Blister packaging seems to be growing in popularity as pharma manufacturers look for solutions with heightened protection against oxygen, moisture and contaminants. Opaque blisters also protect light-sensitive products from UV rays. Blister packaging machines seal products in a pre-formed cavity or pocket made from a formable web, usually made of PET (polyethylene terephtalate) or PVC (polyvinyl chloride). This usually has a backing of paperboard or a lidding seal of aluminum foil or plastic. Another type is constructed with foil as both the blister web and the lid or seal. This type is usually created by cold stretching.
Today, blister packaging is the preferred packaging for the pharma industry, used for packing tablets, capsules, vials, ampoules, syringes and liquid products. It is also increasing popular for packing some foods and small consumer goods.
The main advantages of blister packaging include: Protection
Blister packs not only protect the product against light, oxygen, humidity & contaminants, it provides protection against mishandling and tampering. Since the product stays securely sealed from the external environment, shelf life in extended, making it safe and suitable for long-term storage and display. Marketing
Blister packaging offers a range of colours and finishes. The card option also allows manufacturers clean space to include branding, instructions, product information, etc. in an attractive, easy-to-follow way. All this helps the product to stand out in retail outlets, build brand and increase customer loyalty. Cost-effective
Higher packaging speeds and reduced costs make blister packaging a more cost-effective solution. Blister packs eliminate the need for additional cartons, thereby reducing the cost of packaging. There are several different types of blister packaging – Face Seal, Trap, Mock, Slide and Interactive. Each one has its unique qualities and price points, from entry level to high end. Visibility
With a see-through plastic front, these containers make the encased product perfectly visible to the consumer. Doing so provides reassurance that the amount of product contained is as advertised and that all pieces are accounted for. Visibility promotes retail display, and since customers can view the item but not touch it, is safeguarded against thieves and tampering. Tamper-resistant
The product units are individually sealed and therefore individually protected from tampering. Any form of tampering is immediately visible. Helpful & easy to use
For consumers, blister packaging provides clear space for instructions and other important data. It offers patients a clear individual dose, making it easier for patients to track whether they have taken the prescribed drug on a given day. To use, consumers just have to pop the pill out of the package which can be done quite easily. Drugs not consumed remain in the original package, fully protected. Blister packs are also easy to carry when travelling – ideal for today’s on-the-go lifestyle. Customization
All plastic blisters are thermoformed, so manufacturers can customise every design to the product. Regardless of the size, shape or number of items contained in the blister pack, it can be customized to fit the needs of the product. Conclusion
From medicines & electronic items to cosmetics & toys, SD cards & batteries to toothbrushes & dental floss, a blister pack makes a great marketing and packaging tool. If you have a product that could benefit from blister packaging, contact Nichrome. Nichrome is India’s leading integrated packaging solutions provider, with over 4 decades of industry experience. Well known as a world-class manufacturer of flexible packaging machines, Nichome offers a range of packaging solutions for Food, Pharma and other industries. If you are contemplating blister packaging machines for your business, Nichrome will partner with you to understand your requirements and deliver the relevant solution that can ensure desired outcomes. Talk to Nichrome to discover the most appropriate, efficient and cost-effective solution for production unit.
MULTI LANE STICK PACK - NICHROME PACKAGING SOLUTIONS
Packaging is not only about hygiene and protecting the
product. It's about convenience. Nothing illustrates this better than the stick pack, a form that's growing
in popularity around the world.
Remember the slim, one-portion sachets of sugar, milk powder or coffee powder at the
cafeteria or in the hotel room? Or those small use-and-throw packs of ketchup
or mustard that accompanied the pizza or burger you ordered?
Those slim, single-portion sachets are called stick packs.
The stick pack offers consumers convenience (it is easy to open and provides
just the right amount of product) plus the freshness of the product is
guaranteed. The stick pack is a safe and hygienic
packaging form used in both the food industry and the pharmaceutical
sector. Although at first glance, stick packs might not seem very
environment-friendly because they are packaged individually, they comprise 35%
less packaging material than a sachet.
