| Parameter | Value (machine documentation unless stated) | What it means for your blister |
|---|---|---|
| Blister machine | Uhlmann B 1240, built by Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG, Laupheim, Germany; forms, fills, seals and cuts out the blister in one pass | Your blister comes off one machine in a single pass |
| Rated output | Up to 250 blisters a minute | 250 a minute is the ceiling of the machine, not the speed of your order. Plan with the 6 to 10 weeks of production |
| Forming area | Up to 128 × 156.5 mm | The upper bound on the area formed in one cycle. How many doses sit on a card depends on the size of your tablet or capsule inside it; the layout is settled when the sample exists |
| Forming depth | Up to 24 mm for PVC (thermoforming); cold-formed aluminium is shallower, 10 mm on the manufacturer's page | The upper bound on how tall a dose can be. A dose that a PVC cavity takes may not fit a cold-formed aluminium cavity |
| Sealing | Lidding foil sealed by a flat plate at low temperature | The foil over each dose is printed for your brand |
| Run records | TouchControl panel with password login and audit trails of production and parameters | The settings a run was sealed with can be traced afterwards |
| Footprint | About 3,000 × 955 mm, height about 1,500 mm | Reference only |
| Cartoner | IMA IC 150, built by IMA, Italy: intermittent-motion cartoner that erects, loads and closes the carton | The carton is the second printed surface for your brand |
| Carton range | From 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm, width × height × length; flaps tucked straight or reversed, or closed with hot-melt glue; pre-glued cartons | A blister card has to fit the carton you choose, so card and carton are settled together |
| Blisters per carton | 1 to 4 (HYPERPHARM order terms) | One kind of tablet or capsule in each blister |
| Minimum run | From 2,000 cartons, at least 4,000 blisters; own blister or a size without tooling from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters | Set by your dose and the tooling in place, see below |
| Production time | 6 to 10 weeks; shipping is added separately | Shipping is added on top |
What does an Uhlmann B 1240 do, in plain terms?
It makes the blister and closes it in one continuous pass. According to the machine documentation, the B 1240 is a compact, fully servo-driven blister machine for solid dose products. A forming film is warmed and shaped into cavities, the cavities are filled with tablets, capsules or softgels, a lidding foil is sealed over them, and the finished blisters are cut out.
The TouchControl records describe the machine's settings. They are traceability of a run, not a claim about the product. Bottles are a different route, counted on a separate counter; this page covers only the blister and carton machines.
Which tablets and capsules fit the blister tooling you already have?
Tooling is in place for six tablet sizes and three capsule sizes, and a dose in those sizes goes onto a run of 2,000 cartons or more.
| Dose form | Size with tooling in place |
|---|---|
| Oval tablet | 22 × 10 mm |
| Oval tablet | 20 × 9.5 mm |
| Oval tablet | 16 × 8 mm |
| Round tablet | 13 mm |
| Round tablet | 12 mm |
| Round tablet | 11 mm |
| Capsule | Size 0 long |
| Capsule | Size 0 |
| Capsule | Size 00 |
The machine limits and the tooling are two different things. The machine documentation tells you what the B 1240 can form; the tooling in place tells you which doses it forms without a new tool. A tablet or capsule in another size, or a blister of your own design, is available on request, from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, terms agreed per project. A dose inside the forming area and depth still has no tool until one is made.
Three practical points for a formula that is still on paper:
- Check the size before the formula is final. Your own formula gets its tablet or capsule size at the sample stage, and the sample shows whether the size fits the tooling in place. Send the size of your tablet or capsule with the enquiry.
- One blister holds one kind of tablet or capsule. Tablets of different sizes or colours are not put into the same blister.
- Softgels are sealed on the same B 1240 as tablets and capsules. The tooling list names tablet and capsule sizes only, so send the softgel size with the enquiry.
Delayed-release tablets and capsules are available on request, as a property of the dose form.
How many blisters go into one carton, and what does the IMA IC 150 take?
One to four blisters go into each carton, and the IC 150 takes cartons from 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm. The carton range is the second limit on your card, after the forming area, so the carton you want and the layout of the card are settled together, not one after the other.
