soft capsule encapsulator uses an injection wedge to ensure that the exact amount of fill material is placed into each capsule. The system’s precision helps achieve uniform dosing and prevents inconsistencies.
The consistency and viscosity of the fill material are critical for proper encapsulation. The soft capsule encapsulator ensures that these parameters are finely tuned, allowing for smooth injection and consistent dosing. This attention to detail prevents air bubbles or inconsistencies in the capsules, which could compromise their quality.
Fill Material Type | Common Uses |
Oils | Fish oils, vitamins, essential oils |
Suspensions | Suspensions for active ingredients like vitamins |
Powdered Ingredients | Powdered compounds or supplements |
Pastas | Thick pastes for nutrients like CoQ10 or CBD |
Once the fill material is injected into the gelatin ribbons, the ribbons are pressed together by the rotary dies, forming a capsule. The gelatin shell is sealed around the fill material to ensure the capsule’s integrity.
The soft capsule encapsulator applies heat and pressure to seal the edges of the gelatin ribbons, ensuring that no fill material escapes and that the capsule remains intact. This sealing process is essential for maintaining the quality and efficacy of the final product.
The capsules are then shaped by the die rolls and further inspected to ensure uniform size and shape. At this stage, the softgel capsules are still malleable and must undergo drying to solidify the shell.
Drying is a crucial step in the production of softgel capsules. Excess moisture in the gelatin shell can cause the capsules to become too soft or lead to degradation over time. Drying helps stabilize the capsules, ensuring they remain durable and maintain their integrity during storage and use.
Softgel capsules are initially dried using a tumble dryer, which removes most of the moisture. Afterward, they are moved to a tray drying system for complete drying under controlled conditions. This two-stage drying process helps ensure that the softgel capsules retain their flexibility and shape.
After drying, the capsules undergo several quality control checks, including size verification, weight checks, and seal integrity testing. These checks ensure that the capsules meet all specifications for appearance, dosage, and safety.
Modern soft capsule encapsulators feature automated systems that streamline the production process, from gelatin preparation to capsule sealing. Automation minimizes human error, increases production speed, and ensures consistent quality across large batches.
Fully automatic systems handle all stages of the encapsulation process without human intervention, making them ideal for high-volume production. Semi-automatic systems require some manual input but still provide significant time and labor savings compared to fully manual operations.
Advanced control systems in soft capsule encapsulators provide real-time feedback, allowing operators to adjust parameters such as temperature, fill volume, and speed. This enhances the overall precision and consistency of the production process.
To ensure the smooth operation of the soft capsule encapsulator, regular maintenance is vital. This includes routine cleaning, lubrication, and inspection of moving parts for wear and tear. Preventive maintenance helps identify and fix minor issues before they turn into major problems, ensuring the machine operates efficiently. Regular maintenance also extends the machine's lifespan, reducing downtime and repair costs.
Several issues may arise during soft capsule production, such as inconsistent fill material distribution, improperly sealed capsules, or malfunctioning sensors. These issues can often be resolved with regular calibration and machine adjustments. For example, monitoring fill material viscosity and adjusting flow rates ensures uniform capsule filling. Additionally, regular checks on the sealing mechanism prevent capsule leaks, which could affect product quality. Timely intervention and responding to system alerts can help keep production on track.
Proper operator training is crucial to the effective functioning of the soft capsule encapsulator. Well-trained operators are equipped to handle the machine’s complex controls, troubleshoot minor issues, and ensure consistent quality throughout the production process. Training programs should include understanding the machinery, identifying potential problems, and maintaining safety protocols to prevent accidents and ensure smooth operations.
The future of soft capsule encapsulation lies in further automation and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. AI can help the machine learn and adjust to fluctuations in production conditions, ensuring consistency and reducing errors in real-time. These advancements allow for more efficient use of resources, optimizing the production process while maintaining the high quality of soft capsules.
As sustainability becomes increasingly important, the soft capsule industry is adopting eco-friendly solutions. Innovations such as biodegradable gelatin alternatives and energy-efficient encapsulation systems help reduce environmental impact. These sustainable alternatives not only cater to the growing consumer demand for greener products but also help companies comply with environmental regulations and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
With consumer preferences constantly evolving, the future of soft capsule machines will offer more customization options. This includes the ability to adjust capsule shapes, sizes, and formulations. Such flexibility will allow manufacturers to meet the diverse needs of consumers, whether it’s for specialized formulations, vegan or halal capsules, or unique delivery mechanisms. Enhanced customization options enable manufacturers to stay competitive and offer innovative solutions to the market.
The soft capsule encapsulator is a critical machine for producing high-quality softgel capsules. It uses precise principles and advanced technology to ensure effective delivery of active ingredients. As technology evolves, the future of soft capsule encapsulation promises more automation, sustainability, and customization. At Sinagel, our products offer exceptional quality, meeting the growing needs of the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
A: The soft capsule encapsulator combines liquid or semi-solid materials with gelatin to create softgel capsules. It uses precise mechanisms to ensure accurate dosage and uniform quality.
A: A soft capsule encapsulator injects fill material into gelatin ribbons, seals them, and cuts the capsules into uniform sizes. It ensures the consistency of each softgel.
A: Soft capsule encapsulation ensures the active ingredient is delivered efficiently, with improved bioavailability, while also providing precise dosing and protecting sensitive compounds.
A: The soft capsule encapsulator provides efficient, high-quality production with consistent results, making it ideal for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
