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Blister Packaging
Technology
Innovation and continuous improvement in blister packaging.
IMA Group offers a wide range of blister packaging technologies for the pharmaceutical industry designed to meet different production needs, from small-scale batches to ultra-high-speed outputs. Its pharma blister packaging machine portfolio can be supplied as stand-alone equipment or as part of fully integrated blister packing machine lines. Each blister packing machine is designed to process a broad variety of forming and lidding materials, from traditional structures to the latest monomaterial films. Modularity and flexibility are central to every blistering machine, enabling easy adaptation to different plant layouts and product formats, whether it is blister packaging for capsules or tablets of any shape and size. Alongside proven performance and in-depth technical expertise, IMA ensures long-term lifecycle support. Thanks to decades of experience and a strong focus on reliability, the company stands out as a trusted partner for complete, durable and highly adaptable blister pack machine solutions, as well as tailored custom pill blister packaging applications.
Ask us more information about IMA blister packaging solutions
Key benefits
Key benefits
Efficiency
IMA’s feeding systems are a cornerstone of our technology, specifically engineered to handle every type of product shape and packaging material found in blister packaging in the pharmaceutical industry. Thanks to decades of development and more than 9,000 feeding units installed worldwide, our systems consistently reach a pocket-filling efficiency of 99.9%, even at the highest speeds of each blistering machine.
Key benefits
Flexibility
No shape, size or composition is too complex. IMA’s custom-designed feeding systems, developed by the IMA Safe division, handle everything from sticky or fragile products to irregular or asymmetrical shapes. Whether it’s five different products in one blister, hazardous compounds requiring full containment, or unique arrangements like “on-edge” placement, our solutions are tailored to meet the most specific needs. This approach ensures efficient and precise custom pill blister packaging with no size limits and minimal operator intervention.
Key benefits
Speed range
From compact solutions like the TR135, delivering up to 230 blisters per minute, to high-output machines like the GIANT5, reaching 1,300 blisters per minute, IMA offers the widest speed range on the market for any blister packing machine. This diversity allows manufacturers to scale production efficiently, choosing the right pharma blister packaging machine for every phase of growth, without compromising on quality or flexibility.
Key benefits
Modular design
IMA blistering machine systems are built with modularity at their core, easily configurable as stand-alone units or integrated into complete blister pack machine lines. Flexible connection systems with cartoners or flowpack machines optimise output while ensuring adaptability to evolving packaging needs. When it comes to handling sensitive or hazardous products, we offer customised containment solutions to ensure safety and compliance.
Key benefits
Reliability
IMA Safe machines are built to perform — and to endure. With decades of expertise and premium components, our equipment offers long-term reliability and seamless integration of future technologies. From consultation to installation, training and upgrades, IMA provides 360° support to keep your line running at its best. Our original format parts, designed for each specific application, ensure maximum efficiency and fast installation, backed by expert assistance and proactive maintenance strategies.
Key benefits
PVC-free blister solutions
IMA enables the production of PVC-free blisters with the same efficiency, reliability and quality as traditional materials — supporting a smooth transition to greater sustainability in blister packaging in the pharmaceutical industry. This is achieved through extensive material testing, close collaboration with suppliers and machine designs that require only minimal adjustments. We also offer retrofitting solutions for existing equipment, making sustainability an easy upgrade, not a trade-off.
Ask us more information about IMA blister packaging solutions
PVC-free blister packaging
Same performance. Sustainable future.
The transition toward PVC-free blister packaging is accelerating across the pharmaceutical industry. Sustainability targets and regulatory developments are pushing manufacturers to adopt mono-material alternatives. IMA Safe addresses this transition with a clear mission: enabling customers to produce PVC-free blisters with the same reliability, productivity and quality standards associated with IMA blister lines running with traditional materials.
Pillars
Machines also designed for sustainable mono-material production
IMA Safe supplies blister machines that can be configured from the outset to process PVC‑free mono‑material substrates or engineered so customers can switch between PVC and alternative materials in the future. This ensures production continuity and protects long‑term investment.