Applications of
stick packaging
Stick pack machines
are perfect for packaging a wide variety of powder, granular, and liquid
products. Powder products can be dense, fine, loose, and particulate materials.
Liquids can be substances of differing viscosities including water-like fluids,
gels, and pastes.
Stick packaging is very popular for
powdered drink mixes, liquid and powder
pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, and granular ingredients like sugar,
seasonings, coffee/tea premixes. The medical and dietary supplement industries
also highly favour stick packaging.
Stickpack with Servo Auger filler
Why stick packs
are a hit
Single
serve and controlled dosage packaging is very popular with today’s consumers,
spanning across generations and demographics. Millennials and young professionals
love stick packs because they are portable, convenient, and fit unobtrusively
into their busy lives. Whether they contain daily medication or
favourite coffee, they allow ‘on the go’ consumers to take their lifestyle on
the road. The aging
population uses stick packs because they are lightweight and often feature
easy-open options like tear notches, making it easier for those with limited
dexterity to handle and use the product. Parents are attracted to stick packs
because they can easily feed their children with a single, easy to open,
controlled serving size package that requires little clean up.
Stick packs also offer unmatched economy and convenience for
service providers in the hospitality, food
or airlines industries. They help these players to provide food and
neutraceutical powders in hygienic, single-serve packaging.
How stick pack
machines work
The operation of stick pack machines is very similar
to that of single lane vertical form fill seal packaging machines: a roll of
film is cut and formed into multiple
stick packs; the bags are filled with product and then sealed, all in a
vertical fashion, at speeds of up to 80 bags per minute per lane.
Volumetric Multiple Cavity Filler
Stick pack machines produce more than one pack at a time and
usually have multiple channels to produce several stick packs at a time. Some
machines in the market can accommodate up to 20 lanes, producing over 1,200
stick packs per minute!
How to choose the
right stick pack machine
When selecting your stick pack machine, it's always better
to consult an expert or talk to a packaging machine manufacturer who
will understand your requirements and guide you. You will need to consider the
desired stick width & length, the product to be packed and its properties,
desired speed (packs per minute, hour, shift, etc.) and convenience options
(tear notches, chain of packs, pour spouts etc.).
All stick pack machines can utilise different fillers,
depending on the product to be packaged.
Liquid Fillers (for liquid, gel and paste type
products such as honey, jam, ketchup, mustard paste, olive oil, shampoo)
Auger Fillers (for powders and dusty products
like milk powder, tea/coffee premix, spice powders, nutraceutical & pharma
powders)
Stick pack machines can be built to accommodate different
stick widths, convenient designs including pour spouts and specialty die-cut
shapes, and can also feature easy-open options like tear notches and
micro-perforations.
You may want to print expiration dates or lot codes on your stick packaging. There are many
multi-lane printing options available for the task.
Stickpack with Multi-Piston Filler
Conclusion
As with all capital investments, it pays to go with a
reliable and experienced packaging partner like Nichrome. Nichrome will work
with you to understand your product and operations define key points and then provide the most accurate
configuration for your specific needs. After all, you will be relying on this
equipment to handle a vital part of your production process, so it must
deliver.
As
India’s leading packaging machine manufacturer, Nichrome designs, develops, manufactures,
sells, and services flexible packaging
machinery for food and non-food industries worldwide. Nichrome’s decades of
industry experience, and focus on packaging
innovation and project integration makes them uniquely poised to be your
trusted packaging partner, for projects and enterprises large or small.
Over the past 8 to 10 years, India has achieved tremendous growth in terms of industrialization and globalization. The inherent result of which, there has been tremendous demand of modern technologies and upgradation of quality of packaging and in general, the quality of life. Food industry offers what is unquestionable, one of the largest opportunities for growth in India today. The industry will play a vital and positive role in the Indian economy. To reach such phenomenon growths, it is quite evident that the processing and preservation technology of food products has to keep pace with the growth. Hence, it is expected that the modern technology of flexible packaging like Aseptic Packaging, Barrier Packaging, and Controlled Atmospheric Packaging will make big inroads in India.
