Category Archive Aerosol Page

For over 60 years, LEREM has been a non-profit association recognized for its independent expertise in research and testing of metal packaging. As a trusted technical reference in France and Europe, LEREM actively collaborates with major industry bodies such as Metal Packaging Europe (MPE), the French Aerosol Committee (CFA), the European Aerosol Federation (FEA) and the European Industrial Packaging Association (EIPA), contributing to the development and improvement of technical standards to ensure packaging quality and safety.

Aerosols are one of our historic areas of expertise. For nearly 30 years, LEREM has contributed to the Stage aux Métiers de l’Aérosol (SMA), notably with a dedicated module on container-content compatibility. For the past four years, LEREM have also hosted the practical workshop day on its premises twice a year. This four-day course, combining theory and practice, brings together engineers and technicians eager to strengthen their skills and expand their professional networks.

The practical day is a unique opportunity for participants to discover all the key steps of aerosol manufacturing — from quality control to leak testing, through filling and regulatory checks. Trainees make their own aerosol and tackle the technical challenges they face in their daily work. These rich, interactive sessions are always highly valued: everyone leaves with a self-made aerosol and, above all, with new knowledge and a fresh perspective to tackle open technical questions from a new angle.

Open to all industry stakeholders, LEREM offers its independent expertise to investigate root causes, solve quality or compliance issues, and provide tailored technical support — a trusted partner to meet critical challenges related to metal packaging and, in particular, aerosol generators.

Do you know Thomas Young ?

A prolific scientist and polymath, and a physician by training, he is responsible for the definition of Young’s modulus, which characterizes the elastic deformation of a material as a function of the stress applied to it. He was also the first to describe the phenomenon of accommodation, which allows the human eye to see clearly at different distances by modifying the curvature of the lens.

As a renowned Egyptologist, he made a major contribution to the interpretation of hieroglyphs, before their complete decipherment by Champollion in 1822.

Another of these major achievements, which brings us to today’s topic, was the discovery of light diffraction through slits, which allowed him, by observing interference fringes, to deduce the wave nature of light.

The diffraction used to measure the size of airborne aerosol particles is based on the use of a 633 nm helium-neon laser (see figure below). A first lens directs a parallel and coherent beam towards the atomized particles. The diffracted beam is collected on a detector using a second lens. The intensity and spacing of the interference fringes are used to determine the diffraction angle of the particles, which is itself characteristic of the size of these particles.

The LEREM proposes, using a reference laser granulometer for measuring the size of particles suspended in the air, a Malvern Spraytec SP2000 granulometer, to determine the particle size distribution, according to the Fraunhofer model, of aerosol generators (compressed and liquefied gases) and pump bottles, in compliance with the standard on particle size analysis ISO 13320: 2020.

The main characteristic results of the size distribution are the median diameter Dv(50), the volume mean diameter D[4][3], the percentiles Dv(10) and Dv(90), as well as the respirable fraction %V < 10 µm, necessary in the context of toxicological validations.

The applications are numerous and range from aerosol spray quality verification (cosmetics & cleaning products) to regulatory compliance assessment (pharmaceuticals & agriculture).

Aerosol dispensers

Working with the primary goal of preventing technical problems with new and existing products to ensure the safety of the aerosol dispensers industry.

Aerosol dispensers are the most technical packaging available.  

All the technical details that need to be controlled, in a very large industrial supply chain, must be realised so that, in the end, users can simply press the actuator of an aerosol can and the product is stored and dispensed correctly. 

First, it is necessary to ensure that the aerosol dispenser as a form of packaging is perfectly safe and remains stable over time. Stability of the packaged formula and stability of the integrity of the packaging. For cosmetic products, we often talk about guaranteeing a product for a period of 3 years.

Second, all of this must be guaranteed on a mass production scale. It is estimated that in 2019, 15.5 billion aerosol dispensers were produced worldwide, of which 5.5 billion were produced in Europe. 

LEREM’s expertise

There are not many places of expertise able to synthesise all these constraints. LEREM tries to do this as well as possible, thanks to the means at its disposal.

These various means are :

• Testing or stressing 
• Filling 
• Accelerated ageing tests by impedance measurement
• Storage chambers from 0 to 50°C
• Standard or customised flammability testing facilities for comparison purposes.
• Virtually all the precision measurement equipment required for aerosol dispensers’ assessments : 
  • Weight +/- 0.003g
  • Pressure +/- 0.01 bar
  • Temperature +/- 1°C
  • Dimensional +/- 0,01 mm
  • All the adapted cutting equipment
  • The possibility to carry out resin studies 
  • Software for measuring crimping dimensions
  • Vision system to observe details of valve-housing assemblies.
  • Spray pattern measurement
  • Clogging tests
  • Laser particle size measurement of spray particles – Malvern Spraytech 2000. 
• By the fact that LEREM has a recognised level of expertise and years of experience in this field. 
• Its knowledge of aerosol dispensers’ industry supply chain and its network within this industry.
• Its close relationship with CFA: French Aerosol Association and their agreement established in 2021 for the next few years. 
• By the fact that it is an association of public utility, which guarantees its discretion, objectivity, and independence. 

More details about this subject on the dedicated page.

LEREM represents the industry and participates to fundamental studies 

• The ECORBIO project, which aims to study the corrosion behaviour of piping with heat transfer fluids for the biorefinery circuits of the future using impedance measurement. In conjunction with INERIS, UTC, CETIM, UPJV.
• MPE (Metal packaging Europe) working group and the compatibility studies contained in the passivation processes for tinplate, which by 2027 should make it possible to use only chromium VI-free passivated tinplate. In the field of aerosol dispensers, this concerns tinplate can and valve mounting cups.
• The GDA (Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie) supply chain meeting and the many questions raised by the use of alternative coatings to phenolic epoxy coatings. In the field of aerosol dispensers, this concerns aluminium aerosol cans. 
• Various in-depth studies on existing aerosol dispensers’ flammability results, some of them linked to INERIS, which tend towards new gases development. 
• The OLIGO project – a very recent ANR study on the NIAS for new internal coating generation in conjunction with LABERCA and INRAE.
• Standards at national level at AFNOR (Commission de Normalisation AFNOR/H08F CN8 Emballages), at European level CEN (TC261/SC5 emballage métallique), at international level ISO TC52 (light gauge metal containers).
• Accreditation of LEREM by the Ministry of Ecological Transition (DGPR) with regard to transport of hazardous materials.  

• Parc industriel Européen
• Les marches de l’Oise
• Laboratoire LEREM
• 100 rue Louis BLANC
• 60160 Montataire (France)

• Phone : 03 44 28 56 30
• Cellphone : 06 37 05 21 94 

• Email address: laboratoire@lerem.org