Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

Q: What is a Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine?

A Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine is a monoblock automatic system designed for the aseptic filling of sterile injectable dry powders into glass vials, followed immediately by rubber stopper (bung) insertion. It combines powder filling (using a vacuum-driven powder wheel) and stoppering on a single platform, minimizing contamination risks and exposure time in the critical zone. This machine is widely used for antibiotics, cephalosporins, lyophilized products, and other sterile powders, ensuring high accuracy, sterility, and compliance with cGMP, FDA, and EU GMP standards in ISO 5 / Class 100 cleanrooms.

Q: What is the filling accuracy and how does the powder filling system work?

The machine provides excellent filling accuracy of ±2% to ±3% in single dosing (some models achieve up to ±1% with servo or optimized vacuum systems), depending on powder bulk density and uniformity. It uses a vacuum-driven powder wheel with eight ports and pistons. Powder from an agitated hopper is metered into the wheel, excess is removed by an adjustable doctor blade, and the precise dose is flushed into the vial using compressed air or nitrogen. The “No Vial – No Filling” system prevents wastage of costly sterile powder.

Description

Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine (also known as an Injectable Powder Filling Machine or Vial Dry Powder Filling and Stoppering Machine) is a specialized piece of pharmaceutical packaging equipment designed to automate the precise filling of sterile powder into glass vials, followed by the insertion of rubber stoppers (bungs). This monoblock system performs both filling and bunging operations on a single platform, ensuring sterility, accuracy, and efficiency in high-volume production. It is commonly used for injectable powders, such as antibiotics or lyophilized products, in compliance with cGMP standards.

Vial Infeed: Empty, sterilized vials are loaded onto an infeed turntable or slat conveyor and transported to the filling station, where proximity sensors detect and position them under nozzles.

Powder Filling: Agitated powder from the hopper is metered into the powder wheel. Sequential air pulses dispense pre-set volumes into each vial.

Vial Separation and Transfer: Filled vials are separated on the conveyor and moved to the bunging station.

Bunging/Stoppering: Rubber bungs are fed from a vibratory bowl through a chute and pressed into the vial necks using pneumatic cylinders.

Outfeed: Completed vials exit via an outfeed turntable for downstream processes like capping, sealing, or labeling.

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Salient Features of Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

Compact cGMP model.
“No Vial, No Filling” system eliminates wastage of costly powder.
All motors are provided with appropriate contractors and relays for the protection against any overload or jamming.
High Volumetric Filling Accuracy of ±2% of uniform density Injectable powder can be ensured by setting the depth of piston in the port of powder wheel.
Built-in Rubber Stoppering Unit saves lot of space in the Sterile Area & reduces the length of Laminar Flow.

Individual drive for the filling & sealing to match the speed of filling & sealing.
Multiple Dosing System.
Safety clutch system to avoid Vial breakage.
Variable AC Frequency Drive for speed adjustment.
All contact parts are easily removable for mandatory Autoclaving/ Sterilization.
Digital counter for counting production output.

Working Principle of Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

The sterilized powder is stored in powder hopper is agitated by pair of mechanical agitators for maintaining consistency and uniform bulk density. The powder wheel having eight ports rotates at the pre determined speed below the powder hopper with practically no clearance. Powder wheel consist of Piston in each port and behind the powder wheel vacuum plate is provided there is no clearance between powder wheel and vacuum plate due to back spring pressure. Precise volume of powder is sucked in to the port of powder wheel during vacuum according to the piston length different fill size can be achieved. The excess powder is doctored off by a doctor blade. Doctor blades can be adjusted from outside also without removing powder hopper. When powder wheel indexes further and remain in the port due to the vacuum till it reaches just vertically above the container. The time dose of Compressed air (Nitrogen Gas), sterilized low pressure air sequentially flushes out powder from the port of powder wheel in to the container one by one. The filled containers are immediately separated on the conveyor by vial separator and moves further for stoppering operation. (Different grooves separator can be used which depends on the container diameter or multiple dosing systems). The sterilized, siliconised, rubber stoppers stored in the vibrator bowl moves to vibratory bowl and stacked vertically in the rubber stopper chute. The container is hold firmly between pair or timing belt to pickup rubber stopper from exit end of the chute. Further the container is passed between two pressing roller for tight fit fixing of rubber stopper.

Technical Specification of Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

Models	APF 12S	APF 12D
Production Output	Up to 100 vials/minute	Up to 200 vials/minute
Fill Volume	50 mg. to 10grams	50 mg. to 10 grams
Vial Size	5ml to 250ml	5ml to 250ml
Filling Accuracy	± 2 – 3% in single dosing depending upon consistency and uniformity of bulk density of Injectable Powder	± 2 – 3% in single dosing depending upon consistency and uniformity of bulk density of Injectable Powder
Power Load	3.5 H. P.	4.5 H. P.
Overall Dimension	2600mm (L) X 1100mm (W) X 1800mm (H) approx.	3000mm (L) X 1100mm (W) X 1800mm (H) approx.
Net Weight	500 kgs. approx.	700 kgs. approx.
Gross Weight	750 kgs. approx.	950 kgs. approx.

