Method For Reducing or Eliminating Residue in a Glass Container and a Glass Container made in Accordance Therewith

Abstract

A method of preparing a glass medical container is provided including the steps of providing a glass blank and forming a channel through a part of the glass blank, the channel being substantially free of tungsten or derivatives thereof. In a further aspect of the subject invention, a glass medical container is provided including a glass body having a channel extending through a part of the glass body, the channel being substantially free of tungsten or derivatives thereof. With the subject invention, tungsten or derivatives thereof can be generally or altogether completely avoided in glass medical containers.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of producing a glass medical container comprising:
 providing a glass blank;   providing a pin at an opening in the glass blank, the pin being of a material selected from the group consisting of metals or alloys containing platinum and having a diameter of 0.2-1 mm; and   forming the glass blank to conformingly engage the pin to form a channel,   wherein the glass blank is heated to soften the glass before forming.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the glass medical container is selected from the group consisting of a syringe barrel, vial, and drug cartridge body. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pin has two sections, the first section having a first diameter and the second section having a second diameter, and the forming step comprises forming the glass blank to form around the pin such that the channel has a first portion formed around the first section of the pin and a second portion formed around the second section of the pin, wherein the first diameter of the pin is larger than the second diameter of the pin and the diameter of the first section of the resulting channel is larger than the diameter of the second section of the resulting channel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first diameter of the pin is about 0.6 mm and the second diameter of the pin is 0.2-0.4 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pin material is a platinum/rhodium alloy comprising 80%-90% platinum and 20%-10% rhodium. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising supplying an inert gas around the area in which the pin is used to reduce the oxygen content in that area. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the inert gas is nitrogen. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 forming the glass blank around a first pin to create a preliminary channel; and   subsequently further forming the preliminarily channel around a second pin to create a finished channel in the medical container,   wherein the first pin comprises a first material and the second pin comprises a second material that is different from the first material and the first pin.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first pin and the second pin comprise a metal or alloy containing platinum. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first pin includes tungsten or a derivative thereof and the second pin comprises a metal or alloy containing platinum. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first pin and the second pin are dimensioned to form a channel having a length and a diameter, wherein the diameter is constant along the length. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first pin, the second pin, or both the first pin and the second pin comprise a first portion defining a first constant diameter and a second portion defining a second constant diameter, the first diameter being larger than the second diameter, such that the finished channel has a first section with a first length and a first diameter and a second section that has a second length and a second diameter, wherein the diameter of the first section of the finished channel is larger than the diameter of the second section of the finished channel. 
     
     
         13 . A method of producing a syringe comprising:
 preparing a glass medical container in the form of a syringe barrel in accordance with  claim 1 ; and   fixing a needle in the channel.