Method for laser drilling syringe bores to remove tungsten contamination

Abstract

An embodiment of a method for forming a syringe barrel is provided. In the method, a bore is drilled through the tip of the syringe barrel using a first laser to provide fluid communication with an internal cavity of the syringe barrel. The internal cavity is defined by a tubular wall of the syringe barrel. The surface of the bore is treated using a second laser to remelt the surface of the bore. The tubular wall and the tip are made of a glass material. Advantageously, forming the bore of the syringe barrel using laser drilling and treatment avoids tungsten contamination.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 428,936, filed November 30, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to glass syringes, and more particularly to glass syringes that are free of tungsten contamination.

[0003] Syringes with glass barrels are advantageous for use in certain applications, such as when high precision and high gas barrier properties are required. However, traditional methods for forming glass syringe barrels involve the use of tungsten pins to create bores at the tips. The use of tungsten in the syringe barrel formation process leads to tungsten contamination, which can cause aggregation and particle formation in protein solutions. Various attempts have been made to address tungsten contamination, including cleaning steps to remove residual tungsten and replacing tungsten tips with other metals or ceramics. Cleaning typically does not remove all of the residue, leaving the possibility of undesirable reactions with the remaining tungsten. Tips made of other metals can lead to different forms of contamination, and ceramic tips are too brittle for use in small-diameter bores. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to aspect (1), a method is provided, the method including: drilling a bore through a tip of a syringe barrel with a first laser to provide fluid communication with an interior cavity of the syringe barrel, the interior cavity being defined by a tubular wall of the syringe barrel; and treating a surface of the bore with a second laser to remelt a surface of the bore, the tubular wall and the tip comprising a glass material.

[0005] According to aspect (2), there is provided the method of aspect (1), wherein the first laser operates at a first wavelength and the second laser operates at a second wavelength, and the first wavelength is different from the second wavelength.

[0006] According to an embodiment (3), there is provided the method according to the embodiment (2), wherein the first wavelength is 1200 nm or less.

[0007] According to an aspect (4), there is provided the method according to aspect (3), wherein the first wavelength is in the ultraviolet or visible range.

[0008] According to an embodiment (5), there is provided the method according to the embodiment (4), wherein the first wavelength is 266 nm, 355 nm, or 532 nm.

[0009] According to aspect (6), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (1) to (5), wherein drilling the bore further comprises pulsing the first laser with a pulse of 25 nanoseconds or less.

[0010] According to an embodiment (7), there is provided the method according to any one of embodiments (2) to (6), wherein the second laser is a CO 2 laser.

[0011] According to an embodiment (8), there is provided the method according to the embodiment (7), wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 9200 nm to 10600 nm.

[0012] According to an embodiment (9), there is provided the method of any one of embodiments (2) to (6), wherein the second laser is a CO laser.

[0013] According to an aspect (10), there is provided the method according to the aspect (9), wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 5200 nm to 6000 nm.

[0014] According to an embodiment (11), there is provided the method of any one of embodiments (1) to (10), wherein treating the surface of the bore includes pulsating the second laser.

[0015] According to an embodiment (12), there is provided the method according to any one of embodiments (1) to (10), wherein the second laser is a continuous wave laser.

[0016] According to aspect (13), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (1) to (12), wherein drilling the bore further includes tapering the bore from a first diameter at a first end of the tip to a second diameter at a first depth of the tip, the second diameter being smaller than the first diameter.

[0017] According to aspect (14), the method of aspect (13) is provided, wherein drilling the bore further includes tapering the bore from a second diameter at the second depth of the tip to a third diameter at the second end of the tip, the third diameter being larger than the second diameter.

[0018] According to an aspect (15), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (1) to (12), wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, and the ratio of the length to the diameter is 15:1 to 20:1.

[0019] According to an embodiment (16), there is provided the method according to the embodiment (15), wherein the diameter is 2 mm or less.

[0020] According to an aspect (17), there is provided the method according to aspect (15) or (16), wherein the length is in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm.

[0021] According to an embodiment (18), there is provided the method according to any one of embodiments (1) to (17), wherein drilling the bore is performed at room temperature.

[0022] According to an aspect (19), there is provided the method according to any one of aspects (1) to (17), wherein drilling the bore is carried out at a temperature 20° C. or less than the annealing temperature of the glass material.

