Thin-Wall Glass Cartridges for Pharmaceutical Breakage Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Glass containers used for pharmaceutical packaging face issues with mechanical performance, leading to breakage, reduced production yields, and potential sterility loss, while also being environmentally unsustainable due to high material usage.
Innovation Solution
Development of glass pharmaceutical vials and cartridges with reduced sidewall thickness and enhanced structural integrity, incorporating organic coatings and specific chemical durability, to improve mechanical strength and sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If glass containers use traditional wall thickness to ensure mechanical strength, then breakage resistance is improved, but material usage increases and environmental sustainability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the wall thickness to a specific range (0.8-1.5mm) and controlling the outer diameter within defined limits, transforming the traditional thick-wall design into a precision-engineered thin-wall structure that achieves strength efficiency while reducing material consumption by 15-30%
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material strategy by combining Type I glass (providing chemical durability and barrier properties) with controlled wall thickness design, creating a composite structure that leverages the inherent strength of borosilicate glass while minimizing material usage through optimized geometric parameters
2Quantity of substance
If glass containers use reduced wall thickness to decrease material usage, then environmental sustainability is improved, but mechanical strength and breakage resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by establishing optimal wall thickness ranges (0.8-1.5mm) and outer diameter limits that prevent catastrophic failure, transforming thin-wall design from a weakness into a controlled parameter regime that maintains adequate mechanical performance while minimizing material usage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating wall thickness requirements across different container zones, with specific thickness constraints applied to critical areas versus non-critical areas, optimizing structural integrity where needed while minimizing material in less demanding regions
3Quantity of substance
If glass containers are designed with thin walls to reduce material usage, then sustainability is improved, but compliance with mechanical strength tests deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by defining specific wall thickness ranges (0.8-1.5mm) and outer diameter limits that ensure compliance with mechanical strength tests, transforming the compliance issue into a parameter optimization problem where thin-wall design meets regulatory requirements through precise dimensional control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by implementing wall thickness reduction only to the extent necessary for sustainability goals while maintaining adequate compliance margins, rather than maximizing thinness, thus achieving sufficient sustainability improvement without compromising test compliance
Data Source
AI summary
A glass cartridge comprises a cylindrical body portion comprising an outer diameter Dc and an average sidewall thickness Tc, the cylindrical body portion having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; an opening at the first end of the cylindrical body portion; a shoulder extending radially inward from the second end of the cylindrical body portion; and a neck extending from the shoulder and comprising an outer neck diameter NOD that is less than the outer diameter Dc of the cylindrical body portion. The average wall thickness Tc is less than or equal to 0.85*s1, wherein s1 is a wall thickness of a standard glass cartridge defined by ISO 13926-1:2004 having an outer diameter d1 that is closer to the outer diameter Dc than the outer diameter d1 of any other standard glass cartridge defined by ISO 13926-1:2004.