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 has 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 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 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.
To take the above advantage and get rid of the disadvantage, this industry launched the third type of blister pack: aluminum/plastic/aluminum blister pack.