Used Blister Packaging Machines and Thermoformers

A blister packaging machine forms cavities in a moving web of film or foil. It drops product into them and seals a lidding material over the top. Thermoforming machines heat plastic film and draw it into a forming die under vacuum or pressure. Cold forming machines press aluminum laminate into shape without heat, which gives a higher moisture and light barrier. Flat-bed and rotary sealers work differently. A pre-formed blister is loaded by hand or by denester. A printed card or foil goes over it, and a heated platen seals the two together.

Federal Equipment Company stocks used blister packaging machines and thermoformers as part of our primary and secondary packaging equipment inventory. Inline thermoforming and cold forming machines, semi-automatic bench-top units, carousel and shuttle sealers, deblistering and press-out stations, and blister leak testers are all represented. Maximum format areas range from 80 mm by 38 mm up to 320 mm by 260 mm. Manufacturers include Klockner, Uhlmann, Sepha, Zed Industries, IMA, Alloyd, and Pharmaworks. Most units are held at our Cleveland, OH facility and are available for inspection.

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Request Sourcing Help Tell us the format size, forming depth, and whether you need thermoform or cold form capability. We will look for it across our network.

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Browse our selection below and request a quote for more information regarding our Used Blister Packaging Machines and Thermoformers.

You can also view our full on-hand inventory across all categories.

Frequently asked questions about Used Blister Packaging Machines and Thermoformers

An inline blister machine runs as a sequence of stations along one web. The unwind stand feeds forming material from a reel. The forming station heats and draws the film, or cold-forms aluminum laminate against a chiller. A feeder drops tablets, capsules, or devices into the cavities, and a vision system checks that every pocket is filled. The sealing station bonds the lidding web. A printer or coder applies lot and expiry data, and a punching station cuts finished blisters from the web. Machines in our inventory have carried Aylward tablet and capsule feeders, Sea Vision, Laetus, and Visiotec inspection systems, and Gottscho, Hapa, Markem, and Greydon printers.

Forming method is usually the first specification that narrows the field. Thermoforming runs PVC, PVC/PVDC, PVC/PE/PVDC triplex, PP, PET, and PS film, and it is the lower-cost route for products that do not need a strong moisture barrier. Cold forming uses aluminum laminate and needs a chiller on the forming station. Cold-form machines in our inventory ship with Autotherm, Neslab, KKT Kraus, or matched OEM chiller units. Recorded thermoform depths range from 12 to 40 mm, and cold form depths from 9 to 20 mm. A deep cavity for a large capsule or a device tray rules out some machines outright.

Flat-bed sealers cover a different job. Carousel, shuttle, and rotary sealers seal pre-formed blisters to printed cards for consumer goods, hardware, diagnostics, and medical devices. Seal areas on record range from 10 inches by 10 inches on bench-top presses up to 24 inches by 38 inches on large shuttle units. Card sizes reach 14 inches by 18 inches on carousel machines. Zed Industries 15-series shuttle and rotary sealers are the machines we see most often in this group, alongside Alloyd carousel sealers.

The class also holds the equipment that runs alongside a blister line. Deblistering and press-out stations from Sepha and Gemel recover product from rejected or expired packs. Formats range from 30 mm by 50 mm up to 120 mm by 145 mm, at rates up to 4,800 packs per hour. Blister leak detectors and pack test machines verify seal integrity without destroying the sample. Web-fed thermoform-fill-seal machines from Multivac and Tiromat appear here as well, and they suit medical device trays and food packs rather than tablet blisters.

Model series recur in this category across decades. Uhlmann UPS machines, including UPS3, UPS4, UPS300, and UPS 1040 variants, are the most frequently seen family in our records. Klockner EAS and CP machines, both under the Klockner Medipak name, follow close behind. Federal Equipment Company inspects equipment at intake and records forming and sealing station condition, tooling and change parts on hand, drive and control function, and chiller condition. Refurbishment and testing can be arranged before shipment for added assurance.

