Greater material variety for all-paperboard blister packaging

Karl Knauer and IWK process four paperboard grades on a single blister packaging system

Fiber-based blister packaging is intended to replace conventional plastic solutions, but it must also be suitable for reliable, high-speed industrial processing. Black Forest-based packaging specialist Karl Knauer KG and IWK Verpackungstechnik GmbH have jointly developed an all-paperboard blister packaging solution that combines different paperboard grades with a reliable production process. In addition to virgin fiber and recycled paperboard, the CABLIblue 870 paperboard blister packaging system can also process grass and silphium paperboard.

Industrial processing of alternative fiber materials

Due to their distinctive fiber structures and material properties, it was initially unclear whether grass and silphium paperboard could be used for card-to-card blister packaging with the same stability and process reliability as established paperboard grades. Karl Knauer developed and manufactured blister cards and blister covers from four different paperboard grades. IWK adapted the processing parameters of the CABLIblue 870 to the respective materials. Joint trials demonstrated that all four paperboard grades can be processed into card-to-card blister packaging on an industrial scale.

"Drawing on our experience with different paperboard materials, we selected four grades that we considered suitable for all-paperboard blister packaging. The fact that grass and silphium paperboard can also be processed on an industrial scale, alongside virgin fiber and recycled paperboard, expands our options for developing custom packaging solutions," says Dominik Pfaff, Senior Key Account Manager at Karl Knauer.

Material variety combined with high production performance 

In the samples developed, the blister cover and blister card are each made from the same paperboard grade. Combinations of different paperboard grades within a single package were also successfully tested. This allows materials to be selected and combined according to their properties and the requirements of the specific application.

Processing takes place on the CABLIblue 870 paperboard blister packaging system. Operating at up to 22 cycles per minute and, depending on the configuration, producing up to twelve blister packages per cycle, the system achieves an output of up to 264 all-paperboard blister packages per minute.

"Grass and silphium paperboard differ from established paperboard grades in their material properties and therefore place particular demands on the production process. Our joint trials demonstrated that both materials can be processed reliably on the CABLIblue 870 on an industrial scale," explains Wolfgang Konrad, Vice President Marketing and Communication at IWK Verpackungstechnik GmbH.

For suitable applications, the solution offers a fiber-based alternative to conventional plastic blister packaging. Potential applications range from cosmetics, oral care, and pharmaceuticals to home and industrial products and other non-food segments. Karl Knauer develops the packaging structure, material selection, and design to meet the specific requirements of each customer's product and production process.