Control of the position and shape of active ingredient cores in film-coated tablets

Film-coated tablets consist of a core tablet and a surrounding coating. The efficacy is dependent on the actual position of the core in the center of the coating. To ensure quality and adjust the tablet presses if necessary, the core position in the coating must be measured at specified intervals.

Using the image processing system VMT IS/V, integrated into a processing and positioning system, tablets are milled in two 90° offset cuts. Cameras and special image processing techniques are then used to measure and document the core position and shape relative to the tablet coating. The measurement results serve as control parameters for process optimization within the tablet press.

The inspection system is linked to an MES system which controls the inspection task. The inspection results are archived in a central quality assurance system.