Stripfoil Tape
At the core of the Stripfoil process is the system’s use of a highly specialized adhesive tape. This has the primary function of stripping the aluminium lidding foil from around each pocket on the underside of the blister. Hence the Stripfoil name.
It also performs the unique function of drawing each blister in close sequence from the magazine stack, dispensing with the need for any electro-mechanical parts in the feeder design. This simple, elegant feature removes the potential for technical problems and component failure at this station of the machine.
In order to help optimize tape use, the material is produced in three standard widths – 60mm, 85mm and 120mm. All rolls are 500m in length.
Part of the training protocol concentrates on reducing the amount of ‘waste’ tape, i.e that area of the surface not covered by the blister strip. The choice of tape width, combined with the longitudinal or lateral presentation of the blister is important to achieve the most economical results.
During 2010 this process will benefit from the introduction of the ‘Twin-Track’ feeder option, which offers the facility of running blisters in parallel on the same tape.
The dimensions of the blister are 40mm wide and 90mm long. Each blister strip contains 10 tablets.
By running two blisters longitudinally in parallel using the 'TwinTrack' feeder, the waste tape width is an acceptable 5mm (6%).
At speed setting 6 the process throughput will be in excess of 120 blisters (1200 tablets) per minute
At volume tape price, a single 500m roll will process a maximum 11,000 blisters at a cost of less than 1 eurocent per blister
Stripfoil tape is obtained directly from Pharma Engineering Ltd. or through one of its approved distributors
