4. Manufacture of drawn glass ampoules, bottles and pillboxes

Ampoules for drinkable or injectable pharmaceutical products and certain small bottles for liquid, powder or solid pharmaceutical products (capsules) are manufactured from tubes obtained by drawing. This technique uses the same basic principles as molded glass in terms of melting and thermal conditioning. It then differs significantly in the shaping of the tubes and the manufacture of the articles concerned.

In both cases, the technology consists of two distinct stages, usually carried out at different sites:

• tube production by drawing ;

• manufacture of ampoules or vials by forming tubes on carousel machines.

Compared with bottles manufactured using the molded glass technique