The anti-breaking properties of plastics are an advantage for most applications, but not for ampoules that need to be broken to open the bottleneck. Now, French plastics processor Sériplast has developed a new technology that uses radiation to make the bottleneck of polypropylene (PP) ampoules brittle, without breaking ampoules into sharp glass fragments when breaking the bottleneck.

Sériplast's newly developed ampoule bottle has a circular die-cut notch at the bottleneck between the head and shoulder of the ampoule. The company then cuts the polymer chains using selectively applied beta-rays, embrittling the specially selected PP material in the area around these gaps.

This radiation treatment process is integrated into the production and logistics process. After molding, the printed ampoule was wrapped in a cardboard box and shipped from the Oyonnax, France to the Beta Gamma Service (BSG) factory in Bruchsal, Germany, 500 kilometers away. According to André Tartaglione, founder and owner of Sériplast, which is headquartered in Oyonnax, ampoules are exposed to low-level beta rays for “a few minutes”.

The new PP ampules offer different sizes from 1.5 to 11 ml, which are less sharp than glass and do not cause fragmentation, thereby reducing the risk of injury to humans. It is said that the product is also easier to fill and can be closed with the ampoule head that has been folded down when necessary.

Tartaglione believes that the new ampoules have the potential to be used in a variety of other applications, such as food products, to make them easier to open.