Potential
The growth in the flexible packaging industry in India is mainly driven by the food and the pharmaceutical packaging sectors. The large and growing Indian middle class, along with the growth in organised retailing in the country are fuelling growth in the flexible packaging industry. Another factor, which has provided substantial stimulus to the packaging industry, is the rapid growth of exports, which requires superior packaging standards for the international market.
Flexible Packaging
The Indian packaging industry is dominated by plastic flexible packaging. The traditional rigid packaging users have also been seen to shift to flexible packaging in recent times. According to industry sources, the main reason for this is that flexible packages are found aesthetically attractive, cost-effective and sturdy. Consumer preference for the use of convenient packaging and packaged products in affordable quantities in laminates is also one of the main reasons that have contributed to the growth of flexible packaging in India. The food-processing sector is the largest user of flexible packaging, accounting for more than 50 percent of the total demand. The flexible packaging segment is estimated to be growing at over 35 percent annually.
Laminated products including form-fill-seal pouches, laminated tubes and Tetra packs are growing at around 30% p.a. This also represents a corresponding additional requirement of capacity in the manufacturing sector. This means that the production will need to increase nearly 100% from the current levels. This is a huge challenge before the nation and a great opportunity for the players in the Flexible Packaging arena. This also opens possibilities for new entrants in the field provided they meet the changing scenario of customer needs and new challenges.
Initiatives are needed to convert the large unpacked commodities into processed, packed and well-presented commodities. India’s imports at 20-25% with a value of $125 million of its total packaging machinery indicate further opportunities not only for Indian companies to increase their share in domestic market but also for international companies to explore new business opportunities in India. The food & beverage and pharmaceutical segments occupy the largest share in the packaging industry, accounting for 85% and 10%, respectively. The plastic packaging market is expanding rapidly registering a growth of 20-25% per annum and is valued at 6.8 million tonnes while the paper packaging industry stands at 7.6 million tonnes. The packaging industry is poised to grow rapidly led by the increasing use of innovative packaging equipment and the rising volumes in flexible packaging market. So it can easily be concluded that future is bright for flexible packaging in India for this decade.
As India’s pioneer and leading provider of integrated packaging solutions, Nichrome is well known for its expertise and experience in flexible packaging. From VFFS and HFFS machines for primary packaging to turnkey packaging solutions for end-to-end lines, Nichrome promises sound project design capabilities, strong R&D, and single-source convenience for enterprises of all scales.
Credits: Milind Bhole, CEO, Neil & Sid Consultants, Pune.
Rice has been one of India’s biggest exports for some years now, and the demand seems to be growing. Iran and Saudi Arabia are two of the biggest importers of Indian basmati rice, accounting for 40-45% share.
According to ICRA, Indian basmati rice exports are expected to post strong growth in FY2018 and FY 2019. While the Middle East, Britain and United States import premium basmati rice, India also exports non-basmati varieties of rice to African and Asian countries. Thailand is a strong contender for non-basmati rice exports, and last year, Africa’s import demand shifted from India to Thailand, on cost competitiveness. However, with depleted stocks and rising value of the Thai currency (baht), importers have turned their gaze back on India.
Packaging plays a crucial role in rice exports, especially of premium varieties in retail packs. It needs to be accurate, properly sealed and strong enough to withstand the journey down the supply chain till the retail shelf, protecting the purity and flavour of the contents.
As India’s leading packaging solutions manufacturer, Nichrome has decades of experience and expertise in automatic packaging of Indian rice and other grains.
EXCEL PLUS INTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC WEIGH FILLER
Nichrome’s VFFS Excel Plus Intelligent Electronic Weigh Filler is a star performer amongst Nichrome’s range of grain packaging machines. It packs up to 80 pouches/min, in quantities from 100 gm up to 10 Kgs. The automation is equipped with CE marked PLC controller and touch-screen HMI. There is a pneumatic/servo motor driven system for horizontal sealing mechanism, with adjustable stroke of cross sealing jaws for optimum performance. Designed and manufactured to stringent quality standards, the Excel Plus offers quick and easy change-over, and integration to upstream and downstream machines.
Allied equipment includes a dynamic check weigher with tendency control facility, online metal detection system, dust extraction system, date/batch coding device, and baling machine for secondary packaging.
