Alu alu blister foil
Alu-Alu Blister Foil is a composite material specially designed for high-end packaging needs. It is mainly composed of two or more layers of aluminum foil laminated with polymer materials, offering excellent barrier properties and physical strength. As an ideal packaging material for pharmaceuticals, food, and electronic products, Alu-Alu blister foil provides comprehensive protection for its contents through its unique structural design.
Compared with traditional aluminum-plastic blister packaging, Alu-Alu blister foil exhibits superior barrier, sealing, and mechanical properties, making it especially suitable for products sensitive to humidity, light, and oxygen. With the rise of environmental awareness and advancements in packaging technology, Alu-Alu blister foil is gradually becoming a preferred material in the high-end packaging market.
Alu alu blister foil, also known as cold forming foil, is a high-performance packaging material widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to protect sensitive medications such as tablets, capsules, and dietary supplements. Unlike traditional thermoformed blister packaging using plastic cavities, alu alu packaging utilizes aluminum foil for both the cavity and the lidding, offering superior environmental protection.
Alu alu blister foil Structure and Composition
- Protective Layer / Printing Layer: Usually made of polyester (PET) or polyamide (PA) film, providing surface protection and a printing base, with a thickness of approximately 12-25μm.
- Adhesive Layer: Mainly composed of polyurethane or vinyl hot-melt adhesive, used to bond different layers of materials and ensure firm adhesion between layers, with a coating weight of about 1.5-3.0 g/m².
- Aluminum Foil Base Layer: The core layer of the blister foil, usually made of high-purity aluminum foil, with a thickness ranging from 16-60μm depending on the application, providing excellent barrier properties and mechanical strength.
- Peelable or Non-peelable Adhesive Layer: Determines the opening method of the blister (peelable or push-through), with a coating weight of about 2.0-5.0 g/m².
- Heat Seal Lacquer Layer: Located on the inner side of the blister foil, mainly composed of heat-sealable resins such as EVA or modified acrylic resin, with a thickness of about 3.0-8.0 g/m², ensuring good heat-sealing performance with the blister base material.
The specific structure may vary, with common configurations including:
- 25 µm OPA / 45–50 µm aluminum / 60–100 µm PVC
- 25 µm OPA / 45–50 µm aluminum / 6–8 GSM heat seal lacquer
This structure ensures deep draw forming capability and excellent barrier performance.
| Item | Description |
| Structure Type | Dual-layer aluminum foil composite structure |
| Outer Aluminum Foil | Alloy Type: 8021-O or 8079-O |
| Thickness Range: 0.04–0.075 mm | |
| Process: Cold forming | |
| Features: High ductility, good mechanical strength, formable into blister structure | |
| Inner Aluminum Foil | Alloy Type: 8011-H18 |
| Thickness Range: 0.02–0.025 mm | |
| Process: Heat sealing and direct contact with pharmaceuticals | |
| Features: High heat seal strength, good chemical stability | |
| Lamination Method | The outer aluminum foil forms the blister structure through vacuum thermoforming, and the inner aluminum foil serves as the lidding material, bonded via heat sealing technology |
| Sealing Treatment | Wider edge areas are reserved around the blister to ensure sealing integrity and barrier performance |
| Application Field | Pharmaceutical packaging, especially suitable for solid drugs (e.g., capsules, tablets) requiring high barrier, light protection, and puncture resistance |
Alu alu blister foil Specifications
- Thickness: typically from 140 µm to 160 µm
- Width: less than 700 mm
- Roll Diameter: 240 mm – 280 mm
- Core Inner Diameter: 76 mm or 152 mm
