Method for manufacturing glass containers for pharmaceutical use

Method for manufacturing tubular glass containers for pharmaceutical use, comprising:

• i) providing a glass tube with a closed lower end and a closed upper end;
• ii) opening the lower end of the tube;
• iii) cutting a first length of tube by heating so as to seal a portion of the glass tube above a position where cutting is performed, such that the glass tube remains closed at its lower end;
• iv) discarding the first length of tube;
• v) causing an explosion inside the glass tube by heating the tube, wherein a magnitude of the explosion is enough to open the lower end of the tube;
• vi) forming a mouth of a glass container;
• vii) separating the glass container from the glass tube by heating such that the lower end of the tube remains closed, and
• viii) injecting air into the mouth of the glass container while the container is heated at its base to form the bottom of the container and to obtain a produced container, wherein the mouth of the glass container is the opened lower end of the tube,
• ix) transporting the produced containers to an electric furnace through a path that includes protective air curtains that protect the container from possible particles, wherein the furnace is in a class “C” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006, and before introducing the containers in this class “C” area, an internal sweep is performed to the container with clean filtered air, and a blast with clean steam,
• x) sterilizing the containers in the electric furnace;
• xi) sterilizing a packaging for the containers in the class “C” area;
• xii) transporting the containers out of the furnace to a class “A” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006, that is protected with a class “B” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006;
• xiii) packing the containers in the packaging in the class “A” area.

A method of manufacturing tubular glass containers for pharmaceutical use, comprising:

• a) removing an end portion of a glass tube in such a manner as to seal a lower end of the glass tube, comprising:
• opening the lower end of the tube, and
• cutting off the end portion of the tube by heating in such a manner that a portion of the glass tube above the end portion of the tube is sealed;
• b) heating the tube, such that an explosion is caused within the tube that opens the lower end of the tube;
• c) forming a mouth of a glass container at the lower end of the tube;
• d) heating an upper part of the tube so as to remove the glass container from the tube and seal a new lower end of the tube;
• e) injecting air into the mouth of the glass container while the container is heated at its base in such a manner that a bottom of the container is formed and in such a manner as to yield a produced container, the mouth of the glass container being the mouth previously formed at the opened lower end of the tube;
• f) transporting the produced containers to an electric furnace through a path that includes protective air curtains that protect the container from possible particles, wherein the furnace is in a class “C” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006;
• g) performing an internal sweep of the container with clean filtered air and blasting the internal portion of the container with clean steam;
• h) introducing the containers into the class “C” area and sterilizing the containers in the electric furnace;
• i) sterilizing a packaging for the containers in the class “C” area;
• j) transporting the containers out of the furnace to a class “A” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006, that is protected with a class “B” area, according to Mexican standard NOM-059-SSA1-2006;
• k) packing the containers in the packaging in the class “A” area.