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IVPACKS can help you crimp your flip cap vial seals !

Having problems crimping your Flip Off® vial seals? IVPACKS can help!

Over the years, we have occasionally received complaints from customers when they try to crimp 13mm or 20mm flip cap vial seals (aluminum vial seals with a plastic lid). There are 4 components that must be taken into consideration:

1). The thickness of the top crown crimp lip (rim) of the vial.

This is seldom the cause of the issue. The only exceptions we have seen are for non-standard, non ISO vials (which is rarely an issue for USA clients). If you are using ISO standard vials, move on to one of the issues below.

2). The thickness of the stopper flange (top flat portion).

Some lyophilization style stoppers (2 or 3 prong stoppers and some igloo vial stoppers) will occasionally have a thicker top flange.

3). The aluminum skirt length of the flip cap vial seal.

The usual rush to judgement is that the aluminum skirt length isnt long enough to allow proper crimping. If you are using any 13mm or 20mm flip cap vial seals sourced from IVPACKS, this shouldnt be the issue. All flip cap seals sourced from IVPACKS are of appropriate shell skirt length for proper crimping.

4). The specific type of crimper being used (manual, electric, pneumatic or rotary vial crimper).

IVPACKS offers adjustable crimpers for 13mm flip cap and 20mm flip cap seals:

  • Crimper 13002 – for 13mm flip cap / 13mm flip off vial seals, or
  • Crimper 20002 – for 20mm flip cap / 20mm flip off vial seals

Both of the above flip cap vial crimpers have a “percussion pin” that allows the user to manually adjust the crimping depth. In the image below, you can see the standard initial setting of the percussion pin:

Loosen the nut of the percussion pin located midway along the handles of the crimper. Then, lower the height of the percussion pin as you see in the image below:

The adjustment of the percussion pin in our manual vial crimpers will resolve the problem in the majority of cases. If you are not using our adjustable crimpers, consider buying one (NOTICE – there are separate crimpers for 13mm or 20mm flip cap vial seals). If your crimping volumes are too large for manually operated crimpers, you will need to speak to the manufacturer of the automatic crimpers you are using.

BUY OUR ADJUSTABLE VIAL CRIMPERS BELOW

13mm Flip Cap Vial Crimpers HERE

or

20mm Flip Cap Vial Crimpers HERE

Have any questions – please send us an email: sales@IVPACKS.com

Ready to Use Sterile Vials – Ready to Fill Sterile Vials – Unsealed Open Sterile Vials

Ready to Use – Ready to Fill Sterile Vials by IVPACKS

IVPACKS offers Ready to Fill – Ready to Use sterile vials to CDMO, compounding outsourcing facilities, compounding pharmacies and other cGMP regulated facilities worldwide. USP Type 1 glass is used by Gerresheimer AG to manufacture and wash the vials, while depyrogenation, sterilizationand sterility testing is performed by SteriGenics. Both Gerresheimer AG and SteriGenics are recognized as leaders in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide.

STERILE VIALS – READY TO USE ORDER NOW

STERILE VIAL STOPPERS – READY TO USE

IVPACKS also offers STERILE VIAL STOPPERS – ORDER NOW

13mm and 20mm sterile vial stoppers from IVPACKS are washed with purified water, then gamma irradiated for sterility. Both sterility and endotoxin testing reports are available for all lots sold by IVPACKS.

Order STERILE VIAL STOPPERS – READY TO USE

VIAL STOPPERS – Bromobutyl Rubber vs Chlorobutyl Rubber

Bromobutyl vs Chlorobutyl Vial Stoppers
Worldwide sales of chlorobutyl and bromobutyl vial stoppers from IVPACKS LLC

VIAL STOPPERS – Bromobutyl vs Chlorobutyl – ORDER HERE

In the US and European markets, serum vial stoppers are commonly available in both bromobutyl and chlorobutyl rubber for use in pharmaceutical packaging. Vulcanization (heating and curing) of natural rubber results in the cross-linking of individual polymer chains that forms a copolymer of isobutylene, and to a smaller extent, isoprene. The incorporation of a halogen (bromine or chlorine) in the vulcanization process results in the vulcanization rate being improved, blending and curing performance is improved, and the cross-link bonding property has also significantly improved. Each specific halogen offers its own unique characteristics to the finished product.

Bromobutyl Rubber: is a terpolymer of isobutylene, isoprene and brominated Isoprene.

Chlorobutyl Rubber: is a terpolymer of isobutylene, isoprene and chlorinated Isoprene.

Processing with Bromobutyl vs Chlorobutyl

  • When bromine is used as the halogen for producing bromobutyl rubber, it is generally added at a concentration of 2%; chlorine is added at a concentration of 1.1 – 1.5% in chlorobutyl rubber.
  • Bromine is more reactive than Chlorine, so a stabilizer is often added to the rubber (such as soybean oil at 1.3%). Chlorine, being more inert, does not require the use of any stabilizers.
  • The use of antioxidants (such as BHT) is approximately equal in both bromobutyl rubber and chlorobutyl rubber.

Advantages and Disadvantages: Bromobutyl vs Chlorobutyl

Bromobutyl Rubber

Advantages:

  • lower hygroscopicity and is a better choice for freeze dried / lyophilization product applications. Higher stability and generally have a longer shelf life.
  • faster cure rates and a shorter scorch or cure induction period (more efficient production)
  • requires lower levels of curatives and enables one to use a wider range of accelerators.

Disadvantages:

  • stabilizers are required in the production of bromobutyl rubber (such as soybean oil).
  • heat sensitivity is a greater concern with bromobutyl stoppers.

Chlorobutyl Rubber

Advantages:

  • better resistance to heat and is the preferred stopper for high-heat sterilization techniques.
  • efficiently produced without the use of stabilizers.

Disadvantages:

  • longer curing times, resulting in higher production costs