Before comparing machines, define whether output means cavities, product units, blister cards, cartons or saleable packs. A blister web may contain several cards per index, and each card may contain several cavities. Mixing those units can multiply the capacity forecast without changing the machine.
Step 1: define the counting unit
| Unit | Definition | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle or index | One repeated machine index or stroke under the stated format. | Mechanical rate and performance calculation. |
| Blister card | One cut finished blister pack. | Primary packaging output. |
| Product unit | One tablet, capsule, ampoule or other item loaded into a cavity. | Product reconciliation. |
| Good blister | A blister card accepted after defined inspection and rejection. | Usable primary-pack output. |
| Carton | One accepted carton containing the approved number of blisters and leaflets. | Integrated-line output. |
Step 2: calculate the ideal format rate
Ideal rate = Ideal cycles per minute × Blister cards per cycle
Ideal product units per minute
Ideal product rate = Ideal blister cards per minute × Product units per blister card
Use the approved format drawing to identify blister cards per index. Do not substitute cavities per card. The ideal cycle rate must apply to the same product, material, forming method, web width, index length, feeding method, inspection scope and downstream interface being evaluated.
Step 3: set the OEE time boundary
OEE is meaningful only when every team uses the same boundary. Define shift time, planned production time, scheduled stops, runtime, total count and good count before calculating a percentage. State whether breaks, planned cleaning, changeovers, trials and upstream or downstream starvation are inside or outside planned production time.
Availability = Run time ÷ Planned production time
Performance
Performance = Total blister cards ÷ (Run time × Ideal blister cards per minute)
Quality
Quality = Good blister cards ÷ Total blister cards
OEE
OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality
Use decimals in the multiplication. For example, enter 85% as 0.85. Performance above 100% usually indicates an incorrect ideal rate, count, runtime or unit definition and should be investigated rather than accepted as extra capacity.
Step 4: convert OEE into good output
Good output rate = Ideal blister cards per minute × OEE
Good blister cards per shift
Good shift output = Ideal rate × Planned production minutes × OEE
This gives good output across the defined planned-production boundary. If the commercial question is good output per full paid shift, use the full shift duration as a separate denominator and disclose that choice. Do not label the two results with the same name.
Blank calculation worksheet
| Input / result | Symbol | Your verified value | Unit or formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planned production time | PPT | ________ | minutes |
| Run time | RT | ________ | minutes |
| Ideal cycle rate for approved format | ICR | ________ | cycles/minute |
| Blister cards per cycle | BPC | ________ | cards/cycle |
| Total blister cards | TC | ________ | cards |
| Good blister cards | GC | ________ | cards |
| Ideal blister rate | IR | ________ | ICR × BPC |
| Availability | A | ________ | RT ÷ PPT |
| Performance | P | ________ | TC ÷ (RT × IR) |
| Quality | Q | ________ | GC ÷ TC |
| OEE | OEE | ________ | A × P × Q |
| Good scheduled output rate | GOR | ________ | IR × OEE |
Separate speed loss from downtime and rejects
| Loss | Examples | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Availability loss | Breakdown, waiting for authorized intervention, unplanned cleaning or material delay inside the chosen boundary | Run time is lower than planned production time. |
| Performance loss | Reduced cycle rate, micro-stops, feeding instability or repeated reset without a recorded stop | Total count is below the ideal count for runtime. |
| Quality loss | Empty cavities, forming defects, seal defects, coding rejects or rejected startup material included in the boundary | Good count is below total count. |
Use the blister machine troubleshooting guide when the loss record points to a recurring forming, feeding, sealing, registration or control-system symptom.
Calculate the integrated-line bottleneck
Convert every operation to the same accepted final unit and time basis. A blister machine, vision system, cartoner, checkweigher, case packer and manual replenishment process may each impose a different sustained limit.
Cartons/min = Good blister cards/min ÷ Blister cards/carton
Sustainable line rate
Line rate = Minimum sustained accepted rate of all required operations
The minimum function is only a first capacity screen. Buffer size, accumulation, synchronized stops, reject handling, replenishment and changeover overlap still affect the observed shift result.
Format variables that change sustained output
- Web width, index length and number of finished blister cards per index.
- Thermoforming or cold-form operation and the approved material structure.
- Cavity depth, draw geometry, heating and cooling demand.
- Product presentation and feeding reliability at the intended cycle rate.
- Seal dwell, temperature, pressure and tooling condition.
- Printing, registration, inspection, rejection and data-handling scope.
- Cartoner leaflet, carton, coding and blister-count configuration.
- Changeover duration, cleaning boundary, replenishment method and operator response.
What to verify during FAT and site ramp-up
- Approved product or justified test material, forming film, lidding and printed components.
- Format drawing, cards per cycle, product units per card and accepted final counting point.
- Planned duration, warm-up, replenishment, planned stops and excluded time.
- Raw event log for downtime, micro-stops, alarms, total count, rejects and good count.
- Acceptance criteria for output, defects, inspection, reject confirmation and recovery.
- Repeatability across the agreed test condition, not one short peak-speed observation.
Use the FAT checklist for blister packaging machines to agree the evidence before the test begins.
Procurement questions that prevent capacity errors
- Is the quoted rate cycles, blister cards, product units or accepted cartons per minute?
- Which exact format, material and product presentation produced that rate?
- Does the rate include feeding, inspection, coding, rejection and downstream transfer?
- What sustained test duration and stop classification will be used?
- Which party supplies production-representative materials and how much is required?
- Where is the final accepted count measured and how are rejects reconciled?
Compare the available blister packing machine configurations only after converting each proposal to the same format, boundary and accepted output unit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate blister cards per minute?
Multiply the verified cycle rate for the approved format by the number of finished blister cards produced per cycle. Use cards per index from the format drawing, not cavities per blister.
How does OEE convert catalog speed into good output?
Multiply the ideal blister-card rate by availability, performance and quality, using one documented time boundary and the same counting unit throughout.
Why can OEE performance exceed 100%?
The ideal rate, runtime or count is usually inconsistent. Check whether the actual format has more cards per cycle, whether stopped time was excluded from runtime, or whether product units were compared with blister cards.
Should changeover time be included in OEE?
It depends on the site’s defined planned-production boundary. The critical rule is to document the convention and apply it consistently when comparing lines, shifts or suppliers.
What determines real output on an integrated blister-cartoning line?
The slowest sustained required operation, together with buffers, synchronized stops, reject handling, replenishment and changeovers, determines accepted final output.
The formulas use standard availability, performance and quality relationships. Your organization should approve the time model, loss categories, ideal rate and counting convention before using the result for capital approval or contractual acceptance.
Request a format-based capacity review
Send the product, blister drawing, materials, target good output, shift pattern, inspection scope and downstream configuration. HIJ will identify the inputs required for a reproducible technical calculation.
Request Capacity Review
