Why cold form laminate Panblok is more beneficial for tablet packing compared to strip-pack?

Product 1 and 2: size of Panblok blister and pack:

The first aluminium laminate for packaging of tablets was aluminium/poly = strip-pack. On ensuring tight sealing and no channels in the sealed seams, protection against moisture and light is achieved.

Why is the Panblok blister more suitable for packaging pharmaceutical products?

No or very minimum heat influence on sealing

For this reasons gelatine capsules (soft; hard) and products sensitive to temperature can also be packed. No risk that capsules stick to the sealing layer because PE became too soft during sealing.

No mechanical demand

Using strip-pack both webs are stretched over the product. Products sensitive to breaking can be partially or completely broken; hart gel capsules dented. Especially if the calculation of size of pocket is too small (‘cost saving’) the aluminium can get pinholes or break. In addition a lot of wrinkles will be created during sealing.

Packaging of powder

Inhalation powders cannot be taken from a strip-pack (compressing of powder and so fine critical particle mass can not be achieved).

Type of opening

Because of the four sided sealed area around each product it can only be removed from the strip-pack by tear open. Pushing through the Al/poly laminate is not possible. Peelable opening would be possible with a special design and cross perforation. This would increase the size of the strip further.

Package material consumption

When comparing the packing of the same tablets in a strip-pack and Panblok, less material is needed for the cold form blister.

The use of packing materials for Panblok and strip-pack for a blister / strip has been calculated as follows:

It can be clearly seen from the above two examples that considerably less material is needed for the package with Panblok than for the strip-pack. Beside the size reduction the weight is reduced of primary packaging material and so the weight, cost and necessary space for folding carton, tertiary and shipping packaging.