History of pill production process
The tablet manufacturing process has evolved from manual to automated over nearly two hundred years, with precision, efficiency, and stability at its core. Before the 1840s, medicines were mainly in pill or powder form. In 1843, the Briton Brockden invented the molding method, pressing powdered medicine into tablets using molds, laying the foundation for modern tablets. In 1872, the first tablet press was introduced, achieving mechanical compression and significantly improving efficiency and dosage accuracy. In the early 20th century, wet granulation became widespread, allowing granulation before tablet compression, which solved issues of poor powder flow and layering. After the 1950s, dry granulation and direct compression technologies matured, suitable for heat-sensitive and moisture-unstable drugs. In the 1960s, sugar coating was promoted to protect the medicine and mask bitterness; from the 1980s, film coating replaced sugar coating, being thinner, more stable, moisture-resistant, and antioxidative. In recent decades, fluidized bed granulation, high-speed tablet compression, and interconnected production lines have become widespread, achieving full-process automation and clean production. New technologies such as sustained-release, orally disintegrating, and multilayer tablets have emerged, combining with nanotechnology to improve dissolution and bioavailability. Today, tablet production has established a standardized process of pulverization — granulation — drying — tableting — coating — packaging, strictly following GMP, making it the most widely used oral dosage form worldwide.
Feb 26,2026
The tablet manufacturing process has evolved from manual to automated over nearly two hundred years, with precision, efficiency, and stability at its core. Before the 1840s, medicines were mainly in pill or powder form. In 1843, the Briton Brockden invented the molding method, pressing powdered medicine into tablets using molds, laying the foundation for modern tablets. In 1872, the first tablet press was introduced, achieving mechanical compression and significantly improving efficiency and dosage accuracy.
In the early 20th century, wet granulation became widespread, allowing granulation before tablet compression, which solved issues of poor powder flow and layering. After the 1950s, dry granulation and direct compression technologies matured, suitable for heat-sensitive and moisture-unstable drugs. In the 1960s, sugar coating was promoted to protect the medicine and mask bitterness; from the 1980s, film coating replaced sugar coating, being thinner, more stable, moisture-resistant, and antioxidative.
In recent decades, fluidized bed granulation, high-speed tablet compression, and interconnected production lines have become widespread, achieving full-process automation and clean production. New technologies such as sustained-release, orally disintegrating, and multilayer tablets have emerged, combining with nanotechnology to improve dissolution and bioavailability.
Today, tablet production has established a standardized process of pulverization — granulation — drying — tableting — coating — packaging, strictly following GMP, making it the most widely used oral dosage form worldwide.
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