TPR tablet presses from Syntegon: a long history of successful innovation

Most OSD drug manufacturing companies may know the TPR tablet compression range from Syntegon. It has been part of the portfolio for exactly ten years now and is installed in many facilities around the globe. However, its history goes back a lot longer – and takes us to the origins of Manesty tablet making machines in 1905.

In a land before our time… the first Manesty factory was established in Manesty Lane in Liverpool. 1905 marked the starting point of a long and very eventful career of pill pressing machines – and a brand that is still widely known for its quality and engineering excellence, although the original name is no longer active on the market.

Manesty: a true revolution

Since its establishment, Manesty went through the hands of many different owners and had several facilities and headquarters in the UK. After producing tablet presses for a few decades, Manesty Machines Ltd. truly started revolutionizing the OSD market. Important milestones included the launch of the first larger rotary press machine. The Rotapress caused quite a stir in the industry – and led to the launch of the Rotapress MK II at the New York Chemical Show in 1967. It was the first fully operational machine in the world capable of compressing tablets at a rate of 10,000 per minute.

From then on, Manesty developed into the leading manufacturer of high-speed rotary press machines. The company received both the Queen’s Award for Export Achievements and for Technological Achievements several times and boasted an impressive 60% sales growth with its Rotapress and Betapress rotary tablet compression machines within three years in the late 1960s. 1971 saw the launch of the Express tablet press series, followed by the trademark for tablet presses designed to compress powder or granules using a rotating die ring in 1975.

A long-term home for the tablet presses

The 1980s and 1990s were further marked by technological advancements and process improvements, such as the world’s best-selling tablet press Unipress, and the launch of the first automatic tablet weight control system Micro PW. Further highlights included the first fully automated tablet press Elite 450, and the first tablet compression machine with removable turret in 1988, designed to reduce downtime for tool and product changeover.

While success continued, production was transferred to the newly built factory in Knowsley, Merseyside in 2001. It remained there until the technology was transferred to Waiblingen, Germany, in 2016, where the tablet presses are still produced today. This resulted from the acquisition of Manesty Ltd. through Bosch Packaging Technology (now Syntegon) from the OYSTAR Group in 2011, destined to give the tablet presses a long-term home.

From Manesty Xpress to Syntegon TPR

The successful Manesty Xpress series had already seen the light of day in 2002. After the XP500 and XP700 for higher output, the XP300 was launched in 2004, and the lab tablet press XP100 in 2012. Visitors to interpack 2014 then finally witnessed the launch of the TPR series, which is still going strong today. The TPR 500 was followed by the smaller TPR 200 and the larger TPR 700 at Achema 2015, completing the portfolio range.

The TPR series and its corresponding service offerings have remained a portfolio highlight ever since. The most recent add-ons include a common software platform and the APD automated process development Feeder, as well as the launch of the TPR 200 Plus for containment applications in 2020. Additionally, our Sepion coating machine series completes the portfolio and enable us to offer customers seamless solutions from a single source for all their tablet compression and tablet coating needs.

Syntegon TPR series: a success story to be continued

Of course, we are not resting on our laurels. As visitors to this year’s Achema could see, we have further improved our HMI and added the TPR for direct compression to our continuous manufacturing line, offering customers an even more seamless portfolio. In essence, the current TPR series is the best of both worlds: the renowned and durable Manesty mechanics, combined with the modern and highly operator-friendly HMI and control design and functionalities of Syntegon.

Fun fact: the oldest Manesty tablet press in operation

A few years ago, Syntegon conducted a survey to find the oldest machine in operation. This led us to the Fiji Islands, where a Manesty RD3 from the year 1947 is still producing tablets. Now, if this is not a perfect proof of quality and robustness!