[0023] According to an aspect (20), there is provided the method according to aspect (19), wherein the temperature is below the softening point of the glass material.

[0024] According to aspect (21), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (1) to (20), wherein before drilling the bore, the method further comprises pressing the tubular wall to reduce the diameter of the tubular wall to form a tip.

[0025] According to aspect (22), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (1) to (21), wherein drilling the bore further includes drilling multiple other bores in multiple other syringe barrels in parallel with the bore of the syringe barrel using multiple other first lasers or by splitting the beam of a single first laser.

[0026] According to aspect (23), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (1) to (22), wherein treating the surface of the bore further comprises treating multiple other surfaces of multiple other bores in parallel with the surface of the bore using multiple other second lasers or by splitting the beam of a single second laser.

[0027] According to aspect (24), there is provided a syringe barrel comprising: a tubular wall defining an internal cavity; and a tip comprising a first end, a second end, and a bore extending from the first end to the second end, the bore being in fluid communication with the internal cavity, wherein the tubular wall and the tip comprise a glass material, and the bore comprises a surface region that is substantially free of tungsten.

[0028] According to an aspect (25), there is provided the syringe barrel according to aspect (24), wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, and the ratio of the length to the diameter is 15:1 to 20:1.

[0029] According to an aspect (26), there is provided the syringe barrel according to the aspect (25), which has a length in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm.

[0030] According to an aspect (27), there is provided the syringe barrel according to aspect (25) or (26), wherein the diameter is 2 mm or less.

[0031] According to an aspect (28), there is provided the syringe barrel according to the aspect (27), wherein the diameter is within a range of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0032] According to aspect (29), there is provided a syringe barrel according to any one of aspects (24) to (28), wherein the bore includes a first tapered region whose diameter decreases from the first end of the tip to the first depth.

[0033] According to aspect (30), there is provided the syringe barrel of any one of aspects (24) to (29), wherein the bore includes a second tapered region that increases in diameter from the second depth of the tip to the second end of the tip.

[0034] According to an aspect (31), there is provided the syringe barrel according to any one of aspects (24) to (30), wherein the glass material is an aluminosilicate glass or a borosilicate glass.

[0035] According to an aspect (32), there is provided the syringe barrel according to any one of aspects (24) to (31), wherein the syringe barrel complies with ISO11040-4:2015.

[0036] According to aspect (33), there is provided a method of forming a syringe barrel, the method including: forcing a tube of glass material between a first former and a second former to form a tip, drilling a bore through the tip with a first laser producing a first beam having a first wavelength, and treating a surface of the bore with a second laser, the second laser producing a second beam having a second wavelength, the second wavelength different from the first wavelength.

[0037] According to an aspect (34), there is provided the method according to aspect (33), wherein the first wavelength is 1200 nm or less.

[0038] According to an embodiment (35), there is provided the method according to the embodiment (33) or (34), wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 5200 nm to 6000 nm or 9200 nm to 10600 nm.

[0039] According to aspect (36), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (33) to (35), wherein the drilling comprises pulsing the first laser with a pulse of 25 nanoseconds or less.

[0040] According to an embodiment (37), there is provided the method of any one of embodiments (33) to (36), wherein the treating comprises pulsing the second laser with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less.

[0041] According to an embodiment (38), there is provided the method of any one of embodiments (33) to (37), wherein the drilling is performed at a temperature below the softening point of the glass material.

[0042] According to an aspect (39), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (33) to (38), wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, and the ratio of the length to the diameter is between 15:1 and 20:1.

[0043] According to aspect (40), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (33) to (39), wherein during drilling, the first beam is directed through a beam scanner that varies the angle at which the first beam contacts the tip.

[0044] According to aspect (41), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (33) to (40), wherein during processing, the second beam is directed through a beam scanner that varies the angle at which the second beam contacts the surface of the bore.

[0045] According to aspect (42), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (33) to (41), further comprising splitting the first beam during drilling so that multiple bores at multiple tips are drilled in parallel.

[0046] According to aspect (43), there is provided a method according to any one of aspects (33) to (42), further comprising splitting the second beam during processing so that multiple surfaces of multiple bores are processed in parallel.

[0047] According to aspect (44), there is provided the method of any one of aspects (33) to (43), wherein treating the surface of the bore further comprises remelting the glass material to a depth of 100 μm.

[0048] Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the following detailed description, and in part will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description, or may be learned by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the following detailed description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings.

