The disclosure relates to a thermoforming machine comprising a transverse cutting station. The transverse cutting station has a punching device for separating one or more film sections from a lower film and/or an upper film by means of a punching tool comprising a punch and a die. The punching device comprises a chamber configured to at least temporarily receive the film sections, and a suction device to convey the film sections out of the transverse cutting station. The suction device is fluidically connected to a compressed gas source.

A heat sealing machine and method form blister packages. A backing material web extends between a nesting tray assembly and a seal and cut tooling assembly and a blister tray is resident within a blister nest of the nesting tray assembly. The backing material web is clamped between a clamping gasket support shoulder of the nesting tray assembly and a clamping shoulder of the seal and cut tooling assembly, and between a sealing gasket support shoulder of the nesting tray assembly and a heat seal shoulder of a heater assembly. A knife of the seal and cut tooling assembly extends between the clamping gasket support shoulder and the sealing gasket support shoulder to cut a backing sheet from the backing material web that is heat sealed to an attachment surface of the blister tray to form the blister package.

A cleaner assembly for an apparatus for making pouch products includes a cleaner roller and a poker roller. The cleaner roller may counter rotate with a rotatable drum of the apparatus, in contact with an upper surface of a first elastic layer on the rotatable drum, and at a greater tangential speed than at least one surface of an outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum or an upper surface of the first elastic layer. The poker roller includes projections that are each configured to extend into one or more divots of the rotatable drum. The poker roller may counter rotate with the rotatable drum and at a same tangential speed as the at least one surface such that the projections extend into and out of separate, respective divots of the rotatable drum based on the counter rotation of the poker roller and the rotatable drum.

A cleaner assembly for an apparatus for making pouch products includes a cleaner roller and a poker roller. The cleaner roller may counter rotate with a rotatable drum of the apparatus, in contact with an upper surface of a first elastic layer on the rotatable drum, and at a greater tangential speed than at least one surface of an outer circumferential surface of the rotatable drum or an upper surface of the first elastic layer. The poker roller includes projections that are each configured to extend into one or more divots of the rotatable drum. The poker roller may counter rotate with the rotatable drum and at a same tangential speed as the at least one surface such that the projections extend into and out of separate, respective divots of the rotatable drum based on the counter rotation of the poker roller and the rotatable drum.

A blister packing machine includes: a conveyor that conveys a belt-like container film having a pocket portion forming area and an expected mounting part; a preheating device that preheats the container film conveyed by the conveyor; a pocket portion forming device that forms a pocket portion in the container film softened by the preheating device; and a tension applier that applies a tension along a width direction of the container film to at least the pocket portion forming area. The pocket portion forming device forms the pocket portion while the tension applier applies the tension to the container film, the container film has an edge area between an edge in the width direction and the expected mounting part, and the tension applier includes a projection that applies the tension to the container film by pressing the edge area to form a protruding portion in the container film.

A blister packing machine includes: a conveyor that conveys a belt-like container film having a pocket portion forming area and an expected mounting part; a preheating device that preheats the container film conveyed by the conveyor; a pocket portion forming device that forms a pocket portion in the container film softened by the preheating device; and a tension applier that applies a tension along a width direction of the container film to at least the pocket portion forming area. The pocket portion forming device forms the pocket portion while the tension applier applies the tension to the container film, the container film has an edge area between an edge in the width direction and the expected mounting part, and the tension applier includes a projection that applies the tension to the container film by pressing the edge area to form a protruding portion in the container film.

A blister packing machine includes: a conveyor that conveys a belt-like container film having a pocket portion forming area and an expected mounting part; a preheating device that preheats the container film conveyed by the conveyor; a pocket portion forming device that forms a pocket portion in the container film softened by the preheating device; and a tension applier that applies a tension along a width direction of the container film to at least the pocket portion forming area. The pocket portion forming device forms the pocket portion while the tension applier applies the tension to the container film, the container film has an edge area between an edge in the width direction and the expected mounting part, and the tension applier includes a projection that applies the tension to the container film by pressing the edge area to form a protruding portion in the container film.

A blister packing machine includes: a conveyor that conveys a belt-like container film having a pocket portion forming area and an expected mounting part; a preheating device that preheats the container film conveyed by the conveyor; a pocket portion forming device that forms a pocket portion in the container film softened by the preheating device; and a tension applier that applies a tension along a width direction of the container film to at least the pocket portion forming area. The pocket portion forming device forms the pocket portion while the tension applier applies the tension to the container film, the container film has an edge area between an edge in the width direction and the expected mounting part, and the tension applier includes a projection that applies the tension to the container film by pressing the edge area to form a protruding portion in the container film.

A blister assembly comprises at least one collapsible blister adapted, as it is collapsed, to eject a liquid contained therein. The blister assembly comprises a first layer (130) having at least one blister chamber (150) and a second layer (131) sealed to the first layer at least around a periphery of the at least one blister chamber such that a liquid is contained between the first layer and the second layer. The seal between the first and second layers comprises a first planar portion having a first peel strength and a second planar portion having a second peel strength, wherein the first peel strength is greater than the second peel strength, such that when pressure is applied to the blister, the second portion of the seal breaks to release the liquid contained within the chamber into the liquid inlet. The blister assembly further comprises at least one discontinuity (142) formed in the first and second layers in the region of the first portion of the seal, such that a shear force is required to delaminate the first and second layers in that region.

A packaging machine comprising a control unit, a plurality of measuring devices and a plurality of working units for different process. The control unit is functionally connected to the working units and to the measuring devices. The measuring devices may detect actual process values at the respective working units and forwarding these values to the control unit for monitoring the respective working units. The control unit may create a specific program sequence for each of the individual working units and/or a program sequence coordinated with respect to the working units, by comparing the actual process values from the respective measuring devices with associated target process values from a memory. The individual working units may function according to this program sequence, depending on the actual process values detected at these working units, and/or the working units are coordinated with one another based on the actual process values.