Vial Powder Feeding Machine

A Vial Powder Feeding Machine, more commonly known as a Vial Powder Filling Machine, is a specialized piece of pharmaceutical packaging equipment designed to accurately dispense sterile dry powders into glass vials. These machines are essential in the production of injectable medications, such as antibiotics, vaccines, or lyophilized (freeze-dried) drugs, where precise dosing and contamination prevention are critical. They ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and standards like ISO and FDA regulations, minimizing human error and maintaining sterility.

Unlike liquid fillers, powder fillers handle fine, dry substances that can be volatile or sensitive to moisture, using mechanisms like auger screws or vacuum dosing for uniform distribution.

Vial Powder Feeding Machine Video

Key Features

• Filling Accuracy: Typically ±1-2% deviation, depending on powder type and environmental factors.

• Speed: Ranges from 40-600 vials per minute, scalable for small-batch or high-volume production.

• Materials: Contact parts made of stainless steel (SS316L) for easy sterilization via autoclaving.

• Safety: Includes vial breakage clutches, explosion-proof designs for volatile powders, and laminar airflow for Class 100 cleanrooms.

• Automation: PLC controls with touchscreen interfaces, recipe storage for multiple products, and integration with washing, drying, stoppering, and capping lines.

• Vial Compatibility: Handles 2ml-100ml vials, often with quick-change parts for different sizes.

How It Works: Step-by-Step Process

Based on standard dry powder injection filling operations:

1. Vial Feeding: Empty, pre-washed, and sterilized vials are loaded via an automatic infeed turntable or conveyor. Orientation is ensured for proper alignment under filling nozzles.

2. Powder Preparation: Sterile powder is loaded into a hopper with mechanical agitators to maintain uniform bulk density and prevent clumping.

3. Dosing and Filling:

   • An auger screw or vacuum/pressure wheel rotates to measure and dispense exact powder quantities into each vial.

   • Servo-driven systems allow real-time adjustments for precision.

4. Stoppering: Rubber stoppers are automatically inserted (partial or full insertion) using a synchronized vibrator feed.

5. Capping/Sealing: Aluminum flip-off caps are crimped or sealed, often in-line.

6. Inspection and Outfeed: Vials pass through vision systems for fill-level checks, rejects defects, and exit via an outfeed turntable.

7. Cleaning: Tool-less disassembly for CIP (Clean-In-Place) or SIP (Sterilize-In-Place) to meet hygiene standards.

This process can be standalone or part of a full production line, including ultrasonic washing and hot-air sterilization.

Applications

• Pharmaceuticals: Filling sterile powders for injectables (e.g., penicillin, hyaluronic acid).

• Biotech/Cosmetics: Handling lyophilized biologics or cosmetic powders.

• Other Industries: Food supplements or chemical powders, though pharma is primary.

Benefits

• Efficiency: Reduces waste and downtime with automated controls.

• Scalability: From semi-automatic tabletops for labs to fully automated lines for mass production.

Exclusive Features of Vial Powder Filling Machine

• Compact GMP Model.

• Suitable to fill 50mg to 10 grams.

• Powder wheel rotation and vial transportation through servo motors.

• Vacuum driven specially designed Powder Wheels.

• All contact parts made of SS316L materials with easy removal system for Autoclaving / Sterilization.

• Filling Accuracy of ± 2% depending upon powder characteristics and environmental conditions.

• Built in Rubber Stoppering System.

• Multiple dosing system with the help of change parts.

• Built in Turn Tables with Separate Drive for speed control of infeed and outfeed of vials.

• Various safety features including Clutch system for Vial Breakage.

• Tool Less adjustment of Doctor Blade and Wiper Blade saves valuable time and easy for setting.

• IQ/OQ documentation can be provided.

• PLC system with Graphical User Interface can be offered.

• Inbuilt Laminar Air Flow can be offered for sterile class 100 filling.

• Sampling and Rejection system can be provided on demand.

Working Principle of Vial Powder Filler

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 Feeding Machine

* 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.