| Parameter | Capsules in blisters at HYPERPHARM |
|---|---|
| Capsule sizes with blister tooling in place | 0 long, 0 and 00 |
| A capsule in a size not listed | Ask with your enquiry |
| Formula | Ready-made (white label) or your own (private label) |
| Minimum run, tooling in place | From 2,000 cartons printed for your brand, at least 4,000 blisters; other minimums on minimum order quantity |
| A blister of your own design | From 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, terms agreed per project |
| Production time | 6 to 10 weeks, shipping added separately; other times on lead times |
| Blisters per carton | 1 to 4; one blister holds one kind of capsule |
| Lidding foil | Printed for your brand |
| Delayed-release capsules | On request |
| Softgels | Sealed on the same Uhlmann B 1240; send the softgel size with the enquiry |
| Blister machine | Uhlmann B 1240: forms, fills, seals and cuts the blisters in one pass; rated output up to 250 blisters a minute |
| Forming area and depth | Up to 128 × 156.5 mm per cycle; up to 24 mm deep in PVC (thermoforming), shallower in cold-formed aluminium |
| Cartoner | IMA IC 150: cartons from 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm (width × height × length) |
| Batch number and expiry date | On the carton, not as a sticker |
| With every batch | Certificate of Analysis and specification |
| Site certification | ISO 22000, GMP and HACCP certified, with GMP for food supplements; FDA registered as a food facility. Scope: tablets, capsules, powders. Copies with numbers on request |
| Halal | Arranged for the specific product, not for the plant; see halal supplements |
| Shelf life | 24 months standard |
| Delivery and reply | Worldwide; EXW by default, FCA or DAP on request. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday |
Which capsule sizes fit your blister tooling?
Three: size 0 long, size 0 and size 00. For a capsule in one of these sizes the blister is cut on tooling the plant already has, so the standard run applies: from 2,000 cartons, at least 4,000 blisters, with production in 6 to 10 weeks.
A capsule is a rigid, fixed-length shell, so its size decides the cavity before anything else does. The cavity has to hold the capsule and stay within what the machine forms: a forming area of up to 128 × 156.5 mm per cycle, and pockets up to 24 mm deep in PVC. Cold-formed aluminium pockets are shallower. How many capsules fit on one blister follows from the capsule size inside that area.
The sample shows the real size of your capsule, and with it whether it sits in the tooling in place. That is why we ask for the size, or for the capsule itself, with the first enquiry.
What if my capsule size is not on the list?
Ask with your enquiry. The plant makes capsules up to size 000, but the blister tooling in place is for 0 long, 0 and 00, so tell us the size you have in mind and we answer for that capsule.
A blister of your own design is a separate case: it starts from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, on terms agreed per project. The formula, ready-made or your own, does not change the minimum.
If your own formula is still in development, the capsule size is known only once the sample exists, so choose the size with the blister in mind, not after it.
How are capsules sealed in a blister and put into a carton?
On two machines in sequence. An Uhlmann B 1240 makes and seals the blister, and an IMA IC 150 puts the finished blisters into the carton.
The B 1240 is built by Uhlmann Pac-Systeme in Laupheim, Germany. In one pass it forms the cavities, fills them with capsules, seals the lidding foil printed for your brand over them and cuts out the blisters. According to the machine documentation, its rated output is up to 250 blisters a minute and the foil is sealed by a flat plate at low temperature. A TouchControl panel with password login keeps an audit trail of production and parameters. The 250 a minute is the ceiling of the machine, not a pace we promise for your run; plan with the 6 to 10 weeks.
The IC 150 is an intermittent-motion cartoner built by IMA in Italy. It takes cartons from 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm and puts 1 to 4 blisters into each. The full data for both machines, including the films the blister machine is built to run: equipment.
What goes on the lidding foil and the carton?
Your brand goes on both. The lidding foil is printed for your brand, and we lay out and print the carton to the label rules of your market, which your importer confirms. Artwork you already have can be used instead, and your own packaging can be used on request. Only the artwork version you have approved is printed.
The batch number and the expiry date go on the carton, printed with it or applied as the blisters are cartoned, not added later as a sticker. The standard shelf life is 24 months. The artwork steps are in the blister artwork guide.
Can softgels or delayed-release capsules go in a blister too?
Yes to both, with one condition each. Softgels are sealed on the same Uhlmann B 1240 as hard capsules and tablets, but the tooling list names capsule and tablet sizes only, so send the softgel size with the enquiry. Delayed-release capsules are available on request, described as a property of the form and with no promise about what the product does.
For the minimum on softgels, see minimum order quantity. A softgel formula of your own is set per project: ask with your project.
What about halal?
