Supplement manufacturing glossary
Definitions for capsule filling, counting and bottling, and blister packaging: materials, equipment, measurements and project terms.
Search by name, abbreviation or alias. Each term has one category and may apply to several processes. Select a term for its full explanation.
137 terms
Blister packaging
Alu-Alu blister
A blister using an aluminium-based forming laminate and an aluminium foil lid.
Capsule filling
Angle of repose (AOR)
The angle between the horizontal and the sloping surface of a powder pile formed under defined conditions.
Counting & bottling
Application torque
The turning moment applied when tightening a screw closure onto a container.
Capsule filling
Auger feeding
Moving powder from a hopper with a rotating screw, either toward capsule bodies or into a capsule filler’s powder-dosing area, depending on the machine.
Blister packaging
Barrier properties
The ability of a material or package to restrict passage of a specified gas or vapour.
Blister packaging
Blister cooling station
A machine station that cools sealed blisters or the sealed web after heat sealing.
Blister packaging
Blister embossing
Mechanically impressing a mark or pattern into blister packaging material using shaped tooling.
Blister packaging
Blister pack
A package with formed cavities that hold products and a lidding material sealed over them.
Blister packaging
Blister perforation
A deliberately formed line of intermittent cuts or holes that provides a tear path in a blister pack, for example to separate individual cavities.
Blister packaging
Blister product-presence inspection
Inspection that checks whether a product is present in the expected blister pocket or location.
Blister packaging
Blister punching
Cutting sealed blister material into the required individual pack outline.
Counting & bottling
Bottle back-up
A build-up of bottles at a machine’s discharge when downstream flow cannot clear them as required.
Counting & bottling
Bottle opening diameter
The internal diameter of the bottle neck opening, commonly identified as the I dimension on a neck-finish drawing.
Counting & bottling
Bottle overfill
For count-based filling, a bottle containing more pieces than its specified fill count.
Counting & bottling
Bottle underfill
For count-based filling, a bottle containing fewer pieces than its specified fill count.
Counting & bottling
Bottle unscrambler
A machine that orients empty bottles and feeds them upright onto a production line.
Counting & bottling
Bottles per minute (bpm)
A rate expressing the number of bottles handled or filled in one minute.
Capsule filling
Bridging
Formation of a self-supporting powder or particle arch above a hopper outlet that obstructs discharge.
Capsule filling
Bulk density
Powder mass divided by its occupied bulk volume, including spaces between particles.
Counting & bottling
Cap liner
Material fitted inside a closure; an induction liner includes a foil and a heat-seal layer for bonding to the container.
Counting & bottling
Cap sorter
Equipment that presents caps in the required orientation and feeds them toward the capping operation.
Counting & bottling
Capping
Applying and securing a closure to a filled bottle.
Capsule filling
Capsule banding
Applying a sealing band around the joint between the body and cap of a two-piece capsule.
Capsule filling
Capsule brittleness
The tendency of a capsule shell to crack or break under force with little permanent deformation.
Capsule filling
Capsule capacity
The volume specified as available for a capsule fill, normally expressed in millilitres.
Capsule filling
Capsule closing
Rejoining the cap and filled body of a two-piece hard capsule at the closing stage of the filling process.
Capsule filling
Capsule closing force
The force applied to bring a two-piece capsule’s cap and body into the fully closed position.
Capsule filling
Capsule dimensional tolerance
The specified permitted variation for a particular capsule dimension, such as cap or body length or outside diameter.
Capsule filling
Capsule fill weight
The mass of the material inside a capsule, excluding the capsule shell.
Capsule filling
Capsule locked length
The overall length of a two-piece capsule after its cap and body are joined in the final locked position.
Capsule filling
Capsule ovality
An oval-shaped departure from a circular cross-section of a capsule cap or body.
Capsule filling
Capsule polishing
A finishing operation that removes residual powder or dust from the outside of filled capsules.
Capsule filling
Capsule pre-lock length
The overall length of an empty two-piece capsule with its cap and body held together in the preliminary joining position before filling.
