1. การแนะนำ

Pharmaceutical tablet and capsule sometimes come in many different colors. These colors are applied with the using of certain equipment such as tablet coating machine. This guide explores the reasons behind the colors, the machinery, processes, and offer key industry insights for manufacturers.

2. Why Color Matters in Pharma Manufacturing?

Color in pharmaceuticals has significant meaning. Firstly, let’s explore the reasons why color matters in tablet and capsule manufacturing. These tablet capsules colors difference for the key purposes of:

• • Prevent Medication Errors: Color coding differentiates drugs, reducing mix-ups, helping both patients and healthcare providers easily identify drugs and doses.
  • Enhance Brand Recognition: Consistent colors boost brand identity, such as Pfizer’s blue Viagra tablets, which is well known for the color branding.
  • Improve Patient Adherence: Visually appealing pills like color-coated tablets are preferred by patients, improving compliance.
  • Taste Masking: Film coatings with color help mask unpleasant tastes, making pills easier to swallow.
  • Psychological Impact: Colors can influence patients’ perceptions (เช่น, red for stimulants, blue for sleep aids).
  • การปฏิบัติตามกฎระเบียบ: Colors must meet FDA/EU guidelines, ensuring safety and quality control.

3. How Are Colored Tablets Made? The Tablet Press and Coating Process

Before getting straight to the tablet coloring process, it’s necessary to understand how the tablets are made from very beginning as each step is tightly connected and influenced with each other.

1) Pre-Compression: การทำเม็ดเล็ก & Powder Blending

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and excipients are blended to achieve a uniform distribution. This process is typically carried out using granulator machines such as wet granulation machines and fluidized bed granulators, which improve powder flowability and ensure even tablet compression.

These granulation equipment offer precise control over moisture content, preventing issues like inconsistent tablet hardness. Proper granulation treatment plays a crucial role in optimizing the tablet press process, leading to high-quality tablet production.

2) Tablet Compression: Utilizing Rotary Tablet Press Machine

Rotary เครื่องกดแท็บเล็ตยาเม็ด compress granules into tablets at high speeds. These machines enable production of various tablet shapes, รวมถึงรอบด้วย, วงรี, and custom forms like heart-shaped tablets.

The high quality automatic rotary tablet press machine has one key feature, pre-compressing function, which can eliminate the air that are trapped within the tablet, maintaining uniform and high quality tablets. Only with high-quality tablets can you achieve excellent tablet coating results.

3) After Compression: Tablet Film Coating for Color and Protection

Coloring tablet with a tablet film coating machine is very common in the industry. Automatic tablet coating machine can apply a protective and aesthetic layer in a controlled process:

• • Sub-coating: Ensures adhesion between the tablet core and color coating.
  • Color coating: Uses natural colorants or mineral-based pigments, such as titanium dioxide for opacity and iron oxides for red or yellow shades.
  • Polishing: A final beeswax or PEG layer enhances shine and swallowability.

When it comes to tablet film coating, it’s important to focus on making sure even coating, drying efficiency. Modern perforated coating pans help with this by allowing better airflow and precise temperature control.

4. How Are Colored Capsules Made? The Capsule Filling and Printing Process

Just like understanding the tablet press process, it is essential to grasp the capsule filling process from the beginning to gain a complete overview of all relevant steps. Here below are some key procedures.

1) Capsule Shell Manufacturing & Coloring

One of raw material for capsule filling is empty capsules, for example gelatin capsules (hard-shells or soft-gels). These capsules are pre-dyed either by mixing liquid dyes with the gelatin solution or by adding powdered pigments. Empty capsules come in two-piece designs for easy filling and customization for the mixing colors of these two parts.

2) Capsule Filling Process

Semi-Automatic capsule fillers or fully automatic capsule filling machines will be used for the production of capsules especially in the pharmaceutical and supplement industries which require large volume production. According to different form of materials, specifically liquid or not liquid, these capsule filling machine can be categorized into:

• • Standard capsule filler machines (commonly used for filling powders, เม็ด, เม็ด).
  • Automatic Capsule Liquid Filling machine (generally used for liquid capsules).

Taking the standard automatic capsule filler as an example, the whole capsule filling production is going through multiple work stations which include:

• • Capsule Dispensing: Automatically places empty capsules into the mold.
  • Capsule Filling: Precisely fills powder into empty capsules.
  • Capsule Locking: Joins and securely locks the capsule halves together.
  • Capsule Output: Discharges the finished, locked capsules.

3) Capsule Printing for Branding & การปฏิบัติตาม

Offset printing and inkjet printing machines apply edible inks, which is non-toxic and generally soy-based), for the purpose of branding or giving the dosage details and anti-counterfeit, such as the dosage information printed on Adderall’s orange capsule medication.

5. The Role of Coating & Printing in Tablets Capsules

Beyond shaping and formulation, coating and printing add essential functionality to tablets and capsules. Let’s explore the key techniques used in coating and printing.

