Bubbles in Cartridges After Dispense

Problem

Bubbles are showing up in your dispensed formulation

Cause

Syringe is not fully seated to the valve

or

Nitrogen diffused in formulation

or

Volatilization of terpenes

Solution

If bubbles are immediately apparent during fill, please ensure that the reservoir is not nearing empty.

Next, check the Luer-Loc connection between the valve and syringe, ensuring that there is no oil leaking near the valve or syringe. The distance between the silver body of the syringe, and the black circle of the valve, should only be the width of a business card, or ~1mm.

Volatility of terpenes can be reduced with lower nitrogen pressure, lower temperature, and slower pump speeds. Perform the following steps if bubbles form in the cartridge after being filled:

1. Reduce nitrogen pressure to 10-30psi if the formulation is free-flowing near room temperature.

2. Reduce heater setpoint temperatures from the “Configuration” page; if the formulation is free-flowing at room temperature, setpoints of 30-45C should be sufficient.

3. Reduce “Pump Charge Speed” and “Pump Dispense Speed” to reduce agitation and volatilization of the product formulation. A charge speed of 10-14 and dispense speed of 15-20 is typically sufficient.

4. If these steps do not completely eliminate bubbles forming, the bubbles can be remediated from filled cartridges by heating them (with a heat gun on low, or in an oven) until the bubbles coalesce and pop.