New leak test calibration capability for pharmaceutical industry

Oxford Lasers now offers the ability to directly drill and create small leak test orifices in a variety of packaging forms suitable for calibrating the leak test equipment.

Oxford Lasers announces the expansion of their laser micromachining subcontract facility with the addition of a new drilling system. With this system, Oxford Lasers now offers to the pharmaceutical and medical industries a reliable way of drilling small, calibrated leaks directly within the product packaging as used within these industries to confirm the performance of the test equipment.

There are numerous methods employed to test the integrity of such packaging, but many are indirect, inaccurate or rely on dyes. Oxford Lasers offer the ability to directly drill into a multitude of packaging forms including blister packs, glass ampoules, glass vials, pouches, syringes, aerosol sprays, and so on. This ability now complements Oxford Lasers long standing ability to provide small calibrated pinholes in a variety of materials from metals and ceramics to plastics and glass.

In addition to being able to directly drill these traditionally difficult packaging forms, Oxford Lasers can provide a Certificate Of Conformity.

“We envisage this new system being equally appealing to both pharmaceutical end users and to leak test equipment manufacturers to whom we wish to offer a quick turnaround” said Alan Ferguson, sales director.

The ability to drill glass up to 1 mm thick with holes down to 5 microns employs newly developed laser processing techniques. In addition blister packs, traditionally made from laminated foils, can also be easily drilled with a variety of hole sizes from 5 microns to 500 microns.