Advanced Packaging Systems has added three specialist partners to its New Zealand portfolio, all focused on a single discipline: tablet compression. Stokes, Elizabeth, and Scheu & Kniss are US-based manufacturers with histories stretching back more than a century. Together they cover the full solid dose production line — the press, the tooling that goes into it, and the replacement parts and turrets that keep it running.
Whether a New Zealand manufacturer is investing in new equipment, specifying tooling for a new product format, or maintaining a press already in production, APS can now provide support directly from Auckland.
Stokes Tablet Press Machine
Stokes Tablet Presses: From R&D to High-Volume Production
Stokes has been manufacturing tablet press machines since 1896 and is one of the most recognised names in solid dose equipment. The company’s core focus is precision engineering for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, with machines designed for both development-scale work and full production.
Single-station tablet presses are designed for R&D and small-batch applications. They provide the control and flexibility needed during formulation development — allowing operators to adjust compression force, dwell time, and punch penetration depth independently — making them well-suited to pharmaceutical development environments where formulation testing is ongoing.
Rotary tablet presses are built for sustained high-volume output. Stokes rotary machines are engineered for consistency across extended production runs, with heavy-duty construction to minimise downtime and support GMP-compliant operation. Models are available in a range of station configurations to suit different output requirements and tablet geometries.
Both press types are available in custom and standard configurations. For New Zealand manufacturers in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and industrial sectors, APS provides local sales support and distribution from Auckland.
Elizabeth Punches
Elizabeth: Precision Tablet Compression Tooling
Founded in 1954 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth has built its reputation on tablet compression tooling. The company manufactures punches and dies for rotary tablet presses, covering standard TSM and EU configurations as well as custom solutions.
The tooling available in New Zealand through APS focuses on core pharmaceutical and nutraceutical requirements.
Standard pharmaceutical tooling — TSM and EU configuration punches and dies, precision-ground for consistent tablet weight, hardness, and surface finish. Designed to minimise sticking and picking, which are among the most common causes of tablet defect in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Multi-tip tooling — allows manufacturers to increase tablet output per press revolution by producing multiple tablets simultaneously from a single punch-and-die set. Elizabeth’s multi-tip solutions are precision-keyed for alignment to ensure consistent tip-to-die entry, with output increases of up to 300% over standard single-tip configurations without capital investment in additional presses.
Carbide-lined dies and specialised tooling — for abrasive formulations and industrial compaction applications including ceramics, batteries, catalysts, and confectionery. Carbide-lined dies significantly extend service life in high-abrasion applications.
Elizabeth tooling is manufactured at its Pennsylvania facility and is compatible with presses from all major OEM manufacturers.
Elizabeth Dust Cup Punches
Scheu & Kniss: Replacement Parts and Turrets for the Long Term
Scheu & Kniss has been supplying tablet press replacement parts and turrets since 1915 and manufactures from its facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
The range available through APS in New Zealand includes:
Replacement parts covering a broad range of OEM presses including Cadmach, Colton, Courtoy, Fette, IMA, Kikusui, Kilian, Korsch, Rimek, Riva, and Stokes. Parts are produced from customer-supplied OEM samples, ensuring dimensional accuracy and compatibility. This reverse-engineering capability means that parts can be sourced even where OEM supply chains have become slow, expensive, or unavailable.
Tablet press turrets — including standard and segmented turret designs. Turrets are precision-machined from high-grade materials to maintain the dimensional tolerances that tablet quality depends on. Segmented turret designs allow individual die segments to be replaced without replacing the full turret, reducing downtime and cost.
Planning a processing or packaging project?
Speak with Advanced Packaging Systems about equipment selection, line integration, and local support in New Zealand.
- Local technical and commercial support in New Zealand.
- Obligation-free advice on equipment and line fit.
- Useful next steps, even if your project is still early-stage.
