| abstract |
A process for making capsules from two films of a water-soluble polymeric material by deforming the films to form a multiplicity of recesses and filling the recesses with a flowable filling material. The films are then welded together by dielectric welding to form filled capsules, which are cut or punched out of the welded film. These steps may be performed at a single location so as to avoid problems with registration of the recesses with the welding or cutting means. The polymeric material may be gelatin, or a water-soluble cellulose derivative such as hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and may also contain a plasticiser. The apparatus for making the capsules is shown schematically as figure 1, in which hydoxypropyl methyl cellulose film passes through successive processing stations: a bag forming station 30, a recess forming station 32, a filling station 34, a welding station 16, and a punching station 36. |