Warm Pellet Press

In support of NNL's CPF programme, a hydraulic press is required which can press with a force of 50 kN to produce both annular cylindrical compacts. It is anticipated that a commercial off the shelf tablet press intended for the pharmaceutical industry would be suitable for the application. The nominal dimensions of 30 mm diameter x 40 mm in height with an internal annulus of 4-12 mm. A heated die is required to allow for compacts to be produced at a temperature of up to 300ºC. Die filling should be done using automated die feed utilising a hopper system to fill the die automatically before each press cycle. The press should record data during the pressing process such as temperature, punch position, force and die wall pressure. This data will be used to optimise the pressing process and form part of the QA process.