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Fluid dispensing 101: Syringe barrel selection

Health, Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals, Industrial, Primary Packaging, Syringe, Pharmaceutical Components, Syringes

A Helpful Guide to Selecting the Best Syringe Barrel for Your Process

Selecting the right syringe barrel helps eliminate waste and keep production running smoothly.

At Nordson EFD, we offer many options to fit your needs. Our standard Optimum syringe barrels include clear, amber, black, and green. Each is designed for a specific purpose. Let’s take a closer look at what each of can offer.

Watch this video to learn more.

Clear Syringe Barrels
Our clear syringe barrels are compatible with the widest range of fluids, making them suitable for most applications. The unique clarity of the barrels makes it easy to see fluid levels and check for air bubbles.

Note: To get a better understanding of best practices to avoid entrapping air refer to this video, How to Fill a Syringe Barrel.

Amber Syringe Barrels
When working with UV-cure materials, we recommend our amber barrels. These syringes block UV and visible wavelengths at less than 12% visible light from 550 nm or less. They are also translucent enough to see fluid levels.

Black Syringe Barrels
For light-sensitive materials, our black barrels provide complete light blockage. We also offer black ESD-safe barrels that prevent static build-up while dispensing and protect fragile components, such as semiconductors and printed circuit boards. They are built to reduce the static decay rate to less than 2.0 seconds and lessen surface resistance to lower than 1 x 1011 ohms.

Unity HiTemp Syringe Barrels
We recommend using our Unity HiTemp syringes when working with hot melt applications. These can withstand temperatures of up to 180° C (365° F) for up to eight hours. Our line includes Opaque Extreme HiTemp Barrels, Clear HiTemp Barrels, and Clear HiTemp Tapered Barrels, which fit industry-standard heater blocks.

Green Syringe Barrels
Our green syringe barrels provide the perfect solution to quickly identify different fluids on your production line. They can be a helpful visual aide if you use multiple types of the same fluid, thus preventing confusion. They’re also translucent enough to see fluid levels.

Selecting a Syringe Barrel Size
While fluid is an important factor to consider when choosing your syringe barrel type, syringe size is also important. At EFD, we offer standard sizes of 3cc, 5cc, 10cc, 30cc, 55cc, and 70cc.

Note: A great rule of thumb when choosing a size is picking one that will last your operator an entire shift. This will eliminate having to switch out the barrel during a shift, which can slow production and affect productivity.

However, choosing a syringe barrel size may be out of your control in some instances, such as when dispensing material that cures quickly or dispensing onto so many parts that even our largest syringe won’t last an entire shift.

Overall, when selecting a syringe barrel, it’s important to first look at what type of fluid you’re working with. Then, fluid-depending, you may be able to pick a size based on what is most productive for the operator. Working with the right barrel will lead to the best dispensing results and is an important part of the overall success of your application.

Need more info about dispensing best practices? Don’t hesitate to contact us.

See also

UltimusPlus Fluid Dispensers Ease Setup and Operation for Efficient Catheter Development

Quality and precision play a significant role in medical device manufacturing around the world, and strict regulatory standards drive the need for devices to pass rigorous inspections. Nordson EFD’s UltimusPlus benchtop fluid dispensers helped one medical device company significantly improve efficiency and accuracy to elevate catheter manufacturing to a world-class standard, while meeting necessary regulatory standards.

  • Company News
  • English
  • Modified 02 Feb 2022
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