A run is counted in cartons and blisters, and the number of blisters per carton decides how the minimum adds up. The sums are on minimum order quantity.
Batch number and expiry date go on the carton, not on the blister: the expiry date is printed with the carton or applied as the blisters are put into it, not added later as a sticker. The standard shelf life is 24 months. Artwork for the carton and the lidding foil is approved by you before anything is printed; see the blister artwork guide.
Can the machine run the film my formula needs?
The machine is built to run PVC, PVC/PVDC, cold-formed aluminium (alu-alu), PP and PET, with heat-sealable aluminium or paper as lidding foil. This is the range of the machine, not films held at the plant.
The film changes what the machine limits mean in practice. PVC is thermoformed, and its cavities can be up to 24 mm deep on this machine; cold-formed aluminium is shallower, 10 mm on the manufacturer's page. Barrier figures in film datasheets describe flat film before forming. An engineer at a packaging manufacturer has pointed out, in a trade article, that forming a cavity thins the laminate and the barrier falls with it, so a datasheet value is not the value of your finished cavity.
What does your product decide?
Your dose, your carton and the number of blisters you want set the run before the machine does. Below, what each case changes and what it costs you in run size, time or risk.
| Your product or plan | What changes | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| A tablet or capsule in a size with tooling in place | It goes onto the tooling the plant already has | Run: from 2,000 cartons, at least 4,000 blisters. Time: 6 to 10 weeks of production |
| A tablet or capsule in another size, or a blister of your own design | A new tool is needed, on request | Run: from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, terms agreed per project |
| A tall or large dose | Cavity depth sets what fits: up to 24 mm in PVC, shallower in cold-formed aluminium | Risk: fewer doses on a card, and an aluminium cavity may not take the dose |
| A formula that readily takes up moisture | The film and the lidding foil decide how much moisture reaches a closed cavity; the machine only offers the range | Risk: a barrier too low for the formula. Flat-film figures alone do not show how a product keeps in its pack |
| A softgel | Sealed on the same B 1240; the tooling list names tablets and capsules only | Risk: the size may need a check. Send it with the enquiry |
| Several doses in one blister | One blister holds one kind of tablet or capsule | Risk: a mixed card is not possible; use separate blisters in one carton, 1 to 4 in all |
Questions buyers ask about the blister machine
How many blisters a minute does the B 1240 make?
Up to 250 blisters a minute is the rated ceiling in the machine documentation. It is a limit of the machine, not the speed of an order. For planning, use the 6 to 10 weeks of production for a blister run.
What is the largest blister the machine can form?
The forming area is up to 128 × 156.5 mm per the machine documentation. The card also has to fit the carton you choose, and cartons on the IMA IC 150 run from 28 × 12 × 55 mm to 92 × 60 × 190 mm, so the two are settled together.
How deep can a blister cavity be?
Up to 24 mm in PVC, which is thermoformed. Cold-formed aluminium is shallower, 10 mm on the manufacturer's page, so a tall dose that suits a PVC cavity may not suit an aluminium one.
Which tablet and capsule sizes have blister tooling?
Oval tablets of 22 × 10, 20 × 9.5 and 16 × 8 mm, round tablets of 13, 12 and 11 mm, and capsules in sizes 0 long, 0 and 00. A dose in one of these sizes starts from 2,000 cartons, at least 4,000 blisters. Another size is available on request, from 25,000 cartons or 50,000 blisters, terms agreed per project.
Can the B 1240 seal softgels?
Yes, softgels are sealed on the same B 1240 as tablets and capsules. The tooling list names tablet and capsule sizes only, so send the size of the softgel with the enquiry.
What is the minimum run and how long does it take?
From 2,000 cartons printed for your brand, at least 4,000 blisters, with each carton holding 1 to 4 blisters. Production takes 6 to 10 weeks, and shipping is added separately.
Read more
Blister packing · Blister or bottle · Blister artwork guide · Minimum order quantity · Lead times · Manufacturing · Quality and batch documents
Ask about your blister
Tell us the dose form and its size, whether the formula is ready-made or your own, how many cartons you plan and how many blisters each should hold. If your tablet or capsule already exists, add its size and thickness. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu