What types of steel does Frigate recommend for high-abrasion pharmaceutical applications?

Frigate recommends PM-grade high-speed steels like ASP 30 or M42 for abrasive formulations containing calcium salts or silica. These materials offer high hardness, excellent carbide dispersion, and wear resistance under dry or semi-lubricated conditions. Tool life is significantly extended in high-volume compression scenarios. All material grades are traceable with full metallurgical reports.

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch

Name: Tablet Press Punch for Pharmaceutical Mold Units – Frigate
Price: 249.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch must maintain axial load uniformity during high-speed rotary operations to ensure consistent compaction. Uneven force distribution across the punch face leads to variable tablet density and lamination defects. Frigate’s punches are engineered with balanced head profiles and tightly controlled punch barrel geometry to prevent off-center loading and ensure linear force transfer throughout the dwell time.

Punch Head Type

Flat (F), Domed (D), Beveled (B), or Custom (e.g., Concave, Multi-Tip)

Punch Tip Diameter/Shape

5–25 mm (±0.005 mm), Shape Tolerance – ±0.01 mm (CMM verified)

Overall Length

80–150 mm (±0.02 mm), Custom lengths up to 200 mm (±0.05 mm)

Barrel Diameter

12–40 mm (h6 tolerance), ±0.005 mm roundness

Material Specification

AISI D2 (58–62 HRC), 440C SS (55–58 HRC), or Powder Metallurgy Steel (e.g., ASP 30, 60+ HRC)

Product Description

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch is exposed to cyclic loading, abrasive excipients, and prolonged thermal fluctuations. Without superior surface integrity and microstructural stability, punches rapidly degrade, compromising batch quality. Frigate utilizes vacuum heat treatment and sub-zero stabilization to produce a fine-grain martensitic structure in tool steels, enhancing wear resistance and edge retention under 24/7 production environments.

Surface Finish

Tip – Ra ≤0.05 µm (mirror), Barrel – Ra ≤0.1 µm, Non-Contact – Ra ≤0.4 µm

Hardness (HRC)

Tip – 58–62 HRC, Barrel – 56–60 HRC, Body – 50–54 HRC (for toughness)

Concentricity/Runout

≤0.01 mm TIR (Tip-to-Barrel), ≤0.02 mm/m (Shaft Straightness)

Keyway/Anti-Rotation Feature

DIN 6885 Keyway (h9 tolerance), or Spline (DIN 5480), ±0.01 mm engagement fit

Certification Standard

ISO 9001, USP (Pharma Equipment), ASTM A681 (Tool Steel), GMP Compliance

Technical Advantages

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch requires ultra-low surface roughness at the tip face to minimize adhesion of sensitive actives like hygroscopic or electrostatic powders. Any surface anomaly increases the risk of sticking and picking, especially during compression of high-fat or low-melting-point materials. Frigate achieves consistent sub-0.05 µm Ra values through controlled electropolishing and cross-directional lapping.

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch used in bi-layer or multi-tip tooling configurations must maintain dimensional fidelity under load. Axial and radial deflection beyond tolerance leads to inter-layer mixing or press rejections. Frigate uses FEA-validated punch designs and precision-ground punch heads with deflection values contained within ±8 µm under full load conditions, suitable for complex formulations.

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Industry Applications

Solid Oral Dosage Manufacturing

Used to compress powders into uniform tablets ensuring consistent hardness, weight, and thickness for regulated oral drug formulations.

Multi-Layer Tablet Production

Enables controlled compaction of sequential powder layers, maintaining separation and bonding integrity in bi-layer or tri-layer tablet structures.

Effervescent Tablet Compression

Withstands high compression forces and moisture-sensitive APIs during rapid disintegration tablet pressing for soluble and effervescent dosage forms.

Mini-Tablet Manufacturing

Facilitates high-precision compression of sub-3mm tablets for pediatric, geriatric, or combination-dose delivery within capsule shells.

Modified Release Formulations

Maintains critical geometry and surface integrity required for tablets with sustained, delayed, or targeted drug release characteristics.

Nutraceutical Tablet Production

Supports compression of abrasive, fibrous materials with high tool wear potential in high-volume vitamin, mineral, and herbal tablet lines.

Hard Coatings for Aggressive Formulations

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch in contact with abrasive fillers like calcium phosphate or high-friction excipients suffers accelerated wear without protective surface layers. Frigate applies uniform coatings such as TiN, TiCN, or CrN via PVD methods, providing low-friction interfaces, high hardness (>2000 HV), and thermal stability up to 400°C, extending tooling lifecycle in harsh conditions.

Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punch during compression-transmission cycles undergoes torsional and bending stress, especially in shaped punches or eccentric tip designs. Standard head designs often fail under these loads, leading to galling or premature cracking. Frigate employs stress-optimized head radii and back-angle transitions with low notch sensitivity to distribute torque loads safely during full revolution.

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How does Frigate ensure dimensional consistency across large batches of Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punches?

Frigate uses coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) to verify critical punch dimensions within ±2 µm tolerance. All punches undergo in-process inspection during CNC machining and post-processing stages. Batch-to-batch reproducibility is maintained using master gauges and digital SPC tracking. This ensures consistent punch interchangeability across multiple production runs.

How does Frigate address punch fatigue in extended compression cycles?

Frigate performs finite element analysis (FEA) to optimize stress distribution in the punch head and neck regions. Tooling is heat-treated with triple tempering cycles to improve fatigue strength and resist microcrack formation. This is especially useful in shaped punches or those with deep embossing. Fatigue resistance is validated using simulation and real-world lifecycle testing.

Can Frigate punches support tooling traceability for regulatory audits?

Frigate offers punch serialization using laser etching and optional RFID or QR coding. Each punch carries unique identifiers linked to material batch, process logs, and inspection data. This supports full traceability during GMP audits or investigations. Tool data is compatible with most electronic tool tracking systems.

How does Frigate improve non-stick performance for problematic formulations?

Frigate applies PVD coatings like TiN, CrN, or DLC with precise control over thickness and uniformity. These coatings reduce tip surface energy and prevent adhesion of moisture-sensitive or waxy actives. Pre-coating surface finish is optimized to Ra < 0.05 µm to enhance performance. Coated Pharmaceutical Tablet Press Punches are tested with representative excipient blends before dispatch.

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LOCATIONS

Registered Office

10-A, First Floor, V.V Complex, Prakash Nagar, Thiruverumbur, Trichy-620013, Tamil Nadu, India.

Operations Office

9/1, Poonthottam Nagar, Ramanandha Nagar, Saravanampatti, Coimbatore-641035, Tamil Nadu, India. ㅤ

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