Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP has introduced the BLU 400 blister machine, which is specifically designed for the secondary packaging of liquid-dose products. The BLU 400 ensures safe and gentle product handling throughout the entire packaging process. Safety functions protect against heat, breakage, or mix-ups for susceptible products.
Capable of producing and filling 400 blisters/min., the BLU 400 can operate on as many as eight lanes with a maximum forming depth of 42 mm. The machine can handle ampules, vials, cartridges, bottles up to 30 mm in dia, and syringes from 6.5 to 26 mm in dia.
Highlights of the BLU 400 include the following:
• Modular and “future-proof”: Flexible configurations for feeder, fill section, transfer, and cartoner enable a broad range of options
• Safe and gentle product handling leads to fewer rejects as well as less cleaning and rectification time
• Compact machine design
• Product positioning lengthwise or crosswise to the web allows for full use of the forming material width, thereby optimizing output
• Flexible and efficient: Operation and retooling requires limited time and manpower
The machine’s process initiates with the feeding plate moving upright products to the feeder in micro-steps. A rotary feeder and four-axis robot system then carefully place products in the blisters. Before pressing them into place in the clamp-pack, a mechanical check ensures correct positioning of all products; only then are they alternately pressed into the blister pockets. The press-in function is carried out in two steps so that less force is required for each, thereby reducing the risk of product damage.
The BLU 400 makes efficient use of its 300-mm forming material width, as products can be placed lengthwise or crosswise in the blisters. This is made possible via single-cycle handling, versatile Uhlmann feeders, and a rotary table at the end of the machine, which turns the filled blisters 180° or 270° so they can be pushed into cartons. Overall output is boosted by fast format changeovers and straightforward cleaning.
Because liquid dose products are often high-priced, manual handling is a valuable asset in certain circumstances. As such, the BLU 400 can be run at a minimum speed of three cycles/min to allow manual product loading. Only the idle time varies; the sealing duration, temperature, and pressure in the sealing station, as well as process times, remain unchanged. Consequently, no revalidation is necessary for operation at very low or very high speeds. It also is possible to feed or remove products manually upstream of the cartoner.
