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LABELLING AND PACKAGING OF DOSAGE FORMS

STRIP PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY

Strip Packaging Introduction 

Strip packaging is an alternative form of pack for a unit dosage. It is a method of enclosing the article concerned between the 2 web of materials so that each is contained between separate compartment. The 2 web of material may not be necessary to be identical

PROCESS OF PACKAGING:

2 webs of materials being fed between 2 heated crimpling rollers, on which there are circumferential cavities of a size and depth appropriate to the shape, size and thickness of the articles being packed. The material to be packed is fed from a hopper through channels to drop between 2 webs where they meet between the crimping rolls and the cavities. There in the webs are then sealed together by the activation of the thermoplastic coating on their inner surface and pockets formed around the contents.

STRIP PACKAGING MACHINE: Strip packaging machines are widely demanded for

various packaging applications in pharmaceutical industry for tablets and capsules. These strip packaging machines are manufactured with high grade raw material by using latest technology. These strip packaging machines are available in various sizes and can also be customized as per the specifications

FEATURES: Changeable cutting arrangements Noiseless Trouble free operations Heavy duty electrically vibrating feeding system Easy change over of parts Sealing rolls with precise knurling  STRIP DESIGN: Strip designs are very basic, as the emerging units are

invariably rectangular or square strip. The pocket can be round, oval and square. The pocket area is critical to the diameter, shape and thickness of the product. If the pocket is too tight clearing, perforation of pocket or the wrinkling of the seal may occur. If the seal area is likely to wrinkle or cease then wider seals may be necessary. Generally seal width of 5mm and above is employed.

CHECKING OF SEAL: To check that the packaging material is not perforated

around the periphery of the pockets and the heat seals are efficient. Sample strips are taken at regular intervals and exposed them briefly, while immersed them in a water to vaccum of something around 680mb

MATERIAL USED: Materials employing foil provides the best, excellent,

protection provided and effective seal is achieved 2 plastic plies, each with a vaxxumised foil, when

laminated in direct contact with one another can give excellent barrier property.PET is very resistant to tear . Hence needs a tear feature .It also confers child resistant.

One of the most widely used material with excellent moisture protection is paper(40-45gms),extrusion coated(12gm/m²)

7-9 micrometer soft aluminium foil 

ADVANTAGES: The contents are individually protected Shelf life increases Strip of one or more items may be carried in pocket Child resistant The outer pack in the form of carton or box provides a larger

area for printing or graphic decoration

DISADVANTAGES: Strip packs occupies more space It is not usable by elderly and patients with arthetic fingers High cost variations among packaging of different number of

articles

LEAKAGE TESTING AND PACKAGE INTEGRITY:

1.Destructive type testing: This type of testing equipment is based on destruction of

seal by applying vacuum. These tests include vacuum tests under water and burst tests. Vacuum tests under water gives the following seal integrity test:

Dip the package under test in a pot containing colored

water(15-25 EC) and place the pot in the vacuum chamber.

Apply the appropriate vacuum of 33kPa(250mm of mercury)for strip packages or 24kPa(180mm of mercury)for blister packages , for 30s.Return to atmospheric pressure and remove the pot from the pot and blot off the excess water. Examine the package for ingress of water into the pockets.

2.NON-DESTRUCTIVE TYPE TESTING:

This type of equipment is usually based on a dry pressure vacuum procedure followed by detection of pack distortion (deflection) or non-distortion (non-deflection),i.e .packs with effective seals become concave them convex as positive pressure changes to negative pressure, while leaking packs either do not change or show less or limited distortion, depending on the scale of the leakage. The introduction of non-destructive tests should therefore not only improve output , but enable better feedback on machine performance. This also means that where seal integrity is lost or is suspect more effective corrective actions can be undertaken, including improvements in on-line controls.

PINHOLES AND PACKAGE INTEGRITY:

Pinholes is the common feature of aluminum foil. Pinholes normally refer to the minute holes, which may be present in foil. Usually the foil of 0.017mm caliper and above is recognized as commercially pinhole free. The foil with 0.025mm can normally be `guaranteed', pinhole free. Foil below 0.017mm gradually shows an increasing number of pinholes. However, it has been noted that the water vapor permeation(WVP)of foil of 0.006mm is lower than any nominal gauge of plastic when used in a heat sealing lamination. When foil is laminated or coated the initial pinholes tends to be `filled in’ thus reduces any permeation risk till further. Permeation is then related to the plastic, which covers the pinholes.

Conclusion: Hence , it is clear that, strip pack offers excellent

protection and superior than reclosable packs. In general, strips are produced at low cost than blister packs

Certain sophisticated machines offers high speed of strip packaging than blister machines

RECENT DEVELOPMENT: Now-a-days with a basic question of environment

friendly package, companies are using biodegradable materials. In this context, the Japanese have recently introduced silicon oxide coated PET over wraps. One newer material for cold forming used 2 thinner layers of soft foil separated by a polymer layer, while another has involved a double forming process

REFERENCES: http://www.slideshare.net/mepradeepchauhan/strip-packagin

g www.youtube.com http://www.diecraftmachines.com/special_accessories_text.ht

ml http://www.nutricaplabs.com/strip-packaging.aspx  PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY-U K JAIN,D C

GOUPALE,S NAYAK