- Sealing: heat seal coating ensures firm sealing
- Heat Sealing Temperature: adjusted according to adhesive layer (e.g., VC coating), typically 120–180℃
- Barrier Performance: Water vapor transmission rate ≤0.1g/(m²·24h), oxygen transmission rate ≤0.5cm³/(m²·24h·0.1MPa)
Common Specifications and Dimensional Parameters of Alu-Alu Blister Foil
Alu-Alu Blister Foil Thickness Specifications
The thickness of Alu-Alu blister foil varies depending on the application scenario:
Aluminum Foil for Pharmaceutical Packaging
PTP Aluminum Foil (lidding): 0.016-0.025mm, commonly 0.02mm
Cold Forming Blister Foil: 0.045-0.06mm, commonly 0.05mm
Tropical Blister Foil: 0.04-0.075mm, commonly 0.05mm
Aluminum Foil for Food Packaging
General Food Packaging: 0.012-0.02mm
Semi-rigid Containers: 0.02-0.05mm
Aluminum Foil for Electronic Component Packaging
Electronic Component Blisters: 0.02-0.03mm, requiring both shielding and forming performance
Alu-Alu Blister Foil Width and Roll Specifications
The width of Alu-Alu blister foil is usually customized according to packaging equipment and product needs:
Standard Width Range:
Pharmaceutical Packaging: 100-600mm, commonly 200-400mm
Food Packaging: 200-1100mm, commonly 300-800mm
Electronic Component Packaging: 50-300mm, commonly 100-200mm
Custom Widths:
Minimum Width: As narrow as 20mm, for small product packaging
Maximum Width: Up to 1600mm, mainly for industrial or special use
Alu-Alu blister foil is usually supplied in roll form, with common roll specifications as follows:
Roll Core Inner Diameter: Common inner diameters are 75.0mm, 76.2mm, 150.0mm, 152.4mm, with special sizes customizable per customer requirements
Roll Outer Diameter: Small rolls 300-600mm, standard rolls 450-1200mm, large rolls up to 1600mm
Roll Length: Standard roll length is usually 2000-5000m, large rolls can exceed 10000m
Alu-Alu Blister Specifications Design
Blister specification design for Alu-Alu blister foil needs to consider product size, arrangement, and packaging efficiency:
Blister Size:
Small Blisters: Diameter 5-15mm, height 3-10mm, suitable for tablets, capsules, etc.
Medium Blisters: Diameter 15-30mm, height 10-20mm, suitable for small electronic components or food items
Large Blisters: Diameter 30-100mm, height 20-50mm, suitable for larger products or multi-piece packaging
Blister Arrangement:
Single Row: For strip-shaped products or unit-dose pharmaceuticals
Multiple Rows: Improves packaging efficiency, commonly 2×3, 3×4 arrangements
Blister Spacing:
Standard Spacing: 5-10mm to ensure sufficient sealing area between blisters
Special Design: Adjusted according to product characteristics, such as adding tear lines or separators
Alu-Alu Blister Foil Materials
Common Aluminum Alloys Used in Alu-Alu Blister Foil
The aluminum alloys commonly used in Alu-Alu blister foil include:
8011 Aluminum Alloy
8011 is the most commonly used aluminum foil material in pharmaceutical packaging. It belongs to the 8000 series aluminum alloys and contains Al-Fe-Si elements with a total alloying element content of over 1%. This alloy offers excellent moisture resistance, light-blocking ability, and extremely high barrier properties. It also has strong mechanical properties, high burst resistance, and superior puncture and tear resistance.
8021 Aluminum Alloy
Compared with 8011, 8021 aluminum alloy contains more alloying elements, especially copper content between 1.2-1.7%, which improves material strength and corrosion resistance. This alloy offers higher cup depth value and heat-seal strength, making it particularly suitable for deep-drawing or complex-forming blister packaging.
8079 Aluminum Alloy
8079 is a high-performance aluminum alloy characterized by high purity and low impurity content, offering excellent cold forming properties and surface quality, suitable for high-end pharmaceutical and food packaging.