[0049] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claims.

[0050] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operation of the various embodiments. The drawings are as follows: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0051] [Figure 1] 1 depicts a syringe barrel according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 depicts a detailed view of the tip of the syringe barrel shown in FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 depicts a flow diagram of a method for forming a syringe barrel, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 depicts a station for forming bores in multiple syringe barrels in parallel, according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for laser drilling a bore through the tip of a syringe barrel, and a tungsten-contamination-free syringe barrel produced according to the disclosed method. As described more fully below, the disclosed method includes using a first laser to laser drill a bore through the tip of a syringe barrel, followed by treating the bore with a second laser to remove defects and debris on the surface of the bore. In conventional methods of forming a bore at the tip of a syringe barrel, a glass tube is compressed around a tungsten pin, and contact between the tungsten and the glass creates contamination that can undesirably affect the contents of the syringe. In the disclosed forming method, no tungsten components are used, so tungsten contamination is avoided. These and other aspects and advantages of the disclosed syringe barrel and method of forming the same are described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These exemplary embodiments are offered by way of example and not by way of limitation.

[0053] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a syringe barrel 10. The syringe barrel includes a tubular wall 12 that defines an interior cavity 14. The syringe barrel 10 has a tip 16 at one end and a flange 18 at the other end. The syringe barrel 10, including the tubular wall 12, tip 16, and flange 18, is made of a glass material, such as an aluminosilicate glass. Other glass materials, such as borosilicate glass, can also be used for the syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, the syringe barrel 10 can be mated with a needle (not shown) inserted into the tip 16 and bonded in place, and a plunger (not shown) inserted into the interior cavity 14 from the flange 18 end of the syringe barrel 10 to control the dispensing of a fluid contained in the syringe barrel 10.

[0054] FIG. 2 depicts a detailed view of the tip 16 of the syringe barrel 10. The tip 16 has a first end 20, a second end 22, and a bore 24 extending from the first end 20 to the second end 22. The bore 24 is in fluid communication with the interior cavity 14. Additionally, as discussed more fully below, the bore 24 has a surface region 26 that is substantially free of tungsten. In one or more embodiments, the surface region 26 of the bore 24 includes not only the surface of the bore 24 but also glass material to a depth of 5 μm, 10 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 50 μm, or 100 μm. In one or more embodiments, the entire tip 16 is substantially free of tungsten, and in one or more embodiments, the entire syringe barrel 10 is substantially free of tungsten. As used herein, "substantially free" means that there is no tungsten contamination on the surfaces of the bore 24, tip 16, or syringe barrel 10, respectively, and that the glass material of the syringe barrel 10 contains no more than impurity amounts of tungsten, if any (e.g., 0.5 mol % or less, 0.05 mol % or less, or 0.005 mol % or less).

[0055] In one or more embodiments, the bore 24 includes a first tapered region 28 having a first diameter D1 decreasing from the first end 20 of the tip 16 to a first depth d1. In one or more embodiments, the bore 24 includes a second tapered region 30 having a second diameter D2 increasing from a second depth d2 of the tip to the second end 22 of the tip 16. In one or more embodiments, the bore 24 has a central region 32 between the first tapered region 28 and the second tapered region 30 that extends from the first depth d1 to the second depth d2. The central region 32 of the bore 24 has a third diameter D3 that is substantially constant.

[0056] In one or more embodiments, first tapered region 28 has a surface that forms a first angle of up to 15°, up to 30°, or up to 45° with respect to longitudinal axis 34 of syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, second tapered region 30 has a surface that forms a second angle of up to 15°, up to 30°, or up to 45° with respect to longitudinal axis 34 of syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, the first angle of first tapered region 28 is the same as the second angle of second tapered region 30. In one or more embodiments, including the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, the first angle of first tapered region 28 is different from the second angle of second tapered region 30.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the syringe barrel 10 complies with ISO 11040-4:2015. This standard establishes the overall length of the syringe barrel 10, the thickness of the tubular wall 12, the length of the tubular wall 12, the outer diameter of the tubular wall 12, and the inner diameter of the internal cavity 14 based on the nominal volume of the syringe barrel 10. The length L and third diameter D3 of the bore 24 can be set by customer specifications. In one or more embodiments, the ratio of the length L to the third diameter D3 is 15:1 to 20:1. In one or more embodiments, the length L is in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm. In one or more embodiments, the third diameter D3 is 2 mm or less, particularly in the range of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. In one or more embodiments, the third diameter D3 has an accuracy of ±0.050 mm.

