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Smokers who want to give up cigarettes can overcome their urge to smoke by using the nicotine therapy spray which starts to act in 60 seconds. This

gives relief from cigarette cravings and helps patients stay smoke-free long-term.

The benefi t of these sprays is that no tar or condensate gets into the lungs through cigarette consumption and the need for nicotine successively decreases. Phillips-Medisize is the exclusive manufacturer of this innovative nicotine spray device in Nürensdorf (Switzerland) in the form of a dispenser with precision plastic components. Filling is done by the end customer, the drug company.

Single-release

As Christof Plätzer, sales & marketing director Europe at Phillips-Medisize explained, one spray from this nicotine dispenser is equivalent to the dose of a cigarette: “The spray is a good alternative to the patch and is only used as required. In contrast to the patch, it is not constantly releasing nicotine.”

Phillips-Medisize manufactures plastic components for medical devices and the pharmaceutical industry. The parts for the dispenser are manufactured and assembled under the hygiene standards required.

“Our client’s idea was to complement chewing gum and patches with a nicotine spray. The client commissioned a design agency to develop a dispenser,” explained Plätzer.

Winning ways

Requirements included child safety – which is an important factor in the planned market launch, including the US market – and a PET container due to the innocuousness of the plastic material. Suppliers were then evaluated to realise the design agency’s idea. Phillips-Medisize was awarded the contract as the company was able to manufacture all plastic parts of the nicotine spray in the Nürensdorf facility under one roof, with the exception of the pump.

SMOKE SIGNALS

“The pump manufacturer, being the supplier of an essential part of the dispenser, was also integrated into the process. The only external purchases required are small metal springs for the spray trigger mechanism as well as the pump,” Plätzer continued.

“Not everything was designed to be manufacturing-friendly. We therefore revamped the components in design-for-moulding so that they could be readily produced from plastics.”

In ject ion-moulding and injection stretch blow moulding were selected as processes.

For the latter, the nozzle piece (neck) of a bottle is formed in a fi rst step; the bottom part is then blown separately. This ensures air tightness. Precision workmanship and good closability of the sprayer are also crucial due to the child-proofi ng lock.

“The product will be marketed worldwide with a staggered launch,” explained the Phillips-Medisize sales & marketing director.

By awarding Phillips-Medisize the contract, its technological capabilities as well as its holistic approach of handling the new project were recognised. Plätzer says, “In total, it takes 18 months to two years until products like these are ready to go and manufacturing can start.” Phillips-Medisize provides the general equipment and the moulds are fi nanced by the client.

Machinery expertise

There are now several injection moulding and injection stretch blow moulding machines in operation for the nicotine spray device. The dispenser is made up of seven parts (one is manufactured by injection stretch blow moulding process and fi ve by injection moulding process). The container manufactured by injection stretch blow moulding process is made of PET. The diff erently formed parts made of, PP

or POM necessitate the use of diff erent moulds with up to eight cavities on diff erent injection moulding machines with clamping force from 50 to 200 tonnes. The raw materials are dyed completely by Phillips-Medisize in-house in order to guarantee the uniformity of the individual components. Here, three components are dyed black with two parts remaining transparent. Before manufacturing began, a number of tests with the tools were required to fi nd process windows for continuous production.

Plätzer explained: “We conducted extensive validation processes, starting with DQ (design qualifi cation) followed by IQ (installation qualifi cation), right through to OQ (operation qualifi cation) and PQ (production qualifi cation).” Since 2011, the nicotine spray device has been mass produced; the project began in 2010.

“We work as a three-shift operation. Our blowing and injection division are located in two separate sectors, with a dedicated production management department coordinating the work,” said Plätzer.

In the assembly area, at the top end of the conveyor belts, the components are isolated and undergo 16 assembly stations until the so-called subcomponent is completed. At station one, feeding into the slider takes place, at station three, the steel springs are inserted, at station fi ve, the hot calking of the springs, at station seven the cap is mounted, at station 11, the actuator is ultrasonically welded to the cap, station 13 checks the slider, station 14 checks the belt components and implements them and fi nally the empty control is performed at station 16.

Plätzer is proud that the reject rate in production is very low: “Considering the fact that the various plastic parts have to snap into one another with precision and each part has a diff erent tolerance level which is in the 2/100 millimetre range.”

There are now several injection moulding and injection stretch blow moulding machines in operation for the nicotine spray device.

Phillips-Medisize was awarded the contract as it

was able to manufacture all plastic parts of the nicotine spray under one roof, with the exception of the pump

A sign of the times – Phillips-Medisize has used its expertise for a nicotine therapy spray device. From project to production the company was involved in the project which used automatic

assembly through indexing machines

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Winning ways: By awarding Phillips-Medisize the contract, the company says its technological expertise and holistic approaches were recognised.

Singled out: Phillips-Medisize is the exclusive manufacturer of this Nicotinspray device – a dispenser with precision plastic components

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