According to different packaging materials and principles of forming, Blister packs may be divided into mainly two types: aluminum/plastic (thermoforming) blister pack and aluminum/aluminum (cold forming) blister pack.
The advantages of thermoforming blister pack:
> It can visually examine the product through the transparent plastic, it is easy to reject the fault blister card both by inspecting the camera or naked eyes.
> The most basic material for the forming web is PVC, it is low cost and the ease of thermoforming.
> Because the cavity or pocket contains the item snugly so it can adopt a universal feeder, it is low cost and easy of operation.
The disadvantages of thermoforming blister pack:
> The poor protective properties because of poor barrier against moisture ingress and oxygen ingress;
The advantages of cold forming blister pack:
> The use of aluminum offers a nearly complete barrier for water, light, and oxygen, allowing an extended product expiration date.
The disadvantages of the cold forming blister pack are:
> The slower speed of production compared to thermoforming;
> The lack of transparency of the package increase the difficulty for inspecting the system to reject the fault blister card;
> The larger size of the blister card (aluminum cannot be formed with near 90 degree angles), increase the cost.
> The material of forming aluminum film is more expensive than pvc.
> Because the cavity or pocket is larger than the item so the feeder should be dedicated, which increases the cost and operation difficulty.