[0058] 3 depicts a flow diagram of a method 100 for forming a syringe barrel 10 such that the bore 24 is substantially free of tungsten contamination. In a first step 110 of the method 100, an end of a glass tube 112 is forced between a first former 114 and a second former 116 to reduce the diameter of the tube 112 and form the tip 16, while the remaining portion of the tube 112 forms the tubular wall 12 of the syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, the tube 112 of glass material is continuously extruded and cut into sections for forming between the formers 114, 116.

[0059] In conventional syringe forming methods, a tungsten pin is inserted into the tip at the same time that the former presses against the exterior surface of the glass tube to form the bore. However, contact between the tungsten and the glass leads to tungsten contamination of the glass after the tungsten pin is removed. According to the present disclosure, the bore 24 is not formed at the same time as the tip 16.

[0060] Instead, in a second step 120, a bore 24 is drilled through the tip 16 of the syringe barrel 10 using a first laser 122 to provide fluid communication with the interior cavity 14 of the syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, the bore 24 is drilled at room temperature. In one or more other embodiments, the bore 24 is drilled at an elevated temperature. In one or more embodiments, the elevated temperature is below the softening point of the glass material. In one or more embodiments, drilling the bore 24 is performed at a temperature at or below the annealing temperature of the glass material. Furthermore, although the term “drilling” is used herein to describe the process of forming the bore 24 using the first laser 122, the specific mechanism of removal may be more accurately described as ablation. As material is ablated from the bore 24 being formed, the focal point of the first laser 122 is scanned and translated deeper into the tip 16.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, the first laser 122 operates at a first wavelength. In one or more embodiments, the first wavelength is 1200 nm or less. In one or more embodiments, the first wavelength is in the ultraviolet or visible range. In one or more embodiments, the first wavelength is about 266 nm, about 355 nm, or about 532 nm.

[0062] In one or more embodiments, the first laser 122 is pulsed. In one or more embodiments, the first laser 122 is pulsed with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less, preferably 1 nanosecond or less. In one or more embodiments, the first laser 122 is a continuous wave laser.

[0063] As discussed above, the bore 24 may be tapered at one or both ends of the tip 16. Accordingly, in one or more embodiments, the bore 24 is drilled such that the bore 24 tapers beginning at the first end 20 of the tip 16 and / or the second end 22 of the tip 16. In one or more embodiments, tapering the tip 16 is achieved by angling the first laser 122 with respect to the syringe barrel 10. In one or more embodiments, tapering the tip 16 is achieved by interposing a beam scanner between the first laser 122 and the syringe barrel 10 such that the beam scanner varies the angle at which the laser beam contacts the tip 16. Furthermore, although FIG. 3 depicts the first laser 122 positioned at the first end 20 of the tip 16, the first laser 122 can instead be positioned such that the beam from the first laser 122 first contacts the second end 22 of the tip 16. Additionally, two first lasers 122 can be used to drill a bore 24 from each end 20 , 22 of the tip 16 .

[0064] In a third step 130 of method 100, the surface of bore 24 is treated with a second laser 132 to remelt the surface region of bore 24. In particular, the beam from second laser 132 is scanned across the surface region of bore 24. In this manner, glass defects and debris are removed from the laser-drilled bore 24. Treatment with second laser 132 may treat to a depth of 5 μm, 10 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 50 μm, or 100 μm. In one or more embodiments, second laser 132 operates at a second wavelength. In one or more embodiments, the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength. In one or more embodiments, the second laser has a second wavelength in the range of 9200 nm to 10600 nm. In one or more embodiments, the second laser is a CO laser. In one or more embodiments, the second laser has a second wavelength in the range of 5200 nm to 6000 nm, hi one or more embodiments, the second laser is a CO laser.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, the second laser 132 is pulsed. In one or more embodiments, the second laser 132 is pulsed with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less, preferably 1 nanosecond or less. In one or more embodiments, the second laser is a continuous wave laser.

