The manual tube filling machine as the name implies is manually operated unlike the more sophisticated automatic tube filling machine. It is a hand operated machine.
Manual tube filling machine is also known as manual paste filling machine.
A manual tube filling machine is used to sealing products from liquid to gas. The machine is used to fill pipes or tubes with a manual sealing machine, you need not bother about the power shortage before you can fill up the tube of your pharmaceutical products.
Manual machines can be suitable for various kinds of liquid and paste ranging from but not limited to gel, shampoo, cream, and sesame paste. However, might not be suitable for material with seeds or chunks.
Types of tubes used in the pharmaceutical industry
There are two types of tubes used in the pharmaceutical industry namely:
- Soft (made from plastic)
- Hard (made from aluminium)
There are machines that handle only hard tubes which are more suitable for products sensitive to oxygen as the bottom part of the tube can be rolled up after every use thereby expelling any trapped air, which is not the case for soft tubes.
Manual tube filling machine operation cycle
For most manual tube filling machines, the operation cycle has 4 stages namely:
- Positioning of the tube
- Filling or sealing
- Coding
- Ejection
The empty tubes are first positioned in the hopper in the upper right-hand part of the machine and are then fed downwards to be positioned with the bottom part (which is open) facing upwards.
Furthermore, it is expected you remove all air pockets in order to reduce the risk of deterioration by oxidation and to have the correct amount of product in the tube.
This is done by passing the product through a roller mill which is the small white piece of equipment in the upper left-hand side of most manual machines.
The intended contents (cream, gel or ointment) are then filled into the tube which is then sealed by curling the end several times and then embossing the required information (usually the batch number and expiry date). This cycle is followed by gentle ejection of the tube.
Parts of manual tube filling machine
- Spring and Steel Gear
- seal ring
- Stainless Steel Nozzle
- Operation handle
- Hopper
Advantages of manual paste filling machine
- Easy operation
- Less maintenance
- Robust construction
- High functionality
- Easy cleaning
- Cheaper
- Wide application
Disadvantages of manual paste filling machine
- Long working time
- Inaccuracy due to customer’s inability to measure the amount of liquid if the hopper is not transparent
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Reference
Bansal AK. Supercritical fluid technology in pharmaceutical research. Business briefing.