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Tablets & Capsules July 2017 37 tocols for tablet design and the corresponding tools and offers guidelines for making tablets more easily, extending tool service life, and boosting production efficiency. Creative problem solving When faced with a manufacturing challenge, brain- storm a little and see if you can find a workaround. For example, if you want to make tablets that look like a bear or giraffe but custom tooling isn't in the budget, why not put the animal shape on the face of the tablet? That way you won't have to change the tablet shape dramatically and you won't spend a fortune on special tooling or dis- cover some problem that puts the entire production process at risk. To minimize downtime during changeovers and clean- ing, schedule production so that similarly formulated tablets are made back to back. For example, some tablets comprise the same basic ingredients, differing only in the amount of active. In that case, there may be no need to break down the entire setup for cleaning between runs. Finally, to save money while boosting performance, consider specifying a hybrid tool that incorporates two different types of steels. In applications that involve cor- rosive ingredients, for example, a stainless steel tool would reduce sticking and tool breakage. While using stainless steel can increase the price of tooling tenfold, a hybrid would reduce that amount. One option is to use a two-piece tool that allows you to press-fit a high-end steel tip into a body made from a less expensive steel. In this scenario, the working end of the tool provides corro- sion and abrasion resistance at a much lower cost than if the tool were made entirely of high-end steel. T&C Scott Tacheny is tablet tooling product manager at Wilson Tool International, 12912 Farnham Avenue North, White Bear Lake, MN 55110. Tel. 651 286 6000. Website: www.wilsontool.com. Tacheny has worked at Wilson Tool, a global tooling manufacturer, for 29 years. Further reading Find more information about avoiding downtime and prolonging the service life of compression tooling see articles listed under "Tablet presses" and "Tooling" in Tablets & Capsules' article index in the November 2016 issue and in the article archive at T&C's website, www.tabletscapsules.com. See what Ackley machines can do for you. View our video at: AckleyMachine.com Email: sales@AckleyMachine.com or Call 856-234-3626 IF YOU CAN SEE THE FLAW – WE CAN REJECT THAT TABLET AND ONLY THAT TABLET Singulate. Print. Mark. Drill. Inspect With Single Tablet Rejection All With Pixel Precision. 1RZ2ƬHULQJ 7RWDO7DEOHW ,QVSHFWLRQ See what Ackley machines can do for you. View our video at: AckleyMachine.com Email: sales@AckleyMachine.com or Call 856-234-3626 All With Pixel Precision. 1RZ2ƬHULQJ 7RWDO7DEOHW ,QVSHFWLRQ 9:46 AM