[0066] In one or more embodiments, the second laser 132 is angled relative to the syringe barrel 10 to treat the tapered region of the bore 24. In one or more embodiments, a beam scanner is interposed between the second laser 132 and the syringe barrel 10 such that the beam scanner varies the angle at which the laser beam of the second laser 132 contacts the surface region of the bore 24. Additionally, while FIG. 3 depicts the second laser 132 positioned at the first end 20 of the tip 16, the second laser 132 can instead be positioned such that the second laser 132 treats the surface region of the bore 24 from the second end 22 of the tip 16. Additionally, two second lasers 132 can be used to treat the surface region of the bore 24 from each end 20, 22 of the tip 16.

[0067] In one or more embodiments, the bore 24 for each syringe barrel 10 can be drilled in 20 seconds or less, particularly 5 seconds or less. Conventional syringe forming techniques allow the bore to be formed in the syringe tip simultaneously as the tip is formed. The throughput in such a process can be, for example, about 50 syringe barrels / minute. However, as discussed above, such syringe barrels have tungsten contamination, and additional cleaning steps are required to reduce tungsten contamination, slowing the syringe barrel forming process. In addition, tungsten tips corrode quickly and must be replaced periodically, such as every few hours of operation. Alternatively, using ceramic tips to form the bore is limited in terms of the bore diameter size (>1 mm) because small-diameter ceramic tips are prone to breakage.

[0068] Nevertheless, to increase throughput according to one or more embodiments, the bores 24 of several tips 16 of the syringe barrel 10 can be laser drilled in parallel, as shown in FIG. 4. In one or more such embodiments, multiple first lasers 122 are used, and / or the beam of light from a single first laser 122 is split so that multiple bores 24 can be drilled in parallel. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a single first laser beam 122 is used, and the beam from the first laser beam 122 is split to drill multiple bores 24. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, processing with the second laser 132 is also performed in parallel, using multiple second lasers 132 and / or by splitting a beam from a single second laser 132. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a single second laser 132 is used, and the beam from the second laser beam 132 is split to process multiple bores 24. Further, as discussed above, a first laser 122 or a first laser 122 may be positioned at each end of syringe barrel 10, and similarly, a second laser 132 or a second laser 132 may be positioned at each end of syringe barrel 10. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4 , each beam can be directed through a beam scanner 140 to control the location of the beam focus, for example, to provide tapering of bore 24 or to treat the tapered surface of bore 24.

[0069] Furthermore, particularly in the case of a non-tapered bore 24 or a bore 24 that is tapered at only one end, the first laser 122 and the second laser 132 can be disposed on opposite sides of the bore 24. In this manner, the first laser 122 can drill the bore 24 from one side, and the second laser 132 can process the bore 24 from the opposite side. In this manner, a syringe barrel 10 or multiple syringe barrels 10 do not need to be moved to multiple stations to form the bore 24. Furthermore, processing using the second laser 132 can be performed more quickly than if the syringe barrels 10 had to be moved to different stations.

[0070] Although not depicted in FIG. 3, flange 18 (as shown in FIG. 1) can be formed by heating the end of syringe barrel 10 and pressing the heated end of syringe barrel 10 against a former.

[0071] Syringe barrels 10 produced in accordance with the present disclosure are substantially free of, or even free of, tungsten contamination because tungsten is not introduced through the process of forming bore 24 in tip 16, as occurs in conventional processes.

[0072] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any method set forth herein is in no way intended to be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a particular order. Thus, unless a method claim actually recites the order in which its steps should be followed, or the claim or description specifically states that the steps should be limited to a particular order, no particular order is intended to be inferred. Additionally, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more components or elements, and is not intended to be construed as meaning only one.

[0073] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed embodiments. Since modifications, combinations, subcombinations, and variations of the disclosed embodiments that incorporate the spirit and content of the embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art, the disclosed embodiments should be construed as including all within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. 1. A method comprising: drilling a bore through a distal end of the syringe barrel with a first laser to provide fluid communication with an interior cavity of the syringe barrel, the interior cavity being defined by a tubular wall of the syringe barrel; treating a surface of the bore with a second laser to re-melt the surface of the bore; The method wherein the tubular wall and tip comprise a glass material.

2. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first laser operates at a first wavelength and the second laser operates at a second wavelength, the first wavelength being different from the second wavelength.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first wavelength is less than or equal to 1200 nm.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first wavelength is in the ultraviolet or visible range.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first wavelength is 266 nm, 355 nm, or 532 nm.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein drilling the bore further comprises pulsing the first laser with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less.