Halal certification is arranged for the specific product rather than for the plant as a whole; see halal supplements.
Capsules in a blister or in a bottle?
Both packs are made at the plant, each with its own minimum and time. A bottle has its own minimum and time: see minimum order quantity and lead times. A blister run is from 2,000 cartons in 6 to 10 weeks.
What the format does not settle by itself is the barrier. How much moisture and oxygen reach a closed cavity depends on the film and the lidding foil, so a blister is not the stronger pack by definition. The two side by side: blister or bottle.
How does a capsule blister order run, step by step?
In seven steps, with the sample and the artwork approved by you before production starts.
- Enquiry. Tell us the capsule size, whether the formula is ready-made or your own, how many cartons and how many blisters in each, and the country of sale. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
- Sample. For a ready-made formula you receive a sample of the existing product; for your own formula a first sample is developed. It shows the real size of the capsule.
- Approval. You approve the sample, then the artwork for the carton and the lidding foil. Printing waits for your approval of the final version.
- Production. A blister run takes 6 to 10 weeks of production.
- Blister and carton. The Uhlmann B 1240 seals the capsules under the foil printed for your brand, and the IMA IC 150 places 1 to 4 blisters in each printed carton, with the batch number and expiry date on the carton.
- Documents. The batch leaves with its Certificate of Analysis and specification; copies of the site certificates are sent on request.
- Delivery. EXW by default, FCA or DAP on request. Shipping time is added to the production time.
The whole order, bottles included: manufacturing.
What does your product decide?
Your capsule decides more of the blister than the brief does. Below, what each case changes and what it costs you in run, time or risk.
| Your product | What changes | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Capsule size 0 long, 0 or 00 | It goes onto blister tooling the plant already has | Run: from 2,000 cartons, at least 4,000 blisters. Time: 6 to 10 weeks of production |
| A capsule in a size not listed | Ask with your enquiry | Time: the answer comes with the reply to your enquiry |
| A blister of your own design | The blister needs tooling of its own | Run: from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, on terms agreed per project |
| Your own capsule formula, size not yet known | The size is known once the sample exists | Time: sample development before production. Risk: the sample may show a size that is not on the list |
| A softgel | Sealed on the same Uhlmann B 1240 | Risk: the tooling list names no softgel sizes; send the size with the enquiry |
| A large capsule | Cavity depth and the 128 × 156.5 mm area set how many fit on a blister; aluminium cavities are shallower than PVC | Risk: fewer capsules per blister, and an aluminium cavity may not take it |
| A halal market | Certification is arranged for the specific product | Time: name the product and the market in the enquiry |
| A small first order | A bottle has its own minimum and time | Run and time: see minimum order quantity and lead times |
Questions buyers ask about capsules in blisters
Which capsule sizes can you put in blisters?
Blister tooling is in place for capsules in sizes 0 long, 0 and 00. For a capsule in a size not listed, ask with your enquiry.
What is the minimum order for private label capsules in blisters?
From 2,000 cartons printed for your brand, at least 4,000 blisters, on a ready-made formula or your own. Other minimums are on minimum order quantity.
How long does a capsule blister run take?
Production takes 6 to 10 weeks. The sample and your approval of the artwork come before it, and shipping time is added separately. Times for other packs are on lead times.
How many blisters go into one carton?
From 1 to 4, packed on an IMA IC 150 into cartons from 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm. Each carton is printed for your brand, and each blister holds one kind of capsule.
Do you make capsules up to size 000?
Yes, the plant makes capsules up to size 000.
Can softgels go on the same blister line?
Softgels are sealed on the same Uhlmann B 1240 as hard capsules and tablets. The tooling list names capsule and tablet sizes, so send the softgel size with the enquiry.
Do you offer delayed-release capsules in blisters?
Delayed-release capsules are available on request. Mention it in your enquiry so the form is settled before the sample.
Can I see a sample before the run?
Yes. A ready-made formula is sampled from the existing product; for your own formula a sample is developed first. The sample shows the real size of the capsule and whether the tooling in place takes it.
What documents come with a batch of capsules?
A Certificate of Analysis and a specification. The plant is ISO 22000, GMP and HACCP certified, with GMP for food supplements, and FDA registered as a food facility; the scope names tablets, capsules and powders. Copies of the certificates with their numbers are sent to clients on request; see quality and batch documents.
Read more
Blister packing · Tablets in blisters · Minimum order quantity · Lead times · Halal supplements · Blister or bottle · Equipment · Private label supplements · Manufacturing · Quality and batch documents
Ask for a quote
Tell us the capsule size, whether the formula is ready-made or your own, how many cartons you plan and how many blisters each should hold, and the country of sale. If your capsule already exists, add its size. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu