Let’s explore the basic components of Thermoforming Blister Packaging Machine.

1) PLC Panel

This is a crucial thermoforming blister packaging machine part, with its It is a critical part of blister packing machine.

The design is dependent on the automation and control system of the equipment.

The PLC panel often constitutes a touchscreen HMI, which facilitates automatic and effortless control of several processes.

2) Blister Pack Tooling

Essentially, this is the major tool that will dictate the blister pack shape.

There are a variety of designs and configurations of thermoforming blister pack tooling.

Therefore, based on your production requirements, you place an order for the number of thermoforming blister packaging machinery change parts.

3) Electric Motor

Electric motors are essential initiating motion of the moving parts of thermoforming blister packing equipment.

The motion can be conveyed through gears, shafts and belts, and most machines have the motors totally enclosed at the base.

4) Material Feeding Roller

The feeder roller injects the packaging material into the machine. Usually in a constant motion, this part is synched with the motion of other systems.

5) Turning Rollers

These rollers also make part of the material feeding mechanism. They apply adequate tension on the packaging material out of the feeding rollers.

6) Heating Box

Here is where the packaging material gets heat to the correct temperature in readiness for subsequent stage.

The heating box is the first part that receives the packaging material from the feeder mechanism.

7) Cavity Forming System

This is where the thermoforming blister packaging machine creates the cavities for loading with the products.

The system forms the cavity shapes according to the parameters you set on the control panel.

8) Guide Rail

The guide rail leads the formed cavities to the succeeding stage of thermoforming blister packaging machine operation.

9) Products Feeder Mechanism

Here is where the machine fills the cavities with the right products.

Most thermoforming blister packaging equipment have photoelectric empty detection device right after the feeder system.

The empty detection device prevents sealing of empty cavities.

10) Heat Sealing Mechanism

As the name suggests, this is where the filled cavities are sealed, and the heat sealing system has many parts with different configurations.

11) Sealing Material Feeder

This feeder delivers the sealing material used to enclose the products within the cavities.

12) Pressing Mechanism

Pressing system forms a permanent seal after application of the sealing material on the cavities.

13) Waste Material Winder

From the name, this part of thermoforming blister packaging machine winds the residual material from both forming and sealing material.

14) Tow Mechanism

Tow system helps in moving the totally sealed blister packs to the subsequent packaging stages.

15) Blanking Mechanism

This is the component that cuts the complete thermoformed blister pack from the primary material. Often, the blanking mechanism size is determined by the number of cavities needed in each set.

You can equally incorporate an indentation system to help in printing the manufacturing batch number.

16) Product Chute

After cutting the blister packages from the primary material, the end products are released from the machinery through this part.

17) Lubrication Systems

Advanced thermoforming blister packaging machines have automatic lubrication mechanism for oiling its many moving components.

The main steps in thermoforming blister packaging machine operation include:

Preheating The Plastic Sheet

Preheating at temperatures lower than the melting point of the plastic film is necessary.

Therefore, the plastic sheet is first fed into a preheating station, where it is heat modestly above its glass transition temperature.

This makes the plastic soft and malleable without fully melting it.

Thermoforming The Blister Pockets

After heating, the machine transfers the film into the forming section.

A die thrusts against the plastic sheet, which in turn imprints the blister pack profile.

Using air pressure, the thermoforming blister packaging machine forms to shape the film as it moves across the equipment.

Packaging The Products

Before packaging, the blister packing equipment visually scan scrutinize the products within a staging area.

The items are then automatically or manually put into the blister pockets.

A feeding hopper is utilized for products having smaller profiles yet large volumes like medicine tablets.

You feed the products into the hopper then the equipment carefully feeds them into the blister pockets.

Puddles and brushes aid in dispersing and arranging the items through the entire blister card.

Inspecting The Products

At the inspection section, the visual sensors of the machine check any broken or damaged items and labels them for rejection.

Labeling Of The Blisters

A cylinder having embossed graphics or texts prints on a single face of the lidding film before being introduced into the packaging machine.

The cylinder draws up the printing ink and presses it against the lidding film.

Sealing Of The Thermoformed Blister Packs

After inspection, the blister packs are conveyed to a sealing station. Here, the thermoforming blister packaging machine presses the blister sheet and the lidding film together.

The sealing head applies heat that helps in re-activation of the sealing resin that forms a bond between the 2 packaging materials.

From here, the sealed blister packages are moved inside a cooling section that solidifies the bond.

thermoforming blister packing machine flow chart

Trimming Of The Blister Packs

At the trimming station, the whole blister packs get separated into blister cards.

Based on the expected application, the machine can make extra cuts, like child-resistant packs.

Subsequently, the conveyor system passes the blister cards across an automatic rejection mechanism that removes flagged products out of the packaging line.

Finally, the conveyor transfers the packs via robotic arms that pick and place them in larger packs or boxes automatically.

There are several packaging materials used in thermoforming blister packaging machine, with the common being:

Polyethylene Film

Polyethylene film is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is one of the most popular plastics for thermoforming.

PE films are available in a variety of thicknesses and colors with different properties for your choice.

Polyethylene Terephthalate Film

Polyethylene terephthalate film is also called PETG film.

PET has good heat resistance, impact resistance and transparency so it’s very popular in food packaging field.

Moreover, it is also used in electronics industry as well as medical field because it’s non-toxic and safe to use on human body.

Polypropylene Film

Polypropylene film is an engineering plastic which has good chemical resistance and mechanical strength.

For that matter, it is widely used in medical field because it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals.

Polyvinyl Chloride Film

Polyvinyl Chloride film is one of the most commonly used materials in thermoforming blister packing machines.

PVC has high impact resistance, good rigidity, and good water resistance properties which make them ideal for use in product packaging.

They can withstand high temperatures and pressure during manufacturing processes. PVC has low cost which makes them suitable for low-cost products like medicines which do not require high quality packaging material.

You should consider the following important specifications of thermoforming blister packaging machine when ordering:

• Max Machine Speed
• Max Forming Area
• Min Pack Size
• Optimim Forming Depth
• Max Reel Diameter
• Max Lidding Foil
• Max Core Diameter
• Average Power Consumption
• Cooling Water Consumption
• Compressed Air
• Machine Dimension

Thermoforming blister packaging machines are used for making small, medium and large sized blisters packs.

It helps in packaging in various industries and some of the common uses of thermoforming blister packaging machine include:

Cosmetic Industry: The cosmetic packaging is one of the most important application of this packaging equipment.

This equipment is widely used for cosmetic packaging like lipstick case, eye shadow case, perfume case among other items.

Food Industry: Food manufacturers also use this equipment for food packaging because it provides a lot of options.

The manufacturers can design their customized package easily in addition to the blister pack ensuring high durability.

Electronics Industry: Thermoforming blister packaging machines are widely used in the packaging of electronic components.

They enable provide many benefits including custom designs that fit your specific needs; transparent or opaque packages.

Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry: The equipment is widely used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry to package small items such as pills, tablets, capsules and other products.

The two types of blister packaging machines differ in terms of how the blister packs are formed. Thermoforming blister packaging machine uses heat to create the blister packs, while cold forming blister machine does not.

Thermoforming process entails heating a plastic film to its forming temperature and then stretching it across a mold to assume its shape.

Most blister packaging machines apply this method due to its simplicity and capability to manufacture high volumes.

thermoforming blister packing machine

You can apply either pressure or vacuum forming process.

On the other hand, cold forming blister packaging machine is often employed for light- and moisture sensitive products.

Most of these equipment use thin polymer-aluminum laminate sheets rather than clear plastic film.

Different from thermoforming blister packaging machine, cold forming does not apply in shaping the packaging material.

Instead, the packaging machine plastically deforms the film by pushing it down into the die.

Accordingly, the cold forming is a mechanical process entailing a positive tool (plug) and a negative tool (die).

cold forming blister packing machine

For this reason, cold forming machine is costlier than thermoforming blister packaging machine.

Another disadvantage of cold forming blister packaging machine is that you cannot form the film with near right angles.

You will often have draft angles which increases the blister size.

The multifunctional thermoforming blister packaging machine is an advanced type of blister packaging machine.

It combines the capabilities of vacuum forming and heat-sealing.

Multifunctional thermoforming blister packaging machine can do both vacuum forming and heat-sealing in one process.