Temper States of Alu-Alu Blister Foil and Their Impact
The temper state of aluminum alloy indicates its degree of work hardening and heat treatment, which has a decisive impact on the final material properties:
O Temper (Annealed State)
Fully annealed, offering the highest ductility and lowest strength, suitable for deep drawing or complex forming applications such as the base layer of cold-forming blister foil.
H18 Temper (Full Hard State)
Achieved through cold working, providing maximum hardness and strength, good rigidity, and puncture resistance. Commonly used in PTP (Press Through Packaging) aluminum foil as push-through blister lidding material.
H22 Temper (Half Hard State)
Partially annealed after work hardening, combining strength and ductility, suitable for applications requiring medium forming performance.
H14/H16 Temper
Indicates varying degrees of work hardening. The higher the number, the greater the hardness. Typically used where higher strength is needed with some formability.
The choice of temper state directly affects the processability and final performance of the blister foil. For example, O temper is commonly used for cold-forming foil to ensure optimal formability, while H18 is preferred for heat-sealed lidding foil to guarantee strength and puncture resistance.
Alu-Alu Blister Foil Properties
Barrier Properties
Water Vapor Transmission Rate:
WVTR < 0.1 g/m²/day
Oxygen Transmission Rate:
OTR < 0.1 cc/m²/day
Light Barrier:
100% blockage of UV and visible light
Odor Barrier: Prevents product from absorbing external odors or losing fragrance
Heat Seal Properties
Heat Seal Strength:
≥7.0N/15mm (PVC)
Heat Seal Temperature Range:
130-200℃
Heat Seal Time:
0.5-3 seconds
Seal Compatibility: Compatible with various materials and processes
Mechanical Properties
Tensile Strength:
8011-H18 ≥150MPa
Puncture Resistance:
≥3.0N
Tear Resistance:
≥5.0N
Formability:
Cup Depth ≥4.0mm
Environmental Properties
Recyclability:
100% recyclable material
Lightweight Design:
Thickness only 0.016-0.06mm
Hazardous Substance Restrictions: Compliant with RoHS, REACH, and other environmental regulations
Sustainability: Recyclability and bio-based materials are becoming trends
Alu alu blister foil Advantages
| Features | Description |
| Excellent Barrier Performance | Alu alu blister foil provides excellent barrier performance, effectively isolating moisture, oxygen, light, and other gases. This high-level protection makes it especially important for pharmaceutical packaging, particularly for sensitive drugs such as vitamins, vaccines, and biologics. By preventing external factors from affecting the drug, Alu alu blister foil helps maintain the stability of the medicine, ensuring its efficacy throughout its shelf life. |
| Tamper-Evidence | Alu alu blister foil features a robust design that effectively prevents tampering, ensuring the integrity of the product. Its structure is resistant to tearing and damage, and consumers can easily recognize if the packaging has been opened or tampered with by examining the packaging's appearance. This tamper-evident feature is crucial for ensuring drug quality and safety, especially in preventing illegal theft and counterfeit products. |
| Extended Shelf Life | The excellent barrier performance of Alu alu blister foil helps extend the shelf life of medications. Its efficient isolation of moisture, oxygen, and light reduces chemical and physical changes in the drug due to external environmental fluctuations. Whether in ambient or refrigerated conditions, Alu alu blister foil provides continuous protection, ensuring the drug retains its efficacy during long-term storage. |
| Sterility Safety | Alu alu blister foil is produced under controlled conditions to ensure the packaging material meets strict medical standards and sterility requirements. Through advanced production technology, Alu alu blister foil prevents external contamination, ensuring the sterility of the medication during the packaging process. This makes it an indispensable packaging material in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, particularly when drugs come into contact with human health, where safety and sterility are paramount. |
| Child Safety | Alu alu blister foil is designed with child safety in mind, requiring a considerable amount of force to open. This design effectively reduces the risk of children accidentally ingesting medications, making it an ideal choice for household medication packaging. By increasing the difficulty of opening, Alu alu blister foil offers additional safety protection for family medications. |
| Heat Stability | Alu alu blister foil possesses excellent heat stability, capable of withstanding temperature fluctuations that may occur during storage and transportation. Whether in extreme cold or high-temperature environments, Alu alu blister foil maintains its barrier performance and integrity, ensuring that medications remain undamaged in various climatic conditions. This makes it particularly suitable for global transportation and long-term storage requirements. |
| Customizability | Alu alu blister foil offers highly customizable options, with a width of up to 970mm, and can be printed and designed with anti-counterfeiting features according to customer requirements. This makes it not only functional but also capable of meeting brand marketing and product security needs. Through customized packaging designs, Alu alu blister foil helps brands create a unique appearance while enhancing consumer trust in the product's safety. |
Alu alu blister foil Applications
Pharmaceutical Packaging Applications
Pharmaceutical packaging is the primary application field for Alu-Alu blister foil, especially for medications with high packaging requirements:
General Pharmaceutical Packaging:
Blister packaging for solid dosage forms such as tablets and capsules, with Alu-Alu blister foil providing excellent protection and dosage control.
