Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1163217
Tablets & Capsules September 2019 25 how to identify and fix these types of issues," said Cohen. "Most of our employees come from a culinary background and don't have tableting experience. Elizabeth was instrumen- tal in helping us scale what we were doing, get the proper equipment in place, and teach us how to properly operate these machines. Because of this assistance, we are now producing quality tablets at a fast pace and have expanded our offerings to include three more types of mints" (Photo 4). Cipolla also determined that Dixie had been unknowingly over-polish- ing their punches, so he trained the Dixie manufacturing team to main- tain their compression tooling. Cohen mentioned that in between Cipolla's frequent visits, Elizabeth sends training videos to Dixie so the company can continue its tablet tool- ing and manufacturing education with present and future employees. "The support we get from Elizabeth is above and beyond any other com- pany we've worked with," he says. Cipolla says that his company aims to be more than just a vendor of tablet presses and tooling, with EP-200 counts the tablets to ensure we are meeting our target output, and it also helps us with compliance, loss prevention, and quality assur- ance." Dixie later bought several EP-200 tablet presses with B/D com- bination tooling (Photo 3). Beyond tablet manufacturing In addition to providing the appropriate machinery for Dixie's manufacturing needs, Elizabeth also offered valuable troubleshooting and training. "Every step of the way, Rosario and his team were able to solve our tableting issues while providing clear explanations, so we could also learn za-Press 200 (EP-200) D-size tool- ing tablet press (Photo 2), which is suitable for R&D and small-batch manufacturing. "We determined that this press would meet and even e x c e e d D i x i e ' s m a n u f a c t u r i n g needs," said Cipolla. "Not only is it an affordable machine, but the press features can be modified to meet increasing batch demands in the future." Three weeks after the purchase order was released, Elizabeth deliv- ered the tablet press and provided technical support during and after installation. T h e d ifferen ce b etween th e machines was immediately notice- able. "By using the newer press, Dixie was able to improve its tablet weight control and tablet hardness without having to make changes to the for- mulation," said Cipolla. Cohen agreed. "Our old Stokes press was like driving a 1970s Cadil- lac; it was a classic machine, but it wasn't appropriate for where we needed to go. Now we have a brand- new Honda that's a real workhorse. One of the best features is that the Photo 4: Once the tableting issues with the initial two mint product lines were resolved, Dixie had the experience and equipment to expand their tablet offerings with different flavor profiles and ratios of CBD and THC. Photo 2: The EP-200 D-size tablet press uses 8 stations with D tooling to produce up to 14,400 tablets per hour. Photo 3: The B/D combination turret shown accepts B and D tooling, providing manufacturing flexibility. This partnership between client and vendor is especially important when it comes to cannabis- based products.