Applications & Industries

  • Pharmaceutical manufacturing: tablet, capsule, and lozenge packaging in tamper-evident unit-dose blisters, the core application across solid dosage operations
  • Clinical trial and pilot packaging: bench-top and semi-automatic machines for short runs, stability samples, and comparator packaging during development
  • Medical device and diagnostics packaging: syringes, cartridges, test kits, and instrument trays sealed to printed card or foil lidding
  • Hospital and pharmacy unit dose: unit-dose packaging machines and press-out stations for repackaging operations
  • Consumer goods and hardware: carded blister and skin packs for tools, batteries, fasteners, and small retail items, run on carousel and shuttle sealers
  • Food and confectionery: gum, mints, lozenges, and portion packs, plus web-fed thermoform-fill-seal for tray packs
  • Contract packaging: flexible-format machines that change over between products and pack styles for multiple clients

Specifications & Configurations

Specification Range in our inventory
Maximum format area 80 mm x 38 mm to 320 mm x 260 mm
Thermoform depth 12 to 40 mm
Cold form depth 9 to 20 mm
Web and film width 65 to 360 mm
Film thickness 0.01 to 0.5 mm
Output, inline machines 100 to 350 blisters per minute
Cycle rate 2 to 90 cycles per minute
Seal area, flat-bed sealers 10 in. x 10 in. to 24 in. x 38 in.
Maximum reel diameter up to 400 mm, on 76 mm and 3 in. cores
Power 110 to 480 volt, single-phase and three-phase

Forming material. Thermoforming machines run PVC, PVC/PVDC, PVC/PE/PVDC triplex, PP, PET, and PS film. Cold forming machines run aluminum laminate. Lidding is push-through aluminum foil or peelable paper, and carded formats use printed board.

Configurations. Inline continuous machines, intermittent-motion machines, bench-top semi-automatic units, carousel sealers, shuttle sealers, rotary sealers, and web-fed thermoform-fill-seal machines are all represented. Several inline machines are offered with a matched cartoner, bundler, checkweigher, or case packer already integrated.

Options seen on stocked machines. Cold-form chillers, tablet and capsule feeders, robotic and manual loading stations, vision and inspection systems, foil and platen printers, date coders, nitrogen flushing, reject stations, and scrap rewind.

Why Buy Used

A new inline blister line is a build-to-order machine, with lead times measured in months once tooling and format parts are added. A machine already on the floor can ship in weeks. That gap matters most on a product launch or a capacity increase tied to a fixed date.

Used blister machines sell for a fraction of comparable new equipment. The spread is widest on semi-automatic and bench-top units, where a new build still carries a full engineering charge against a small machine.

Blister machines are mechanically durable, and the wear points are predictable. They are the forming and sealing plates, the heating elements, the index drive, the feeder, and the chiller circuit on cold-form machines. Tooling is the item to check closely, because format and sealing tooling is product-specific and often costs more than the frame it sits in. Ask what change parts ship with a machine before comparing two of them on price. Inspection reports covering these points are available, and refurbishment and testing can be arranged upon request.

Frequently Asked Questions About Used Blister Packaging Machines & Sealers

Do you have questions about used blister packaging machines or used blister thermoforming machines? Below are answers to common inquiries about functionality, applications, and purchasing options for pharmaceutical packaging equipment.

What are used blister packaging machines used for?

Used blister packaging machines are primarily used in pharmaceutical production to seal tablets or capsules into pre-formed cavities using heat or cold-forming techniques. These machines improve product shelf life, safety, and dosing accuracy.

What’s the difference between blister and thermoforming machines?

Thermoforming machines form plastic or laminate packaging material into cavities using heat and pressure, while blister machines often combine forming, loading, and sealing steps in a compact format. Many modern systems perform both functions.

Can I find equipment for a clinical trial or pilot production?

Absolutely. We stock both production-scale machines and smaller units ideal for R&D, clinical trial packaging, or limited batch runs.

How do I request a quote or make an offer?

Each listing includes “Request a Quote” and “Make an Offer” buttons. Submit your information and a member of our sales team will contact you to discuss pricing and availability.

Do you carry equipment from specific OEMs?

Yes. We regularly stock models from Uhlmann, IMA, Bosch, Marchesini, Klockner, and other top-tier packaging manufacturers. If you’re looking for a specific machine, let us know and we’ll help you find it.