Resources
Knowledge Base
Practical answers to the questions we hear most often, plus field-tested tips to help you get more out of your tablet press equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Maintenance & repair questions answered straight.
Technical Tips
Field observations from years of tablet press service work.
Check cam track wear before blaming the tooling
Inconsistent tablet weight or hardness is often attributed to punch and die wear first — but worn cam tracks cause the same symptoms and are frequently overlooked. Before replacing tooling, measure cam track depth at multiple points around the turret. Uneven wear patterns indicate a cam track problem that new punches won't fix.
Lubrication intervals matter more than lubrication volume
Over-lubrication is as damaging as under-lubrication. Excess oil/grease migrates into areas it shouldn't reach, attracts particulate contamination, and can compromise product quality in open-turret designs. Follow the OEM lubrication schedule by interval and quantity — and document every lubrication event for your GMP records.
Listen to your press during startup
Most mechanical failures announce themselves before they become critical. Unusual sounds during startup — clicks, grinding, or irregular rhythms — often indicate a bearing beginning to fail, a punch binding in its guide, or a cam follower with excessive play. Catching these early means a planned repair instead of an emergency one.
Measure tooling at receipt, not just at replacement
Incoming tooling inspection is a GMP requirement for good reason — punches and dies can arrive out of specification from the manufacturer. Measure critical dimensions (punch length, tip diameter, die bore) at receipt and record the results. This also gives you a baseline for tracking wear over the tooling's service life.
Document compression parameters after every process change
When you adjust compression force, turret speed, or pre-compression settings to hit a tablet spec, write it down immediately — not at the end of the batch. Undocumented parameter drift is one of the most common sources of batch-to-batch variability and a frequent finding in process audits. A simple log sheet at the press is enough.
Clean the feed frame more often than you think you need to
Feed frame buildup is a leading cause of weight variation and tablet defects, particularly with sticky or hygroscopic formulations. If you're seeing weight drift during a run, check the feed frame before adjusting compression parameters. In many cases the fix is a cleaning, not a mechanical adjustment.
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