Used Roller Compactors & Chilsonators

A roller compactor presses dry powder between two counter-rotating rolls. The powder leaves the rolls as a solid ribbon or flake, which is then milled into free-flowing granules. This is dry granulation. It uses no liquid binder and no drying step, so it suits moisture-sensitive and heat-sensitive actives. Fitzpatrick sells its version as the Chilsonator, and buyers use both names for the same machine.

Federal Equipment Company handles used roller compactors at bench, pilot, and production scale. Brands we see regularly include Fitzpatrick, Gerteis, Freund-Vector, Alexanderwerk, and Bepex. Roll diameters range from about 100 mm to 500 mm, with roll face widths from 35 mm to 305 mm. Rated throughput spans about 1 kg/hr on bench units to roughly 400 kg/hr on production systems. Most machines are 304 or 316L stainless steel, with cored rolls for cooling and an integrated mill or granulator. Units are held at our Cleveland, OH facility and are available for inspection. Roller compaction sits upstream of our tablet presses in the solid dosage equipment line.

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Browse our selection below and request a quote for more information regarding our Used Roller Compactors & Chilsonators.

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Every machine in this class shares the same three stages. Powder enters an agitated hopper and moves through a horizontal conditioning screw. A vertical pre-compression screw then de-aerates it and feeds it into the roll nip under pressure. The rolls do the work, and a size reduction stage behind them turns the ribbon into granules. Getting a used unit to run your product is mostly a question of matching those three stages to your powder.

Roll design is where the machines differ most. Roll surfaces come knurled, axial-grooved, serrated, sine-style, pocketed, or smooth, and the surface controls how well the powder is gripped and how the ribbon releases. Many rolls are cored and fitted with rotary unions so coolant can run through them, which limits heat buildup on sticky or low-melting material. Gap control is either fixed or floating. Fixed-gap units set the rolls mechanically. Floating-gap units use a hydraulic circuit that holds force constant and lets the gap move, which gives steadier ribbon density across a batch. Roll force is quoted in tons or kilonewtons depending on the builder, from roughly 5 tons on bench units up to 120 kN on production machines.

Behind the rolls, the ribbon is broken down by a flake crusher, then a pre-granulator and a fine granulator, or by an integrally mounted mill. Fitzpatrick Chilsonator systems typically discharge into a Fitzmill in the M5A, D6A, or DKASO12 range. Gerteis Polygran Mini-Pactor and Macro-Pactor units use an integrated ribbon mill after a hopper prebreaker. Alexanderwerk WP series machines carry a flake crusher with paired pre- and fine granulators. Freund-Vector TF and TFC units run an oscillating granulator or a bottom mill. Complete systems often add a screener, a bucket elevator, and interconnecting chutes, so ask what came with the machine before assuming a drop-in installation. Comparable equipment is covered on our hammer mills and Fitzmills and oscillating granulators pages.

Scale is the other dividing line. Bench units rated at about 1 kg per hour run on 110 or 120 volt single-phase and sit on a countertop for formulation work. Pilot machines in the 20 to 45 kg per hour range are portable and run on 230 volt. Production systems draw 460 or 480 volt three-phase and are built into a frame with controls. Containment options include vacuum de-aeration, side seal separation, nitrogen purge, wash-in-place design, and full glove box isolators. Federal Equipment Company inspects equipment at intake and records roll condition, drive function, seal and rotary union condition, and control system state. Refurbishment and testing can be arranged before shipment.

Applications & Industries

  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing: dry granulation of moisture-sensitive and heat-sensitive actives ahead of tableting or encapsulation in solid dosage manufacturing
  • Vitamin, nutraceutical, and supplement production: densifying vitamin and mineral premixes so they feed and compress consistently
  • Chemical processing: catalyst preparation, pigment and additive densification, and dust control on fine powders
  • Food and beverage production: granulating flavor systems, sweeteners, and dry beverage bases
  • Detergent and specialty chemical blending: turning low bulk density powders into a granule that will not segregate in transit
  • Contract manufacturing and development: bench and pilot units used for formulation work and scale-up trials in laboratory settings

Specifications & Configurations

Specification Range
Roll diameter 100 mm to 500 mm (about 4 in. to 20 in.)
Roll face width 35 mm to 305 mm (about 1.5 in. to 12 in.)
Rated throughput About 1 kg/hr on bench units to 400 kg/hr on production systems
Roll force About 5 tons to 120 kN, depending on machine size and builder
Main roll drive Under 3 HP on bench units to 60 HP on large Chilsonator systems
Materials of construction 304 stainless, 316L stainless, carbon steel
Roll surfaces Knurled, axial-grooved, serrated, sine-style, pocketed, smooth
Roll gap control Fixed-gap, or floating-gap with hydraulic closure
Roll cooling Cored rolls with rotary unions
Feed system Agitated hopper, horizontal conditioning screw, vertical pre-compression screw
Size reduction Flake crusher, pre-granulator and fine granulator, integrated Fitzmill or oscillating granulator
Controls Allen-Bradley or Siemens PLC with operator HMI and VFD motor control
Power 110 or 120 volt bench units up to 460 or 480 volt three-phase
Containment options Vacuum de-aeration, nitrogen purge, wash-in-place design, glove box isolator

Model series we see regularly

Individual machines come and go, but the same series recur across our inventory: Alexanderwerk WP and PP, Fitzpatrick IR series Chilsonators and CCS, Freund-Vector TFC and TFC-LAB, and Gerteis Polygran and Mini-Pactor.

Why Buy Used

A used roller compactor typically costs a fraction of a comparable new machine. The gap is widest on pharmaceutical-grade production units, where new build lead times run into many months and the tooling package adds cost on its own.

Lead time is often what decides the purchase. A new compactor of this type is a build-to-order item. A machine already on the floor can ship in weeks once inspection is complete.

These machines hold up well because the wear points are few and predictable. Roll surfaces, rotary unions, feed screws, and seals take the wear, and rolls can be reground or replaced. Spare roll sets and change tooling often come with the machine, which matters because roll surface selection is formulation-specific. Federal Equipment Company can arrange refurbishment and testing upon request, and equipment is available for inspection at our facility. Process validation remains the buyer's responsibility.