The Marchesini MB451 is an automatic thermoformer to produce blisters in pvc/alu (or different materials on demand). The machine fills product of different shape into cavities (capsules, tablets, oblongs, etc.), seals them with aluminium based lidding material and discharges the packaged Blisters with your product.

Main Features

• The machine is divided into five sections, defined with particular attention to material and product to handle.
• Reel compartment holding forming material and splicing table.
• Preheating and cavities forming section on the web with feed at alternate movement.
• Feeding section with charging station of the product released into the yet opened cavities of the web. Continuous movement feed.
• Sealing, perforating, coding, and punching section.
• Drive housing and operating mechanisms and electric cabinet that opens.
• The Thermoformer works horizontally with forming, coding and cutting at intermittent motion, product feeding and sealing in continuous motion. In the machine design, cGMP norms have been followed and the machine is delivered with the CE mark.
• The working area is a balcony type layout. A stainless-steel panel divides the mechanical machine section, on the rear side, from the working area on the front (operator) side. All parts below the working area are designed with uniform and inclined surfaces to convey any possible residues to the floor.
• The section where the formed web flows has no area where dust or product residues could deposit, and cleaning is easy.
• Drive units and operating mechanisms are all enclosed in oil baths and there is no need of manual lubrication. The mechanic parts are subjected to a minor effort thus reducing also wear and tear as well as the ordinary maintenance. Higher machine efficiency due to less downtime.
• At a normal machine stop, the machine always holds in a position with preheating and sealing plates in open position to avoid film deformations for overheating, excluding emergency stops which perform an immediate halt.

Safety Guards

• Machine Safety protection according to norms with aluminium frame and panels in Methacrylat with safety micro switch to emergency stop the machine in case a door is open. They allow the maximum transparency for inspection and cleaning and full protection for the operator. Easy access resulting in better working conditions and better safety. Separating panel between product loading station and lidding/sealing area.

Reel Compartment for Forming Material

• Independent reel compartment, protected against dust or other environmental impurities, separated from front machine side, with doors that open on rear side to have easy access for film reel replacement. Film unwound controlled by a motor equipped with automatic stop at reel end and message to the operator on display.
• The reel compartment accepts just one of the two possibilities: 1 or 2 film reels:
• One Jumbo film reel with external diameter of max. 800 mm.
• Two film reels with external diameter between 400 and 600 mm.
• The selection (A or B) must be made at the moment of order placement. Once the machine is equipped with one kind of reel arrangements, for example (A) version, it is not possible anymore to switch to (B) version and vice versa.
• Manual splicing table for forming film with thermoformable adhesive tape. The film is kept in position on the flat surface by vacuum allowing an easy joint of film. Thanks to splicing safety to restart the machine a reset is mandatory.

Machine Base Extension (Option)

• Extension module of 800 mm. (31.5”) to place on machine board a second product feeder.

Preheating & Forming

• Preheating and Forming area is placed on the machine rear side, within a protected room. Noise or heat will not affect the operator. To exhaust the vapours outside the work environment it is necessary to fit proper devices attached through an outlet opening over the forming station. Composed of two plates to perform stepped plastic material pre-heating. Automatic opening of the preheating plates for forming film if the machine stops to avoid film overheating. Micrometrical positioning of the preheating plates.
• Self stroke adjustment without intervention from the operator, for a proper film positioning to form the cavities. Web feed at alternate motion, using pre-punches for the 90% and compressed air to complete the forming of blister cavity in plastic material.
• In case of ALU/ALU blisters forming is made with punches and matrix. Uniformity of film thickness around the forming die assures best sealing. Even stretching cavities, resulting in a better barrier to the outside agents.
• The moulding plate can easily be changed, without tools, by a self-locking system having one mounting position only.
• This station can be equipped to use also aluminium & aluminium by cold forming.
• Drum film transport. Film feed is made through a transport drum according to cutting size and at each size change it is necessary to replace the drum too. Quick drum change over without tools.

Product Feeding

• Fixed product pre-feeder, mounted within the machine frame, in stainless steel AISI 316L, equipped with a 35 dm³ (1.57 cu. feet) product capacity hopper, complete with lid and vibrating riddle to sieve the product removing powder and fragments. The riddle feeds the dedusted product into the charger which releases it into the cavities of the formed web that travels in continuous movement.
• This solution allows for maximum flexibility and efficiency in product loading. It allows the use of high speeds fixed feeders.
• The entire area from the Pre-feeder to the sealing station can be enclosed in a box made of Methacrylate and conditioned with treated air to keep it in overpressure with respect to the external environment (Option).
• A Wiping brush above cavity bed with connection for free dust aspiration assures that product is properly placed within the cavity.
• Before lidding material is applied, a feeding safety device stops the machine in phase, when a product protrudes the cavity, or, if a product lies on the bed outside a cavity to allow the operator to restore correct working conditions and restart the machine.

Sealing

• The machine is prearranged to fit on machine front side one reel holding lidding material having a maximum diameter of 300 mm.
• The platen Type sealing, in intermittent motion, makes a horizontal sliding movement following the web, which travels in continuous motion.
• Blister sealing achieved by specially treated plates, where dots permeate. This combines the three elements of a good seal: time, temperature, and pressure for Blister stability.
• The sealed web is cooled between cooling plates. In case of a machine stop, the upper sealing plate opens automatically to avoid damage to the product already packed.
• The system avoids improper rejects due to closure of the plates after stops.

Perforating, Coding, and Cutting

• Enclosed area for perforating, coding and cutting. Operations for perforating, coding, and cutting made on three different stations having the same drive.
• Station for cold Blister emboss coding, on one side of Blisters only, including one set of 100 types. Quick change over and great print flexibility, coding position adjustment on blister and perforation set up controlled by servo motor (type holder is supplied together with the ordered coding size parts).
• The cutting and coding dies work at a multiple speed of the forming and sealing stations through dedicated servo motors. Cutting operation made by a small, easy to replace cutter supplied with the machine.
• Ratio change of the cutting station to allow punching of single Blisters, in relationship with the number of Blisters contained in the pitch. New technologies allow working with zero waste on the stroke dimension gaining sensible savings on material.
• MB451 is equipped with waste guillotine device thus saving a lot of time for the changeover of the dedicated waste bin.
• Drum web transport to cutting station. Film feed is made through a transport drum according to cutting size. At each size change it is necessary to replace the drum too. Quick drum change over without tools.

Blister Discharge

• Four-arm rotating carousel for positive blister discharge on outfeed belt with controlled vacuum. Blister discharge conveyor can be placed on the front or on the rear side of the machine.
• Upon request, it is possible to supply a twin outfeed positive in line belt for connection to Robocombi. Blisters reject station, for incomplete or empty Blisters into dedicated bin at machine outfeed.

Quick Size Changeover

• Tool-free, quick and easy changeover of size parts, without adjustments on following groups:
• Forming – Loading plate and feeding – Sealing – Coding and Perforation – Pulling drums for forming, sealing and cutting.
• Parts have been designed to be mounted in correct position only without possibility of errors. For format changeover within areas where pieces replacement are not requested digital readouts are fitted for the control of the correct adjustment position. The change of some parameters such as pressure, temperature and speed are set from display.