Pouch formats include the CSPP, Pentaseal, Four Line Seal and Centre Seal Gusset Pouch with ‘D’ cut. The flexible and efficient Excel Plus Intelligent Electronic Weigh Filler can also be used for sugar packaging, tea packaging, pulses/grains packaging and whole spices.
For rice and grain packaging plants, Nichrome also offers the Flexibale 450, a fast and accurate baling machine for integrated secondary packaging.
As online shopping grows in popularity due to its
convenience and attractive marketing, the demand for well packaged
grains is booming. Any manufacturer, who wants his grains to sell
online, or even to stand out amongst stiff competition on the supermarket
shelf, has to invest in quality packaging.
Who better than Nichrome to partner in this Endeavour? As India's
leading packaging solutions manufacturer, Nichrome has four decades of
industry experience and a proven reputation for innovation, manufacturing and
support.
Nichrome offers a wide range of VFFS,
HFFS and Multilane machines
for grain and seed packaging.
Depending on the size and type of pouch you desire, Nichrome offers the optimal
solution.
For staples like rice, wheat and lentils, Indian consumers
prefer to buy larger quantities. Nichrome's sturdy “Pentaseal
Pouch” is a great solution for quantities of 2 Kg and 5 Kg as it increases
the pouch strength and stands tall on the retail shelf. Hygiene is maintained
and spillage reduced.
Other attractive pouch formats include Flexi Block, Centre
Seal Pillow Pouch (CSPP), Gusset Pouch, 3-Side Seal, 4-Side Seal, 4-Line Seal
besides Stand-up Packs.
From 100 gm packs to 25 Kg bags, Nichrome offers the full
gamut of automatic
grain packaging machines. These ensure the pouches are perfectly
sealed, with accuracy and speed for minimal wastage. Being fully automated
machines, they are economical too as they reduce need for man power, consume
less electricity and are fast, assuring higher productivity!
Another advantage of Nichrome’s innovative packaging solutions is that they are versatile and can
be used for other applications as well. Sugar
packaging, tea packaging,
whole spices, even detergents and pharmaceuticals can be packaged on these automatic filling machines.
When it comes to packaging
pharmaceutical powders such as ORS, nutraceutical powders, etc. in flexible
pouches or sachets, it is crucial that the packaging material delivers oxygen,
light, and moisture barriers that meet stringent requirements (including clear
high-barrier lamination). The sealant layers need to provide outstanding seal
strength and seal-through-contamination characteristics that hold, carry and
protect the contents of the pouch through the transportation and handling
process.
Heat-sealable
laminate or co-ex film is a preferred packaging material for many pharmaceutical
companies. And Nichrome’s Pharmaceutical
packaging machines are the chosen machines for speed, accuracy,
performance and return on investment.
Nichrome’s Sprint 250 Plus with Servo Auger and Excel Plus with Servo Auger are
VFFS machines that efficiently pack
free-flowing and granular pharmaceutical powders in pouch quantities up to 2 kg
and 10 kg respectively. Sprint 250 plus
with Servo Auger has a servo motor driven sealing system for effective sealing
pressure, and a perforation system to offer chain of pouches. It is a sturdy,
compact machine and can be easily integrated with upstream and downstream
equipment.
Nichrome HFFS Machines - T-110
The Excel Plus with Servo Auger has a pneumatic driven system for horizontal
sealing mechanism, motorized precise film reel unwinding mechanism and servo
motor driven bag length control system. Both machines have a compact footprint
and are designed as per stringent quality standards.
Allied optional equipment for both these sturdy pharmaceutical packaging machines include
dynamic check weather with tendency control facility, online digital metal
detection system, dust extraction system, PIP system and date/batch coding
devices.
A leading packaging
machine manufacturer, Nichrome also has other automatic packaging machines for the pharmaceutical sector – in
both VFFS and HFFS formats.
Nichrome also provides secondary
packaging solutions like baling machines for smoother processes and
enhanced efficiency in the packaging line.
Nichrome can also provide solutions tailored to
you specific needs. To know more, visit www.nichrome.com
