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Case study Electroforming

Aperture plate releasing millions of micron sized medicine droplets per second

In a state-of-the-art aerosol drug delivery system enabled by Vibrating Mesh Technology, Veco’s nebulizer aperture plate (mesh) releases millions of micron-sized droplets per second through its unique geometry.

The key to the Vibrating Mesh Technology which re-defined respiratory treatment is the aperture plate surrounded by a vibrational element (shown below).

The electroformed aperture plate is just 5 mm in diameter and perforated with 1000 precision-formed tapered holes. It vibrates 128,000 times per second, creating a mini pump that produces a fine particle mist of uniform size droplets, each between 1 and 5 microns in diameter, an ideal particle size for deep lung penetration. Clinical study has shown that this

results in deposition rates far greater than what can be achieved by conventional nebulization.

With the development of drug delivery technologies, the industry sees an increasing demand for nebulizer nozzle plates of higher precision and quality level. Electroforming as an additive manufacturing process highly suitable for miniature structures meets this demand perfectly due to the following features:

  • Highly uniform orifice holes can be formed as small as 1 micron;
  • Flexible hole geometry, any complex hole pattern or shape possible;
  • Ultra-precision and extreme accuracy;
  • Capable with bio-compatible materials;
  • Flexible and economical tooling and prototyping.

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