Prevents moisture absorption, oxidation, and light exposure, maintaining the stability and efficacy of the medication.
Unit-dose packaging design improves accuracy and convenience of medication use.
Special Pharmaceutical Packaging:
UV-sensitive medications: such as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, certain antibiotics, and biologics. The complete light-blocking capability of Alu-Alu blister foil offers optimal protection.
Highly hygroscopic medications: such as effervescent tablets and certain traditional Chinese medicine preparations. The high barrier performance of Alu-Alu blister foil effectively prevents moisture absorption and caking.
Oxygen-sensitive medications: such as certain cardiovascular and antitumor drugs. The total oxygen barrier of Alu-Alu blister foil prevents oxidation and degradation of the drug.
High-end Pharmaceutical Packaging:
Vaccines and biologics: require strictly controlled storage conditions, and Alu-Alu blister foil offers excellent protection.
Targeted drugs and sustained-release formulations: require maintenance of drug activity and stability, making Alu-Alu blister foil an ideal choice.
High-end specialty medications: such as anticancer drugs and immunosuppressants, which demand the highest level of packaging protection.
Special Design Requirements:
Child-resistant packaging: blister designs that require special opening methods to prevent accidental ingestion by children.
Elderly-friendly packaging: blister designs that are easy to open while maintaining good sealability.
Compliance reminder packaging: medication schedules printed on blisters to improve patient adherence.
Suitability factors of Alu-Alu blister foil in pharmaceutical packaging:
- UV-sensitive medications: highly suitable. Aluminum foil provides 100% light barrier, effectively preventing photochemical degradation. Studies show that light-sensitive drugs packaged in Alu-Alu blister foil can have a shelf life extended by 1.5–2 times compared to conventional packaging.
- Highly hygroscopic medications: highly suitable. The water vapor transmission rate of Alu-Alu blister foil is nearly zero, effectively blocking moisture from the environment to prevent caking and degradation. Its advantages are more prominent in high-humidity environments.
- Medications requiring heat and cold resistance: suitable. Alu-Alu blister foil has excellent temperature adaptability and maintains stable performance in a range from -40℃ to +80℃. Whether for refrigerated biologics or pharmaceuticals transported in high temperatures, Alu-Alu blister foil provides reliable protection.