Capsule filling
Capsule rectification
Orienting empty two-piece capsules into a consistent cap-and-body direction before they enter the filling machine’s subsequent handling stages.
Capsule filling
Capsule sampling
Selection of capsules from a defined batch or population for an identified inspection or measurement purpose.
Capsule filling
Capsule separation
Opening a two-piece hard capsule by separating its cap from its body so the body can receive the fill.
Capsule filling
Capsule shell eccentricity
In a geometric description of a shell section, an offset between the centres of its inner and outer contours.
Capsule filling
Capsule shell moisture content
The amount of water present in the capsule shell, expressed on a stated measurement basis.
Capsule filling
Capsule size
A size designation for a capsule shell, associated with a set of dimensions and a nominal capacity.
Capsule filling
Capsule wall thickness
The thickness of the material forming a capsule shell wall, specified for a defined location on the cap or body.
Capsule filling
Capsule wall-thickness measurement
Determination of the thickness of a capsule shell at a specified measurement location using an identified measurement method.
Capsule filling
Capsule wall-thickness uniformity
The consistency of capsule shell wall thickness across specified measurement locations.
Capsule filling
Carr index (CI)
An empirical compressibility index based on changes in powder packing between loose bulk and tapped measurements.
Blister packaging
Cartoning
Placing products or primary packs into cartons as a secondary packaging operation.
Counting & bottling
Challenge test
A check using samples with known characteristics to assess a specified inspection response and, where included, the rejection response.
Projects & changeovers
Changeover
Changing a machine or line from one product or pack format to another.
Blister packaging
Channel leak
A continuous leak path through a seal region between joined packaging materials.
Blister packaging
Cold forming
Mechanically shaping a formable aluminium-based laminate into blister cavities without the plastic-web preheating used in thermoforming.
Capsule filling
Contact measuring force
The force applied to a specimen by the contacting elements of a measuring instrument during a measurement.
Blister packaging
Container closure integrity (CCI)
The ability of a package system, including its container and closure or seal interfaces, to maintain its intended protective barrier under defined conditions.
Counting & bottling
Controller scan time
The elapsed time for one defined cyclic pass of a controller’s program, with the associated processing included by that controller’s scan-time definition.
Blister packaging
Coolant flow rate
The volume of cooling liquid passing through a specified circuit per unit time, commonly stated in L/min or L/h.
Blister packaging
Coolant supply–return temperature difference
The difference between cooling-liquid return and supply temperatures for the same circuit under stated operating conditions.
Blister packaging
Cooling load
The rate at which heat must be removed from an application under specified operating conditions, commonly expressed in W or kW.
Counting & bottling
Cotton inserter
A machine that inserts cotton into bottles as part of a packaging line.
Counting & bottling
Count per bottle
The selected number of individual tablets or capsules to be dispensed into each bottle.
Counting & bottling
Counting accuracy
How closely a counting result agrees with the reference count.
Counting & bottling
Counting channel
A product path through a counting unit that presents individual pieces to the detection system.
Counting & bottling
Counting error
In a count measurement check, the reported count minus the independently established reference count.
Counting & bottling
Desiccant inserter
A machine that places a desiccant pouch or canister into a bottle during packaging.
Counting & bottling
Detection resolution
In optical product detection, the specified smallest object dimension that a sensing arrangement can detect under stated conditions.
Blister packaging
Dew point
The temperature at which water vapour in a gas begins to condense as the gas is cooled at a specified pressure.
Capsule filling
Dosator
A volumetric dosing device used in capsule filling, including powder-dosing applications.
Capsule filling
Dosing disc
A disc with bores in which powder doses are formed before transfer into capsule bodies.
Counting & bottling
Double-tablet detection
A counting or inspection function intended to distinguish a two-unit product presentation from a single tablet event.
Blister packaging
Dry coating weight
The mass of a dried coating per unit coated area, commonly expressed in g/m²; for blister materials, the coating layer being specified must be identified.
Blister packaging
Dye-ingress testing
Exposing a package to a coloured dye solution under defined conditions and checking whether dye enters through a leak path.
Counting & bottling
Dynamic checkweighing
Checking the weight of individual products or packs as they move through a production line.