* Power voltage can be adjusted as per customer’s domestic power voltage requirements.
* Rights of technical improvements & modification reserved.
* Illustrations & dimensions are shown for information purpose only.

Types of Vial Filling Machine

Automatic Vial Filling Machine

High Speed Vial Filling Machine

Vial Liquid Filling Machine

Vial Powder Filling Machine

Automatic Vial Filling and Rubber Stoppering Machine

Lab Scale Vial Filling Stoppering & Cap Sealing Machine

Injectable Vial Powder Filling & Stoppering Machine

Peristaltic Pump based Vial Filling Machine

Applications of Vial Filling Machine

Advantages of Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

High Filling Accuracy and Dose Uniformity

Minimal Product Wastage of Costly Powder

Integrated Bunging (Stoppering) for Enhanced Sterility

Compact cGMP Design and Easy Cleaning

High Production Speed and Efficiency

Improved Safety and Reduced Labor Costs

Key Components of Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

Filling Mechanism: Utilizes a vacuum-driven powder wheel with servo motors for precise dosing. Powder is stored in a hopper with mechanical agitators to maintain uniform bulk density. Compressed air or nitrogen flushes the powder into vials through nozzles, achieving filling accuracy of ±2% (depending on powder characteristics).

Bunging/Stoppering System: Integrated rubber stopper delivery via a vibrating bowl and chute. Supports full or half bunging for lyophilized products, with pneumatic pressing for secure placement in a sterile environment.

Production Capacity: Outputs range from 30 to 250 vials per minute (VPM), scalable with models featuring single or double powder wheels.

Safety and Controls: Includes no-vial/no-stopper detection to halt operations, clutch systems for vial breakage prevention, and PLC-based HMI for speed adjustment and digital counting. Optional laminar airflow for Class 100 sterile filling, IQ/OQ validation, and rejection systems.

Construction: Contact parts made from SS 316L for corrosion resistance; framework in SS 304. Tool-less adjustments for blades and easy changeovers.

FAQ for Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine

What is a Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine?

A Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine is a monoblock automatic system designed for the aseptic filling of sterile injectable dry powders into glass vials, followed immediately by rubber stopper (bung) insertion. It combines powder filling (using a vacuum-driven powder wheel) and stoppering on a single platform, minimizing contamination risks and exposure time in the critical zone. This machine is widely used for antibiotics, cephalosporins, lyophilized products, and other sterile powders, ensuring high accuracy, sterility, and compliance with cGMP, FDA, and EU GMP standards in ISO 5 / Class 100 cleanrooms.

What are the available models and production capacities?

We offer a wide range of models to meet different production requirements:

APF 12S — Up to 100 vials per minute
APF 12D — Up to 200 vials per minute
ALVF-40 — Up to 40 vials/min (2 filling heads)
ALVF-80 — Up to 80 vials/min (4 filling heads)
ALVF-120 — Up to 150 vials/min (8 filling heads)
ALVF-250 — Up to 250 vials/min (12 filling heads)

The machines handle vial sizes from 5ml to 250ml (diameters 15–70 mm, heights 25–140 mm) and fill volumes from 50 mg to 10 grams or higher, depending on the model and powder characteristics.

What is the filling accuracy and how does the powder filling system work?

The machine provides excellent filling accuracy of ±2% to ±3% in single dosing (some models achieve up to ±1% with servo or optimized vacuum systems), depending on powder bulk density and uniformity.

It uses a vacuum-driven powder wheel with eight ports and pistons. Powder from an agitated hopper is metered into the wheel, excess is removed by an adjustable doctor blade, and the precise dose is flushed into the vial using compressed air or nitrogen. The “No Vial – No Filling” system prevents wastage of costly sterile powder.

How does the integrated bunging (stoppering) system work and what are its benefits?

The built-in rubber stoppering unit inserts pre-sterilized rubber bungs immediately after filling. Bungs are fed from a vibratory bowl through a chute and pressed firmly into the vial neck using pneumatic cylinders or pressing rollers.

Key benefits of the integrated design include:

Reduced exposure time in the sterile zone
Shorter laminar airflow length
Space saving in the cleanroom
Lower contamination risk
Support for full or half bunging (ideal for lyophilized products)

The system also includes “No Vial – No Stopper” detection for added safety.

What are the main advantages and key features of the Vial Powder Filling Bunging Machine?

The main advantages include:

High production speed with consistent quality and minimal powder wastage
Enhanced sterility due to immediate stoppering after filling
Reduced labor costs (up to 70% savings) and human error
Easy format changeover with minimal change parts
Compact cGMP design with AISI SS 316L contact parts and easy removable components for autoclaving
PLC + HMI controls, variable frequency drive, digital counter, safety clutch, and overload protection
Options for nitrogen flushing, laminar airflow, vision inspection, and CIP/SIP

These features make the machine ideal for both small-batch and large-scale commercial production of sterile injectable powders while ensuring regulatory compliance and easy validation.

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