Other Application Fields
Food Packaging Applications
Premium snacks such as chocolates and gourmet candies
Easily oxidized foods such as nuts and dried fruits
Moisture-sensitive products such as coffee and tea
Ready-to-eat and convenience food packaging
Infant food and health supplements packaging
Halal and Kosher food packaging
Electronic Product Packaging Applications
Packaging for precision electronic components such as integrated circuits and chips
Small electronic parts such as capacitors and resistors
Packaging for medical electronic devices and sensors
Shielding for equipment sensitive to electromagnetic interference
Packaging for precision instruments and optical components
Anti-static and moisture protection
Other Application Fields
Packaging for premium cosmetics such as creams and serums
Packaging for light-sensitive products such as sunscreens and lip balms
Packaging for precision mechanical parts and small tools
Packaging for specialty chemicals and lubricants
Luxury goods and high-end gift packaging
Packaging for important documents and certificates
As a high-performance packaging material, Alu-Alu blister foil is widely used in pharmaceuticals, food, electronics, and other fields due to its excellent barrier, heat-sealing, mechanical, and environmental properties. Its multi-layer composite structure and choice of aluminum alloy materials provide comprehensive protection for various types of products.
Advantages Over Alu-PVC Packaging
| Aspect | Alu-Alu Foil | Alu-PVC Foil |
| Barrier Performance | 100% protection against moisture/O₂ | Moderate barrier, prone to degradation |
| Visibility | Opaque (no visual inspection) | Transparent PVC allows product viewing |
| Cost | Higher due to aluminum content | Lower, using PVC as base material |
| Environmental Impact | Limited recyclability (multi-layer) | PVC is non-biodegradable but recyclable |
Alu alu blister foil Manufacturing Process
Alu alu foil is produced using a cold forming process, which is a room temperature process that presses laminated materials into molds without the need for heating. The key steps include:
- Lamination: Using adhesives to bond the OPA, aluminum, and PVC layers together.
- Printing: Printing optional branding or security information on the OPA layer.
- Curing and Cutting: Ensuring dimensional stability and preparing the roll stock.
Unlike thermoforming (used for Alu-PVC packaging), cold forming prevents material stress and maintains barrier integrity.
Alu alu blister foil Limitations
- Higher production cost: The use of aluminum and specialized cold forming equipment increases the cost.
- Recycling challenges: The multi-layer structure makes recycling more complex compared to single-material aluminum foil.
- Limited flexibility: Compared to thermoformed PVC, it has less adaptability to irregularly shaped products.
Alu alu blister foil is an indispensable material for highly sensitive drugs, offering unparalleled protection and meeting global safety standards. While Alu alu blister foil is more expensive than Alu-PVC blister foil, its barrier and tamper-evident features make it more suitable for critical healthcare applications.
Alu Alu Cold Forming Foil
Alu alu cold forming foil is a special aluminum foil used in blister packaging production, specifically designed to form seals that protect sensitive products (such as pharmaceuticals) from environmental factors.
Alu alu cold forming foil is specifically designed for cold-formed blisters. It is not heat-formed; instead, it is shaped under pressure, making it an ideal choice for sensitive medications. The aluminum foil provides robust protection without the need for high temperatures, making it particularly suitable for temperature-sensitive drugs.
Features:
- Cold Forming Process: Unlike traditional blister packaging that typically uses PVC or PET, cold forming foil is entirely made of aluminum, allowing for deeper and more complex shapes.
- No Plastic Layer: This foil does not require a plastic layer, enhancing its barrier performance.
- Outstanding Barrier Performance: Provides comprehensive protection against all environmental factors.
- Non-Reactive: Safe for direct contact with pharmaceuticals.
- Design Versatility: Customizable according to different blister designs and cavity depths.
Applications:
Mainly used for packaging solid dosage pharmaceuticals (tablets, capsules) that are sensitive to moisture and oxygen.
HC Aluminum Blister Packaging
HC Aluminum's aluminum blister packaging is widely used for pharmaceuticals, food, and consumer products. It provides a protective barrier to extend the product's shelf life.
Components:
Blister: Pre-formed cavities made from aluminum foil, typically used to hold products.
Seal Foil: A layer that seals the blister, providing an airtight and moisture barrier.
Advantages:
- Tamper-Evident: Aluminum foil offers visible tamper-proof features.
- Product Protection: Protects products from environmental factors such as light, moisture, and oxygen.
- Convenience: Easy to use and provides portion control for consumers.
