Method and apparatus for automatically producing a plurality of sterile liquid filled delivery devices

An apparatus for automatically producing a plurality of prefilled, sterile delivery devices, the sterile delivery devices each including a hollow barrel with a dispensing nozzle at one end and an open opposite end, a piston plunger positioned within the open end and slidable in sealing engagement with the barrel to retain a fluid therein and a tip secured to the dispensing nozzle, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a predetermined feeding path configured to receive and move a plurality of the sterile delivery devices along said predetermined feeding path;
• (b) a tip removing station positioned proximate said predetermined feeding path for removing the tips from the dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices by engaging and removing a tip from a sterile delivery device as the sterile delivery devices move along said predetermined feeding path;
• (c) a fluid filling station positioned proximate said predetermined feeding path for filling the hollow barrels of the sterile delivery devices through the dispensing nozzles with a desired quantity of fluid, said fluid filling station including a discharge end in fluid communication with a pump and being configured for complementary sealed engagement with the dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices, said discharge end being movable between a first position wherein said discharge end is spaced from said sterile delivery devices and a second position wherein said discharge end is in complementary sealed engagement with a dispensing nozzle of a sterile delivery device for passing fluid to the hollow barrel of the sterile delivery device as the sterile delivery devices move along said predetermined feeding path;
• and
• (d) a sealing station positioned proximate said predetermined feeding path for closing and sealing a dispensing nozzle of the sterile delivery device having fluid located in the hollow barrel to provide sealed sterile delivery devices with sterile fluid contents, said sealing station including a plurality of caps each being complementarily sized to seal the dispensing nozzle of the sterile dispensing devices, said sealing station securing said caps in complementary sealed engagement with the dispensing nozzles of the sterile dispensing devices to seal the fluid within the hollow barrel of the sterile dispensing device as said sterile delivery devices move along said predetermined feeding path.

A method of automatically mass producing prefilled, sterile delivery devices and distributing the filled sterile delivery devices to dispensing stations, the sterile delivery devices each including a hollow barrel with a dispensing nozzle at one end and an open opposite end, a piston plunger positioned within the open end and slidable in sealing engagement with the barrel to retain a fluid therein and a tip secured to the dispensing nozzle, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a parenteral medical material in powder form;
• (b) mixing said medical material with a diluent to form a parenteral fluid;
• (c) automatically feeding a plurality of the sterile delivery devices along a predetermined path;
• (d) removing the tips from the dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices as the sterile delivery devices move along a predetermined path;
• (e) filling the hollow barrels of the sterile delivery devices through the dispensing nozzles with a desired quantity of said parenteral fluid as the sterile delivery devices move along a predetermined path;
• (f) closing and sealing the dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices after the filling step to provide sealed sterile delivery devices with sterile fluid contents;
• and
• (g) shipping said sealed sterile delivery devices with sterile fluid contents to one or more dispensing stations.