7. The second laser is a CO ２ The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the method is a laser.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 9200 nm to 10600 nm.

9. The method of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the second laser is a CO laser.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 5200 nm to 6000 nm.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein treating the surface of the bore comprises pulsing the second laser.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second laser is a continuous wave laser.

13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein drilling the bore further comprises tapering the bore from a first diameter at a first end of the tip to a second diameter at a first depth of the tip, the second diameter being smaller than the first diameter.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein drilling the bore further comprises tapering the bore from the second diameter at the second depth of the tip to a third diameter at the second end of the tip, the third diameter being larger than the second diameter.

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, and the ratio of the length to the diameter is between 15:1 and 20:

1.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the diameter is 2 mm or less.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the length is in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein drilling the bore is performed at room temperature.

19. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein drilling the bores is carried out at a temperature 20°C below the annealing temperature of the glass material.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the temperature is below the softening point of the glass material.

21. 21. The method of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein before drilling the bore, the method further comprises pressing the tubular wall to reduce its diameter to form the tip.

22. 22. The method of any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein drilling the bore further comprises drilling a plurality of other bores in a plurality of other syringe barrels in parallel with the bore of the syringe barrel using a plurality of other first lasers or by splitting the beam of a single first laser.

23. 23. The method of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein treating the surface of the bore further comprises treating a plurality of other surfaces of a plurality of other bores in parallel to the surface of the bore using a plurality of other second lasers or by splitting the beam of a single second laser.

24. A syringe barrel, a tubular wall defining an interior cavity; a tip, the tip comprising a first end, a second end, and a bore extending from the first end to the second end, the bore being in fluid communication with the internal cavity; the tubular wall and the tip comprise a glass material; The syringe barrel, wherein the bore includes a surface area that is substantially free of tungsten.

25. 25. The syringe barrel of claim 24, wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, the ratio of the length to the diameter being between 15:1 and 20:

1.

26. 26. The syringe barrel of claim 25, wherein the length is in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm.

27. 27. The syringe barrel of claim 25 or 26, wherein the diameter is 2 mm or less.

28. 28. The syringe barrel of claim 27, wherein the diameter is in the range of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm.

29. 29. The syringe barrel of any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein the bore includes a first tapered region that reduces in diameter from the first end of the tip to a first depth.

30. 30. The syringe barrel of any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein the bore includes a second tapered region that increases in diameter from a second depth of the tip to the second end of the tip.

31. The syringe barrel according to any one of claims 24 to 30, wherein the glass material is an aluminosilicate glass or a borosilicate glass.

32. The syringe barrel according to any one of claims 24 to 31, wherein the syringe barrel complies with ISO 11040-4:2015.

33. 1. A method of forming a syringe barrel, comprising: forcing a tube of glass material between a first former and a second former to form a tip; drilling a bore through the tip with a first laser producing a first beam having a first wavelength; treating the surface of the bore with a second laser, the second laser producing a second beam having a second wavelength, the second wavelength different from the first wavelength.

34. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the first wavelength is less than or equal to 1200 nm.

35. 35. The method of claim 33 or 34, wherein the second wavelength is in the range of 5200 nm to 6000 nm or 9200 nm to 10600 nm.

36. 36. The method of any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein drilling comprises pulsing the first laser with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less.

37. 37. The method of any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein treating comprises pulsing the second laser with pulses of 25 nanoseconds or less.

38. 38. The method of any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein drilling is performed at a temperature below the softening point of the glass material.

39. 39. The method of any one of claims 33 to 38, wherein the bore comprises a length and a diameter, the ratio of the length to the diameter being between 15:1 and 20:

1.

40. 40. A method according to any one of claims 33 to 39, wherein during drilling the first beam is directed through a beam scanner which varies the angle at which the first beam contacts the tip.

41. A method according to any one of claims 33 to 40, wherein during processing the second beam is directed through a beam scanner which varies the angle at which the second beam contacts the surface of the bore.

42. 42. The method of any one of claims 33 to 41, further comprising splitting the first beam during drilling so that multiple bores at multiple tips are drilled in parallel.

43. 43. The method of any one of claims 33 to 42, further comprising splitting the second beam during processing so that multiple surfaces of multiple bores are processed in parallel.

44. A method according to any one of claims 33 to 43, wherein treating the surface of the bore further comprises remelting the glass material to a depth of 100 μm.

Images