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Thermoforming is a plastic forming process that forms pockets or “blisters” in plastic film or sheet. PVC is one common material but other materials are used as well. Thermoforms are used to package everything from small pharmaceutical tablets, to syringes, food products, electronics, tools and more. It has many advantages over other forms of packaging: 

• It displays the product while protecting it
• It allows the customer to examine it from all sides.  
• Multiple products can be packaged for individual dispensing without exposing other products. Eg: blister packs of tablets 
• The package can be hermetically sealed 
• A modified atmosphere for better preservation can be provided. 
• The package can be physically sealed to provide a high level of tamper evidence 
• The material is compact taking up much less space than bottles or cans 
• Thermoform packaging can be produced semi-automatically at low speeds or fully automatically at high speeds with all options in between.  
• They can be hung for POP 

The thermoforming process can be done offline or inline. In both cases the forming process is the same.  

Offline thermoforming 

Offline thermoforming makes the thermoforms at another location, often at a converter specializing in thermoforming. The formed plastic shells are brought to the packaging line and the product is loaded. Once loaded, the package is closed or lidded.  

“Clamshells” are single piece thermoforms which incorporate both top and bottom in a single piece. Product is placed in the clamshell which is folded closed. Some clamshells incorporate buttons and recesses that allow the lid to be snapped closed. This gives the customer the ability to open and reclose the form as it is used. If additional security is desired, or a hermetic seal is desired, the two halves can be sealed closed by heat or sonic welding.  

A variation of this is to provide separate top and bottom pieces which are assembled and snapped or welded together. This allows different materials or different colors, for example a black bottom and clear top, to be used. As they are two separate components it increases the number of SKUs and thus complexity of inventory.  

Many thermoform packages have a paper, board, foil or plastic film lid or closure. These can also be produced offline. On the packaging line product is placed in the individual form, the closure placed on top and welded closed by the blister machine. 

A semi-automated blister machine such as this Alloyd rotary sealer are available that can pull the thermoform from a magazine, place it in a fixture, position it for loading either manually or automatically then place and seal the top seal.

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