Braille? Flawless and precise!

The AccuBraille feature in our new BOBST Expertfold 80 machine speeds up and enhances the precision of Braille packaging production.

In the pharmaceutical industry, packaging production must meet demanding standard, not only in terms of information, accuracy, and safety, but also quality and strict regulatory compliance.

In recent years, pharmaceutical clients, along with those from the cosmetics and dietary supplement industries, have become one of our fastest-growing customer segments. With the growing demand for packaging production, demands for efficiency and automation have increased.

The specific needs of the pharmaceutical sector were one of the main reasons POINT CZ invested in the new BOBST Expertfold 80 folder-gluer with an integrated AccuBraille module. This system brings a new level of inline Braille embossing to our production, fully compliant with the EN ISO 17351 standard.

What does inline embossing mean?

Inline processing means that Braille dots are embossed onto the packaging in a single machine pass, in real time—before folding and gluing. No additional operations or die-cutting steps are needed. This method significantly saves time and costs while ensuring safe usage of packaging for blind or visually impaired individuals.

Technical standard ČSN EN ISO 17351

This standard defines the requirements for the use of Braille on pharmaceutical packaging. It specifies, among other things, the height of the dots, methods for verifying legibility and measuring dot height, spacing, text readability, as well as recommendations for multilingual packaging, numbers, pictograms, and special characters. Compliance with this standard is mandatory for all pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers in the EU. Thanks to the AccuBraille module, POINT CZ guarantees that all Braille packaging we produce meets this standard in full.

Accuracy without compromise

AccuBraille is a patented unit that allows Braille to be applied to up to four panels of the packaging, supporting five lines of text and 20 characters per line, including numbers and symbols. The text is embossed directly in-line, without any interruption or the need to change the entire toolset—only the die needs replacing, while the counterplate remains universal.

How does the process work?

Based on the print data provided, we collaborate with the supplier to prepare a Braille die, which is then mounted onto the embossing shaft. The die presses against a counterplate containing all possible dot combinations. The mechanism works on the “die–counterplate” principle, similar to a stamp. The result is fast, precise, and repeatable embossing.

Strict inspection comes first

Every Braille-embossed package undergoes a rigorous quality check. Our process includes thorough inspection of the Braille embossing. We use visual inspection templates to verify the position, scope, and legibility of the Braille text. Each template is archived with the corresponding die to ensure traceability. During production, we also carry out random sampling and meticulously document all results.

Performance and flexibility of the Expertfold 80

The BOBST Expertfold 80 is a modular folder-gluer capable of speeds up to 450 m/min, making it ideal for demanding orders in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. It’s also equipped with the state-of-the-art AccuCheck module for integrated automatic inspection, detecting and removing defective pieces. This configuration delivers maximum productivity with near-zero error rates—crucial in these industries.

Technology for high-volume production

Our system is fully compatible with the BOBST Connect and SPHERE platforms, which enable remote monitoring, recipe management, and data flow. This allows us to offer clients a fully controlled process with the flexibility to adapt quickly, even for high-volume jobs.

What are BOBST Connect and SPHERE?

BOBST Connect is a cloud-based digital platform that integrates data from BOBST machines, simplifying production performance tracking, protocol management, quality control, and equipment usage, by job or shift, for production optimization.
SPHERE is a modern touchscreen interface integrated into BOBST Expertfold machines, enabling intuitive control, storage of up to 5,000 production recipes, and fast job changeovers without complex reconfiguration.

Looking for a packaging partner for pharmaceuticals or cosmetics?

POINT CZ is an experienced manufacturer of paper packaging. We’ll help you design and produce packaging that meets the strictest industry standards.

Contact our sales team—we’ll be happy to walk you through our production process.

Article authors: Marek Kraus (Project Manager), Tomáš Blažek (Director of the Medlov Production Plant), Markéta Švábová (Marketing Manager)