Retrofit on installed equipment
Existing blister machines already installed at customer sites can be retrofitted to run PVC‑free materials. These retrofits adapt equipment to the different thermoforming and sealing behaviours of mono‑materials, allowing manufacturers to transition without replacing entire lines.
Minimal or no adaptation of standard equipment
Our experience processing PVC‑free materials on IMA Safe machines allows us to know how each substrate behaves in the actual forming and sealing process. Thanks to this machine‑level expertise, we can determine and minimise which parameter adjustments or fine-tuning may be necessary, if any.
Mono PP blister
Mono PE blister
Mono PET blister
Mono PVC-free alu blister
Mono paper blister
IMA’s integrated approach
Blister packaging transition cannot rely on machine adaptation alone, it requires a coordinated ecosystem. IMA has developed a structured ecosystem combining machine engineering, analytical capabilities and collaboration with suppliers and customers. Within this framework, the IMA OPENLab network plays a key role in connecting packaging materials, functionality and machine performance.
OPENLab
IMA OPENLab is the Group’s technological laboratory network dedicated to next-gen materials. Since 2017, more than 7,000 material samples have been analysed, generating a structured database that correlates thermo-mechanical properties and with performance during the form–fill–seal process. This database is not merely descriptive: it is a structured resource that provides a shared technical reference for the actors involved, supporting informed decision-making from the earliest development stages.
IMA Safe maintains a continuous and structured exchange with major producers of blister films. This collaboration has become a fundamental part of how our blister machines evolve and how we ensure reliable machinability for PVC‑free materials in real industrial conditions. Material producers frequently approach IMA Safe to test new films directly on blister machines, allowing us to assess forming, sealing and handling behaviour under true operating parameters. When these new materials are later released onto the market, their machinability conditions are often already validated on IMA equipment, significantly shortening development cycles and reducing uncertainty for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
IMA feeding systems are the result of 50 years’ experience in the blister packaging industry with more than 9,000 feeding units supplied worldwide for handling every kind of product shape and all packaging materials. IMA feeding systems reach the highest levels of pocket-filling efficiency, 99.9%, working at the highest speeds.
Blister feeding systems
Chute feeder
Roller feeder
Combifill
Box feeder
Sombrero
Highlights
Tailored to your product
Each solution is custom-engineered based on the specific characteristics of the product, from simple formats to complex geometries.
Highlights
GMP-compliant test room
Feeding systems are validated in our GMP-compliant test room, that replicates perfectly industrial conditions, such as temperature, humidity and other key parameters, to ensure optimal performance with your product.
Highlights
Tested to perform
No system is assembled into a blister machine until it proves 99.9% efficiency in the feeding area, our standard for quality and precision.
Highlights
Expert team, smart solutions
A large group of feeding specialists works on every project, combining deep expertise with innovative thinking to deliver optimal feeding performance even on complex configurations.
Blister Feeding System
IMA containment technologies in blister packaging
IMA Safe meets the most strict safety requirements in blister packaging with customised containment solutions, minimising operator exposure and the risk of contamination for your product.
Leading-edge in containment
IMA Safe offers the advantage of being able to capitalise upon the experience of the other IMA Pharma divisions, Solid Dose and Aseptic Processing & Freeze Drying Solutions, satisfying all requirements for containment of solid pharmaceutical products in blister packaging, with 100% in-house solutions. Containment reduces the exposure and therefore safeguards the health of technicians that work with highly active products (hormones, carcinogenic, etc.) and also improves the quality of the product by reducing the risk of contamination.
Highlights
100% in house solutions
We rely on our deep expertise in dealing with highly active products like hormones and carcinogenic active principles.
Highlights
Level of containment
Ability to reach the highest level of containment, OEL 5, for extremely toxic or extremely high pharmacological activity of the solid dose.
Highlights
Accessibility
Fully accessibility inside the cabinet achieved with glove systems integrated into controlled-access doors and full access guaranteed by our feeding systems like Sombrero.
Highlights
Low operator intervention
Operator interventions are reduced to a minimum thanks to the reliability of our feeding systems.
Highlights
Easy cleaning
Smooth surfaces and easy cleaning operations thanks to a round-shape design of the cabinet.
Highlights
Fully integrated
Complete integration and harmonisation between containment technology and blister machine.
