Innovation from Rommelag
The Bottelpack system from Rommelag is used in the field of eyedrops and ocular medicine for volumes of between 5 and 15ml.
The Bottelpack system from Rommelag is used in the field of eyedrops and ocular medicine for volumes of between 5 and 15ml. The plastic bottles are blown and sealed under sterile conditions, and the bottle-neck had a standard thread fitted with a piercing cap. When the product is used, the cap is screwed down and the spike inside pierces the upper membrane in the neck of the bottle. The regular flow and size of the drops depends upon the diameter of the hole. Although this system is simple, safe, practical and efficient, it was considered inadequate for products that required strict dosing.
To find a solution that provided greater control of the flow of drops, Rommelag developed the drop-counting measuring cap. This is a complete closing-opening-dosing-reclosing assembly consisting of two distinct components: the lower ring which encircles the threaded neck of the bottle and which is equipped with a piercing nozzle and a drop counter, and the protective cap.
Like all Bottelpack containers, it leaves the machine blown, filled and sealed under sterile conditions. The cap is fitted outside this process, automatically on-line or off-line, depending on the demands of work capacity. The dispensing mechanism involves screwing down the closing assembly as far as it will go in order to open the bottle, removing the upper cap, and squeezing the bottle to dispense the exact number of drops required. The weight of these drops is constant regardless of the pressure exerted and its duration.
However, the weight of the drop and its control depend on a number of factors, in particular on the viscosity of the product. Therefore, each individual application must be studied in detail to find the best possible specifications for the piercing nozzle and dosing unit in relation to the required dosage of the product in question.
The main advantage of Rommelag's innovation is the separation of the closing dosing stage from the extrusion-blow-fill-seal process. It was possible to achieve a similar result by inserting a component at the end of the bottleneck moulding stage, but this reduced the rate of output.
The new drop-counting measuring cap also overcomes the problems associated with guaranteeing the sterility of its insertion, fitting and impermeability. The system can be applied using any standard Bottelpack machine; the machine set-up does not require any modification nor is its performance or output is reduced.
