Harro Höfliger Capsule Filling Machines

Harro Höfliger’s capsule filling platforms combine a rotary capsule handling system with modular dosing trolleys so you can run powders, pellets, mini‑tablets, liquids, lyo beads, or combinations of them, on a single machine.

Instead of buying separate equipment for each dosage form, manufacturers can configure up to three different dosing stations per trolley and change them over quickly as formulations evolve from development through to full‑scale production. Containment, inline weighing, and barrier technology options mean the same core platform can also be adapted for high‑potency APIs and aseptic applications without redesigning the line from scratch.

For pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and veterinary producers in New Zealand, Harro Höfliger’s capsule filling machines – supplied and supported locally by Advanced Packaging Systems – provide a scalable route from lab batches to high‑throughput commercial manufacturing on GMP‑compliant equipment. Read on for how the capsule filling process works, the rotary and dosing architecture, fill media options, and containment capabilities across the Harro Höfliger capsule portfolio.

Harro Höfliger Modu-C LS Capsule Filler

Harro Höfliger Capsule Filling Machines

Harro Höfliger is a German manufacturer of precision equipment for pharmaceutical solid dosage production, with capsule filling forming one of its core competencies. Their capsule filling machines are built around a central rotary system and modular dosing architecture, enabling precise, GMP-compliant filling of hard gelatin and HPMC capsules with powders, pellets, tablets, mini-tablets, liquids, lyo beads, and combinations of these materials — with up to three different media filled per capsule in a single pass. Advanced Packaging Systems supplies Harro Höfliger equipment in New Zealand to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical manufacturers.

The Capsule Filling Process

Harro Höfliger capsule filling machines execute six core process stages, each integrated into a continuous, controlled sequence:

• Feeding and separating — Empty hard capsules are fed into the machine, oriented correctly, and separated into body and cap components, ready for filling.
• Control — Each empty capsule is checked for presence, correct separation, and quality. Defective capsules are identified and ejected before the dosing stage.
• Dosing — The capsule body is filled with the required product. Up to three different media can be dosed into a single capsule in one cycle, using individually adapted dosing stations for each material type.
• Closing and checking — The cap is rejoined to the filled capsule body, closure is verified, and any out-of-specification capsules are individually ejected.
• Spot-checking — High-precision inline weight checking (tare and gross) monitors capsule fill weight continuously during production, supporting real-time process control and GMP documentation.
• Dedusting — Good capsules are ejected and extremely fine powder residues are removed from the capsule shells prior to downstream packaging.

Rotary System and Modular Dosing Architecture

The heart of each Harro Höfliger capsule filling machine is the rotary system, around which all filling functions are arranged. Dosing stations are mounted on trolleys, which allows for rapid exchange between product runs without extended downtime. Each trolley can accommodate up to three different dosing stations, enabling combination fills — for example, a powder layer combined with pellets and a mini-tablet — to be completed within a single machine pass.

This modular approach gives manufacturers the flexibility to adapt a single machine platform to a wide range of formulations and product types, reducing the capital investment required as a product portfolio grows or as formulations evolve through development and into commercial production.

Harro Höfliger Packaging

Fill Material Capability

Harro Höfliger capsule filling machines are engineered to handle a broad range of fill materials:

• Powders — Including free-flowing and cohesive formulations, with dosing methods suited to micro through to macro fill weights.
• Pellets and granules — Coated and uncoated pellets, granules, and controlled-release multiparticulate systems.
• Mini-tablets — Compressed tablet units filled as individual dose components within the capsule.
• Liquids — Lipophilic and other liquid formulations that are poorly suited to compression or pelletisation.
• Lyo beads — Lyophilised bead fills for sensitive biologics and specialty formulations requiring freeze-dried dosage forms.
• Capsule-in-capsule — A capsule body placed inside the outer capsule, enabling layered or sequential release profiles.