Projects & changeovers
Factory acceptance test (FAT)
Testing at the supplier’s site before delivery to check the equipment or system against agreed requirements.
Counting & bottling
False accept
An inspection decision that accepts a unit which actually has the defect being checked.
Counting & bottling
False reject
An inspection decision that marks a conforming unit for rejection.
Counting & bottling
False reject rate (FRR)
The number of conforming units incorrectly marked for rejection divided by the conforming units checked.
Blister packaging
Force-decay testing
A leak-test approach that monitors the force generated by a flexible package under a controlled pressure difference.
Projects & changeovers
Format parts
Interchangeable machine parts used for a particular product size or package format.
Blister packaging
Forming depth
The depth of a blister cavity, typically expressed in millimetres in machine format specifications.
Blister packaging
Forming web
The continuous material from which blister cavities are formed.
Capsule filling
Hard-shell capsule
A two-piece capsule shell designed to receive a formulation; gelatin and HPMC are common shell materials.
Capsule filling
Hausner ratio (HR)
The ratio of a powder’s tapped density to its loose bulk density.
Blister packaging
Heat-seal coating
A coating applied to a packaging substrate to enable a bond to a compatible mating material during heat sealing.
Blister packaging
Helium leak testing
Using helium as a tracer gas and detecting its passage through leaks in a package system.
Blister packaging
Hot-tack strength
The resistance of a newly formed heat seal to separation while the seal is still hot, before it has cooled to ambient temperature.
Capsule filling
HPMC capsule
A capsule whose shell uses hypromellose, also called hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a cellulose derivative.
Blister packaging
Index length
The distance a packaging web advances in one indexing step, measured along its direction of travel.
Counting & bottling
Induction sealing
Using an electromagnetic field to heat a foil liner so its heat-seal layer bonds to the container rim.
Counting & bottling
Input hysteresis
A difference between the input thresholds that switch a signal ON and OFF, so the current switching state depends on the direction of the input change.
Counting & bottling
Input signal filtering
Processing of an input signal to suppress selected disturbances or to qualify which signal changes are passed to downstream logic.
Blister packaging
Leak testing
Testing for a path that allows gas or liquid to pass through a package or its closure.
Blister packaging
Lidding foil
A foil-based material sealed to the formed blister web to close filled cavities.
Counting & bottling
Light time and dark time
In through-beam counting, durations of the received-light and beam-interruption states: light time for a clear beam and dark time for an obscured beam.
Capsule filling
Measurement uncertainty
A non-negative measure of the dispersion of values that can be attributed to the quantity being measured, based on the available information.
Capsule filling
Metrological traceability
The property of a measurement result that connects it to a specified reference through a documented, unbroken calibration chain, with uncertainty contributions at every link.
Counting & bottling
Miss rate (FNR)
The number of known-defective units missed by an inspection divided by the known-defective units checked.
Counting & bottling
Neck finish
The shape and dimensions of the top of a container that accommodate its closure, including the relevant thread and sealing geometry.
Counting & bottling
No-bottle-no-fill
A filling-control function that prevents product discharge when the required receiving bottle is not detected at the filling position.
Blister packaging
Non-destructive package testing (NDT)
Testing intended to assess a package without damaging the package or its contents.
Counting & bottling
Optical counting
Counting individual products using light-based detection as they pass a sensing point.
Blister packaging
Oxygen transmission rate (OTR)
The volume of oxygen transmitted through a unit area of material per unit time under specified conditions.
Blister packaging
Permeation
Movement of gas or vapour through a solid barrier material.
Blister packaging
Pinhole
A small, localised hole in packaging material, such as a blister forming web or lidding material.
Blister packaging
Platen sealing
Sealing a blister web and lid between flat sealing plates.
Capsule filling
Powder flowability
How readily a powder moves under specified handling or test conditions.
Capsule filling
Powder plug
A compacted portion of powder formed during dosing and transferred into a capsule body.
Capsule filling
Powder-bed height
The depth of the powder layer presented to the dosing mechanism in a capsule filler, measured relative to the machine’s specified reference surface.
