The Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Vial Trays

Vial trays are vital for businesses in the pharmaceutical production industry. Used for a variety of vial serialization, storage, and transport, applications, vial trays keep their contents safe from damage. Many types of vial trays are available, but it’s the plastic tray we’re looking at today.

In this guide, we’re looking at the pros and cons of plastic vial trays, particularly in relation to their metal counterparts. Read on to discover more.

Plastic Vial Trays: The Pros

We’ll start with the positives. The plastic vial tray has a lot of advantages over metal products, including the following:

Much Cheaper Than Steel Trays

Plastic vial trays are the cheapest form of tray to purchase outright. Thanks to simple production methods and inexpensive materials, you will be able to order a large number of trays at a lower price compared to other trays such as metal products and composites.

Of course, there are other things you’ll need to bear in mind. The cost of the tray is more complex than simply the immediate capital outlay. You’ll also need to consider how long you expect each of the trays to last, as replacement costs will also need to be factored into your budget. However, smaller businesses may find plastic trays to be suitable for their needs.

No Danger of Oxidation

One of the big disadvantages of metal vial trays is that they can be prone to oxidation. Damage to the tray, corrosion of the material, and exposure to adverse environmental conditions can lead to oxidation and degradation. While there is some debate as to the impact of oxidation and rust on pathogen growth, oxidized surfaces are still difficult to clean effectively and should be avoided.

This is easy to achieve with a plastic vial tray. With plastic materials, the risk of oxidation is eliminated altogether. In turn, this allows trays to be used for longer, helping you to improve your return on investment.

A Capable Solution for Low-Volume Projects

Plastic vial trays tend to be just fine for low-volume projects. As long as the weight of the vials remains relatively low, the plastic material should have no problems transporting and storing these consignments. Depending on the specific needs of your facility, plastic trays may be perfectly adequate for your requirements.

When the volume starts to increase, the plastic trays may struggle to cope. This leads to problems with scalability, which we’ll discuss below in the Disadvantages section.

Plastic Vial Trays: The Cons

Of course, there are disadvantages too. Plastic vial trays may not be suitable for businesses with larger-scale production needs due to their relatively flimsy and easily damaged nature.

Plastic Lacks Tensile Strength

One of the big disadvantages of a plastic vial tray is its relatively flimsy construction. As we’ve touched upon above, these plastic trays are suitable for low-level projects and carrying a relatively lightweight load of vials. However, when the volume begins to rise and trays need to handle larger numbers of vials on a regular basis, problems can begin to arise.

The plastic may begin to warp or bend when it is placed under high stress. This can be hazardous, as it could lead to vials becoming damaged or falling out of the tray. In time, the plastic may warp to the extent that it is unusable

Cracking and Damage Are Real Dangers

Plastic trays may not oxidize like some metal vial trays will, but they can still become damaged. Dropping the tray or allowing something to impact it heavily can cause significant damage to its structure, which may mean the tray has to be taken out of service.

If cracks and fissures form in the plastic, this could potentially cause a health and safety issue. The buildup of debris in these cracks could lead to pathogen growth. However, the reduction in strength is the bigger danger. Once the structure of the tray is cracked, it will lose even more tensile strength and carrying capacity.

Trays Need to Be Replaced Regularly

While trays will certainly need to be replaced when they are damaged, this only tells part of the story. General wear and tear over time can make trays unfit for purpose, and they will need to be replaced even if there is no obvious cracking or damage.

Plastic trays are less expensive than other forms of trays, but replacement costs can quickly begin to mount up. There are also other issues here. Constantly having to dispose of trays makes it difficult to operate your business sustainably, and you may find it expensive to recycle large volumes of trays that have been taken out of circulation.

Pharmaceutical waste can include many different types of waste. This covers both active materials — such as ingredients and products used in drug manufacture — and inactive materials like packaging and storage solutions. Vial trays fall into this latter category, and so steps will need to be taken to minimize the disposal of trays and optimize vial tray recycling.

The Alternative: MFG Composite Vial Trays

There is another type of vial tray — the Molded Fiber Glass composite tray, or MFG vial tray. This material offers significant advantages over both plastic and metal products. It’s far stronger than plastic and is heavy-duty enough to support high vial volumes and loads. It also won’t dent like metal, and it weighs less than metal trays too.

The MFG composite material also eliminates the risk of corrosion and oxidation since the chemical reaction associated with these risks cannot take place. In terms of cost-effectiveness and longevity, the composite product is a winner too, and could save your business significant costs in the long term.

Here at Chemtech, we provide a range of MFG composite vial trays. You can find these trays in our product catalog, or you can reach out to our team if you have any questions about what we can provide for you and your business.