Wedges are critical components used to manufacture soft gelatin capsules. This piece is integral to gelatin capsules because if it’s not coated properly, the capsules end up with twisted seams, air pockets, or leakage.

THE PROBLEM

A major international nutraceutical company got in touch with us and needed a solution to leaking gelcaps caused by the state of their existing wedges. This industry leader needed a long-term solution that ensured next-day turnaround time.

THE OPPORTUNITY

After several tests and research with both quality and time sensitivity in mind, we recommended a lower friction, food-grade Teflon™ coating. This application would be best suited for these specific gelcaps and its required ribbon thickness.

The performance of wedges are integral to success, or failure, of manufacturing gelatin capsules. To ensure quality we established a pre and post QA inspection process.

Wedges have precise surface and dimensional properties and we determined that serial number tracking paired with QA inspections would provide valuable benefits the customer.

THE SOLUTION

We helped our client improve operating performance, reduce maintenance downtime, and improve capsule quality.

In partnering with our client, we also implemented a preventative maintenance schedule that allowed us to offer 24-hour turnaround time between shipment drop-offs and pick-ups. With serial number tracking and inspection processes, we were able to build trust, maintain transparency, and report important details related to the wedge, its coating, its life, and its condition using coating measurement technology.