Blister packaging
Print registration
Controlling the position of printed artwork relative to the packaging operation, such as aligning a preprinted web with the blister layout and cutting position.
Counting & bottling
Probability of detection (POD)
The probability that an inspection detects a specified defect under stated conditions.
Counting & bottling
Product discharge gate
A movable gate or flap in a counter’s product path that controls when tablets or capsules are held and released for bottle filling.
Counting & bottling
Product overlap
A presentation in which two or more tablets or capsules partly or fully obscure one another in the inspection or counting view.
Counting & bottling
Product singulation
Separating bulk tablets or capsules into individually presented product streams for counting or inspection.
Blister packaging
PVC/PVDC film
A blister-forming material combining polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) coating.
Capsule filling
Ratholing
Discharge through a narrow flow channel while surrounding bulk material remains stationary.
Counting & bottling
Reject confirmation
Feedback used to check that a commanded rejection has produced the expected physical response.
Counting & bottling
Reject system
A mechanism that diverts items identified as outside configured inspection criteria from the normal product flow.
Counting & bottling
Removal torque
The turning moment needed to loosen a screw closure under the stated package and test conditions.
Blister packaging
Rotary sealing
Sealing blister material and lidding with rotating sealing tools.
Blister packaging
Seal cooling time
A specified interval after heat sealing during which the seal cools before a defined handling or measurement endpoint.
Blister packaging
Seal initiation temperature (SIT)
The lowest sealing temperature at which a seal reaches a stated onset or strength criterion under defined test conditions.
Blister packaging
Seal strength
The mechanical resistance of a package seal to separation or failure under a specified test.
Blister packaging
Sealing dwell time
The period during which the sealing tools are in contact with the packaging materials to form a heat seal.
Blister packaging
Sealing pressure distribution
The pattern of local contact pressure across the surfaces brought together during sealing.
Blister packaging
Sealing window
The range of heat-sealing conditions within which a specified material combination achieves defined seal results.
Counting & bottling
Sensor blind zone
A position or region in a product passage that lies outside the effective sensing area, allowing a product to pass without sufficient detection.
Counting & bottling
Sensor repeatability
The consistency of a sensor’s detection or switching result when the same sensing event is repeated under stated, unchanged conditions.
Counting & bottling
Sensor response time
The delay between a change in the sensor’s optical input and the corresponding operation or reset of its electrical output.
Counting & bottling
Signal debouncing
Filtering that qualifies an input-state change to suppress unwanted brief or repeated transitions before they are treated as valid events.
Counting & bottling
Signal timing jitter
Variation in the timing of a signal edge relative to a defined reference or expected event time.
Projects & changeovers
Site acceptance test (SAT)
Testing at the receiving site after equipment delivery, covering the system in its operating environment and its interfaces.
Counting & bottling
Tablet counting
Separating and counting individual tablets or capsules before dispensing a selected quantity into a container.
Capsule filling
Tamping pin
A pin that compresses powder in a dosing-disc bore during tamping-style capsule filling.
Capsule filling
Tapped density
Powder density determined after mechanically tapping a container holding the sample.
Blister packaging
Thermoforming
Shaping a heat-softened plastic web into blister cavities.
Capsule filling
Uncertainty budget
A structured account of the uncertainty contributions for a defined measurement, including how those contributions are evaluated and combined.
Projects & changeovers
User requirements specification (URS)
A document describing what users and owners need an equipment system to do, providing a reference for design and verification.
Blister packaging
Vacuum-decay testing
A leak test that monitors pressure changes over time in an evacuated chamber containing the package.
Counting & bottling
Vibratory feeder
A feeding device that uses vibration to move and separate tablets or capsules toward the counting unit.
Blister packaging
Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR)
The mass of water vapour transmitted through a unit area of material per unit time under specified conditions.
Blister packaging
Web tension
The tensile force acting along a web of film or foil as it is unwound, transported or rewound through packaging equipment.
Blister packaging
Whole-package transmission rate
The amount of a specified gas or vapour passing through a complete package per unit time under defined test conditions.
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