As a result, the equipment has a fast processing speed, high efficiency and good appearance.

multifunctional thermoforming blister packing machine

Let us discuss some of the benefits of multifunctional thermoforming blister packaging machine:

High Efficiency

The machine adopts advanced technology, which greatly enhances the efficiency of production, reduces costs and greatly reduces labor intensity.

For example, a worker can perform several operations simultaneously.

Therefore, it has become one of the most popular choices for manufacturers to improve their production efficiency.

Easy Operation

The multifunctional thermoforming blister packaging machine has an intuitive design, making it easy to operate even by inexperienced operators.

The packaging equipment adopts automatic control system and PLC touch screen operation interface. This makes it possible for one operator to complete all the packing procedures.

High Speed

Multifunctional blister forming machine can work at a high speed, which can meet the requirements of mass production.

High Accuracy

Due to its advanced technology, the packaging equipment facilitates high accuracy packing of products.

This makes it suitable for packaging of precision products like medicine, pharmaceutical, chemicals among others.

Versatile

Thermoforming blister packaging machines come with a variety of options that allow you to customize their blisters according to your needs.

For example, you can use different types of materials for making your blisters; including plastic films and foils.

You can also choose between different types of inserts for holding your items together (such as foam or paper).

You can even add special designs and logos onto the front surface of your blisters if you want them.

There are many types of blister packages available including:

Clamshell Blister Package

A clamshell blister is similar to a blister card except that it consists of two halves instead of one whole piece of plastic material.

clamshell blister package

 The two halves are hinged together at one end and are separated at the other end by a perforation.

Blister Cards

A small card-shaped package that contains one or more items inside it.

The item(s) can be removed from the blister card by peeling off its top layer or by punching out holes from its top layer using a hole puncher tool.

blister cards

Trapped Blister Package

Trapped blister packaging consists of two halves that form a shell to protect the product. These halves are then adhered together with a plastic or paper strip.

The strip is inserted into the bottom half and then folded over into a tab. This tab is used to pull open the top half of the packaging to reveal the product inside.

trapped blister package

Trapped blisters are commonly used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and over-the-counter drugs.

They are also used for other products such as clothing accessories, collectibles and toys.

Slide Blister Packs

Slide blisters are a type of blister packaging that protects its contents through the use of a slide-off lid that typically has an adhesive backing.

They are frequently used in pharmaceutical applications, but can also be found in retail sales.

Slide blisters can hold everything from pills and tablets to electronic devices and other products.

Face-Seal Blister Package

Face seal blister packaging is a type of packaging with a pre-formed plastic film that is placed onto the front of a product and sealed.

Face seal blisters consist of a plastic backing with a front and back window made of clear or opaque material.

They are used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and electronic devices.

The products are sealed with a top lid and a bottom lid that has an adhesive backing. When you press down on these lids, they make an airtight seal around your product.

Skin Blister Pack

With this blister pack type, the products themselves act as molds.

The thermoforming blister packaging machine sandwiches the product between the heated plastic film, and vacuums the air at the center part.

Full wrap blister packaging is similar to skin blister packaging, but it is larger and more durable than skin blister packaging.

This type of packaging uses a full wrap around the product instead of just exposing the top part.

They are typically used for larger items like batteries and other heavy objects that need extra protection during shipping or storage.

Blister packaging machine maintenance is an important aspect in the operation of the equipment. You should pay great attention and understand how best to do it.

For that matter, we are going to look at the maintenance guidelines for thermoforming blister packaging machine:

Regular Cleaning Of The Equipment

The first thing that you need to do is to clean the machine on a regular basis.

Cleaning will help in removing any dirt or dust that may have accumulated over time. This is important because it will prevent any damage to the machine.

Lubrication Of Moving Parts

You need to lubricate all the moving parts of the thermoforming blister packaging machine to prevent wear and tear of these parts.

It also helps in ensuring smooth functioning of all these parts, which in turn ensures efficient operation.

Check For Any Leaks Or Loose Components

Another important aspect of blister packaging machine maintenance is checking if there are any leaks in the system or not.

If there are any leaks in the system then you need to fix them immediately as they can cause serious problems.

You should also check if there are any loose screws or nuts that have come off due to vibrations during operation.

Replace them accordingly so as to ensure smooth functioning of your blister packaging machine.

For all your thermoforming blister packaging machines, contact us now.