Filling ointment jars

Ointment jars are filled on a small scale in the pharmacy by carefully

transferring the weighed amount of ointment in to the jar with a spatula .the
ointment is packed on the bottom and along the sides of the jar,avoiding
entrapment of air . the jar size should allow the ointment to reach near the
top of the jar but not so high as to touch the lid when closed . through the
adept use of spatula , some pharmacists place a curl in the center of the
surface of the ointment. Ointments prepared by fusion may be poured
directly in to ointment jar to congeal in it . this must be done cautiously to
prevent stratification of the components. In large- scale manufacture of
ointments , pressure fillers force the specified amount of ointment in to the
jars .

Filling ointment tubes

Tubes are filled from the open back end of the tube , opposite from the cap
end .
Ointments prepared by fusion may be poured while still soft but viscous
directly in to the tubes with caution to prevent stratification of the
components . on a small scale , as in the extemporaneous filling of an
ointment in the pharmacy , the tube may be filled manually or with a small –
scale filling machine .the filled tube is closed and sealed .

 Tubes May Be Filled (manual filling ) By The Following Steps

1. The prepared ointment is rolled into a cylinder shape of a piece of parchment
paper, the diameter is smaller than that of the tube.
2. With cap of the tube off to permit escape of air, the cylinder of ointment with the
paper is inserted into the open bottom of the tube
3. The piece of paper covering the ointments is grasped in one hand, the other hand
forces a heavy spatula down on the extreme end of the tube, collapsing it and
retaining the ointment while the paper is slowly pulled from the tube. About one half
(1/2) inch of the bottom is then flattened with the spatula.
4. About 1/8 folds are made from the flattened end of the tube and sealed by pliers
or sealing clip on foot operated “crimper” machine.
  Note: Ointments made by fusion may be poured directly into the tubes. Stored
at temperatures below 30oC to prevent softening.

Industrially , automatic filling , closing , crimping , and labeling machines are used for large –
scale tube packaging of semisolid pharmaceuticals . depending on the model , machines have the
capacity to fill about 1000 to 6000 tubes per hour ( 5, 7 ). Rotary machines have four stations for
tube feeding , cleaning , filling and closing .

Sealing of tubes

plastics and laminate tubes are closed and sealed by heat and crimping . metal tubes are sealed by
folding and crimping with or without a vinyl, latex , or lacquer sealant ( 5 ) .