1) Tablet Coating Techniques for Precision Coloring

There are many coated tablets in the market which include film coated tablets, sugar coated tablets and enteric coated tablets, each of them are made with the following coating techniques respectively:

• • Film Coating – A thin, polymer-based layer providing color and protection.
  • Sugar Coating – A glossy, taste-enhancing layer used in some over-the-counter products.
  • Enteric Coating – A specialized coating that prevents breakdown in the stomach, ensuring release in the intestines.

2) Capsule Printing for Identification & Security

• • Inkjet Printing – Uses high-speed edible ink application for batch printing.
  • Offset Printing – Precise and efficient for large-scale production.
  • Laser Marking – Provides permanent identification without ink, reducing counterfeit risks.

3) Key Machinery for Tablet Capsule Production and Coloring

From the material preparation to finished coated tablet or capsules output, the whole process going through the following machines. Let’s take a look for the details of the machine from Jinlu Packing, which is a leading pharmaceutical and packaging machinery supplier from China.

Tablet Press Machinery & Tablet Coating Machines

	Dry Granulatหรือ	เครื่องกดแท็บเล็ตโรตารี	เครื่องเคลือบแท็บเล็ต
แบบอย่าง	RD-GFZL-10	ZP26/40 D	RD-HGBY-80
Image
ความจุ	สูงสุด. 10 kg/h	260,000 แท็บเล็ต/h	สูงสุด. 64กิโลกรัม/แบทช์
Size	1000×800×1650mm	820×1,100×1,750mm	1,370×1,030×1,950mm
ข้อมูลจำเพาะ	– Compression Roller Speed: 0-20 R.P.M – Maximum Thrust: 6-8T – ขนาดอนุภาค : 10-80 ตาข่าย	– Max Diameter: 25มม – Max Pressure: 100 kN – Pre-pressing: 20 kN	– Coating Drum Speed: 2-15 R.P.M – Coating Pan Diameter: φ600 – Hot Air Filtration Cleanliness Level: 0.5μm
คุณสมบัติ	– No Need for liquids – Maintain material integrity	– Pressure real time monitoring – Single-piece waste rejection – Residual powder recycling	– Advanced hot air cabinet & exhaust cabinet – High-performance coating Drum – Intelligent temperature measurement

Capsule Filling Machinery & Capsule Coloring Machines

Here below are two recommended machines from Jinlu Packing and one capsule tablet printer from Ackley Machine Corporation.

	เครื่องบรรจุแคปซูล	Capsule Polishing Machine	Capsule Printing Machine
แบบอย่าง	NJP1500D	RD-PG-200	Ackley’s Cantilever Tablet and Capsule Printer
Image
ความจุ	90,000 ชิ้น/ชม	4000-7000 pcs/min	250,000 pcs/h
Size	1490×1260×2150mm	780x820x1550mm	/
ข้อมูลจำเพาะ	– Capsule Size: #000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – Filling Rage: พลัง, เม็ด, เม็ด, แท็บเล็ต – Indexing Box: 100DS	– Revolving speed: 2800 – Maximum air pressure: 25 – Maximum flow: 220	/
คุณสมบัติ	– High dosing accuracy with an error of ≤3%. – Internal groove cam, more stable – Modular design, fast mold change in 15 นาที.	– Full stainless steel structure. – Brushless motor with variable frequency drive. – Integrated dust suction function, enhances cleanliness and efficiency.	– Multi-lane pocket carrier bar feed system. – Adjustable ramp feed angle to optimize machine feed – Safety enclosure with interlocked doors & enclosed beam path.

6. What Tablet and Capsule Colors Should Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Use?

Choosing the right tablet and capsule colors is essential for drug differentiation, patient compliance, and branding. So what tablet and capsule colors you shall select for your pharmaceutical production?

1) Functional Colors for Drug Identification

Pharmaceutical companies should align color choices with the intended use and target audience for their products. ตัวอย่างเช่น:

• • High-risk medications such as blood thinners) often use bold, easily recognizable colors to prevent errors.
  • Multi-dose regimens may use different colors per dosage strength, such as different color for 5mg, 10mg and 20mg.
  • Pediatric medications typically have bright, non-intimidating colors to improve adherence.

2) Color Psychology & Patient Perception

Different colors can influence how patients perceive medication effectiveness:

3) Regulatory-Approved Pharmaceutical Colorants

Capsule shells and tablet coatings should be formulated with non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and stable colorants. All colors used in pharmaceuticals must be FDA or EU-approved and safe for consumption. These include:

• • Synthetic Dyes: FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Red No. 40 (vivid colors).
  • Natural Colorants: Carotenoids (yellow-orange), Chlorophyll (green).
  • Mineral-Based Pigments: Titanium dioxide (white), Iron oxides (red, yellow, brown).

7. บทสรุป

สรุปแล้ว, colored tablets and capsules are created for the purpose of safety, branding, and patient adherence, ฯลฯ. Choosing the right machine and right colors for your capsule or tablet manufacturing is very essential. This article provides complete guide and insight that can help you to select the right colors and right machine for the colored tablets and capsules production.