Maruho Hatsujyo Innovations (MHI), the U.S. subsidiary of Maruho Co. Ltd, a Japanese healthcare company with subsidiaries in Europe and the U.S., has introduced a blister packaging machine specifically intended for stability testing and similar small-run applications. The Eagle-LP – short for “Lab Pack” is designed as a reliable, cost-effective solution for development stages, stability testing and initial small-batch production. 

The Eagle-LP addresses two challenges in early-stage blister packaging: affordability and floorspace. Many pharmaceuticals manufacturers have faced challenges finding blister units for stability testing, clinical trials and small-batch runs that aren’t onerously expensive and unnecessarily lengthy or bulky. The Eagle-LP measures just 1.8 meters in both length and height, and just .9 meters in width. 

Also, the Eagle-LP also is designed to accommodate a newer generation of more sustainable blister film substrates – ones that are typically more difficult to form and seal. The unit can accommodate PVC, PVDC, PET, ACLAR, ALU and PP.

The Eagle-LP can run up to 20 cycles per minute, with a blister format area of 110 X 60mm and a maximum blister depth of 20mm. It can handle forming materials up to 320mm in diameter, and lidding materials up to 220mm in diameter. The unit is capable of both thermoforming and cold foil forming.  

“Research and development teams need a blister machine designed with their needs in mind,” said Harry Yonenaga, President of the Medical Packaging Machinery Division for Maruho Hatsujyo Innovations, and a project leader for the Eagle-LP’s development. “Too often, they’ve been left choosing among a poor set of options, including purchasing large, expensive equipment or interrupting mass production machinery, which can limit a company’s overall output capacity. The Eagle-LP gives R&D the special considerations it deserves.”