Counting Softgels: Preventing Stickiness and Blockages

For nutraceutical manufacturers, summer is the most dangerous season. As temperatures and humidity rise, gelatin-based softgels—especially Fish Oil and Vitamin E—begin to soften. On the packaging line, this leads to a phenomenon known as "bridging," where sticky capsules clump together, blocking the feed tracks and causing miscounts.

If you are facing frequent stoppages or overfills, the issue isn't necessarily your product; it's how your machine handles friction. At Wenzhou Kxite Machinery, our Tablet Counter Machines are equipped with specific vibration technologies designed to master the unique physics of softgels.

The Challenge: Why Softgels Stick

Softgels are unique because they are elastic and often have a slightly oily or tacky surface. Unlike hard tablets which slide easily, softgels generate high friction against smooth stainless steel. When they touch each other under vibration, the gelatin surface can act like a weak adhesive, creating clusters that sensors read as a "single large object" or blockage.

The Solution: Mastering "Multi-Stage Vibration"

To solve softgel counting machine challenges, simply increasing the vibration speed often makes things worse—it just packs the clumps tighter. The secret lies in Multi-stage Vibration Adjustment.

Kxite electronic counters utilize a 3-stage vibratory feeding system. Here is how to configure it for handling sticky capsules in packaging:

Stage 1: The "Breaker" Stage (High Amplitude)

The first hopper tray should be set to a high amplitude (strong vibration intensity). The goal here isn't to move the product forward fast, but to bounce the capsules vigorously. This vertical energy breaks the surface tension between the sticking softgels, forcing the clumps to separate into single units.

Stage 2: The "Spacer" Stage (Medium Amplitude)

Once separated, the capsules move to the second tray. Here, we lower the vibration slightly to stabilize them. The goal is to form a single layer, ensuring no capsule is riding on top of another.

Stage 3: The "Feeder" Stage (High Frequency, Low Amplitude)

The final stage uses high-frequency micro-vibrations to guide the capsules into the detection channels smoothly. This ensures they pass the infrared sensors one by one with the correct spacing.

Design Matters: Anti-Stick Surfaces

Beyond vibration settings, the contact surface plays a crucial role. A standard polished steel tray increases the contact area, creating a vacuum effect with the softgel.

For a dedicated tablet counter for fish oil capsules, we recommend:

• Embossed Tracks: Using rigidized (dimpled) stainless steel to reduce the contact surface area by 50%.
• Teflon Coating: Applying a food-grade PTFE coating to the vibratory plates to reduce the coefficient of friction to near zero.

Conclusion

Counting softgels doesn't have to be a seasonal struggle. By understanding the interplay between vibration adjustment for softgels and surface friction, you can maintain high speeds year-round.

At Kxite Machinery, we don't just sell counters; we tune them to your product. Our machines feature tool-free adjustment and recipe memory, allowing you to switch instanty between "Summer Mode" (for sticky batches) and standard operation.