Filling & Capping Guide for Empty Vape Pods
Most leaking and burnt-coil complaints come from filling technique — not hardware defects. This guide covers everything your production team needs to fill our pods correctly, first time.
Step 0: Know Your Oil Viscosity First
Viscosity determines which pod style to use, the correct fill temperature, and how long the coil needs to saturate. Getting this wrong causes most filling problems.
E-liquid, nicotine salt, thin CBD isolate in MCT oil, water-soluble formulas.
Use mesh coil pods (R05, R07, X01–X03). Fill at room temperature. No pre-heating needed. Saturation: 3 min.
CBD full-spectrum oil, HHC distillate cut with terpenes, live resin (room temp).
Use ceramic coil pods (R01–R04, R06, R08–R10). Warm to 35–45°C before filling. Saturation: 5–8 min.
Raw HHC distillate, crude CBD oil, live resin (cold), thick wax blends.
Use duck-bill cartridges (R11–R13) or ceramic pods at 55–65°C fill temp. Saturation: 10–15 min minimum.
Filling Instructions by Pod Type
Our pods use three fill methods. Find your pod series below.
Standard Ceramic Pod — Top Fill
Warm the oil. Heat your extract to 40–50°C in a water bath or warming plate. Do not microwave. Target a viscosity that flows freely from a syringe needle.
Remove the mouthpiece. Pull or twist the mouthpiece cap off the top of the pod to expose the fill port. Set aside — do not contaminate with oil.
Insert syringe at an angle. Place the needle tip against the inner wall of the pod at a 45° angle, not directly over the coil. This prevents air trapping.
Fill slowly to 90% capacity. Leave 10% headspace above the oil surface. Overfilling causes leaking through the mouthpiece on first draw.
Wipe and re-cap. Clean the fill port rim with an isopropyl alcohol wipe. Press the mouthpiece firmly back on until you hear or feel a click.
Stand upright and rest. Place the filled pod coil-side down, upright, for a minimum of 5 minutes before capping or testing. See saturation times below.
Mesh Refillable Pod — Side Fill Port
Locate the side fill port. These pods have a silicone-sealed fill port on the side of the pod body. Do not attempt to open the mouthpiece — it is sealed.
Insert a fine-tip needle directly into the port. The silicone self-seals after removal. Use a needle gauge of 0.6–0.9mm for best seal recovery.
Fill to the max line. These pods have a visible fill window on OXVA series (X01–X03). Fill to the indicator line, not to the brim.
Remove needle in one smooth motion. Withdraw quickly and straight to allow the silicone port to seal cleanly. Tilting on withdrawal can leave a micro-gap.
Rest upright for 3 minutes minimum. Mesh coils saturate faster than ceramic, but still require rest time. Rushing causes first-draw dry hits.
Duck-Bill Concentrate Cartridge — Bottom Fill
Pre-heat the cartridge body to 50–60°C. Duck-bill cartridges are designed for high-viscosity concentrates. Warming the cartridge reduces viscosity drop during fill and prevents air pockets.
Fill from the bottom inlet. These cartridges are filled through the bottom magnetic base port before the base is snapped on. Use a dispensing needle positioned against the inner coil wall.
Fill slowly in two passes. Fill to 50%, pause 30 seconds to allow the coil to begin absorbing, then complete the fill. This prevents air lock in the ceramic matrix.
Snap the magnetic base on immediately. Align the base and press firmly until the magnets engage. A properly seated base produces a clean click and no wobble.
Rest inverted (mouthpiece down) for 10–15 minutes. Inverting uses gravity to push oil into the coil from the top. This is especially important for R11 (0.5ml, small coil surface area).
Coil Saturation Time Reference
Never skip the rest period. A dry-fired ceramic coil is permanently damaged — there is no fix once it burns.
E-liquid, thin CBD in MCT. Mesh wicks saturate quickly. 3 minutes is the safe minimum before first draw.
HHC distillate, full-spectrum CBD, terpene-cut concentrates. Ceramic is porous but dense — requires full capillary absorption before activation.
Raw distillate, thick wax blends, duck-bill cartridges with concentrate. Rest inverted for the first 5 minutes to accelerate wick saturation.
For automated production lines: build the rest period into your conveyor or tray staging. Do not rush to capping before saturation is complete.
Capping & Sealing
Capping failure is the second most common cause of leaks after improper filling. These are the pressure and alignment requirements for each pod type.
Press-Fit Mouthpiece (R01–R10)
- —Apply vertical downward force only — no rocking or rotation during press
- —Recommended capping pressure: 8–12 kg/f on automated machines
- —Confirm the mouthpiece is flush with the pod body — no visible gap
- —After capping, invert briefly and check for oil seepage around the cap join
- —Pods that require force >15 kg/f to seat indicate wrong-batch mouthpiece — stop and check SKU
Magnetic Base (R11–R13 Duck-Bill)
- —Align the two magnetic poles before bringing the base near the cartridge body — misalignment causes base to snap at angle
- —Press base straight down — magnets will pull it into alignment in the last 2mm
- —A correctly seated base has zero rotational play and sits flush within 0.1mm
- —Test connection with a RELX Infinity device before packing — a seated base that doesn’t fire indicates contact pin misalignment
Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
These account for over 90% of filling-related complaints we receive.
✗ What Goes Wrong
- Filling at room temperature with high-viscosity oil — creates air pockets and dry zones in the coil
- Drawing on the pod immediately after filling — dry-fires the ceramic, permanently burns the coil
- Filling to 100% capacity — oil expands with heat, forcing liquid up through the mouthpiece
- Syringe needle aimed directly at the coil centre — floods the coil, causes gurgling and spitback
- Inconsistent capping pressure — partially seated caps allow oil to wick past the seal over time
- Using mesh pods for raw distillate >30,000 cP — mesh can’t wick fast enough, causing dry hits
✓ Correct Practice
- Pre-warm oil to 40–65°C depending on viscosity before filling — ensures smooth flow and complete coil penetration
- Always rest the pod 3–15 minutes (depending on coil type and viscosity) before any draw or testing
- Fill to 85–90% max — leave headspace for thermal expansion and draw pressure
- Position the syringe at 45° against the inner pod wall — lets oil flow down and around the coil naturally
- Calibrate capping machine to 8–12 kg/f and check flush-fit after each capping cycle
- Match oil viscosity to coil type — ceramic for thick oils, mesh for thin-to-medium formulas
Filling FAQ
Questions we hear most from new production teams.
My pods are leaking from the bottom airhole after filling. What’s wrong?
This is almost always caused by overfilling or insufficient rest time. If the coil is not fully saturated, oil remains liquid inside the pod and runs out through the airflow path under gravity. Solution: reduce fill volume to 85%, increase rest time to 8 minutes minimum, and store filled pods upright during staging.
The first few draws taste burnt even after resting. Why?
Ceramic coils that have been dry-fired — even briefly — cannot be recovered. This happens when the production line activates or tests the pod before saturation is complete. The solution is process, not hardware: enforce the rest period and never fire the pod within the first 5 minutes of filling. This is not a defective pod — it is a process issue.
Can I use a semi-automatic filling machine with these pods?
Yes. Our pods are compatible with standard peristaltic and piston-style semi-auto filling machines using a fill needle diameter of 0.6–1.2mm. For duck-bill cartridges (R11–R13), ensure the machine supports bottom-up fill orientation. Contact us if you need a fill-head compatibility check before ordering.
What temperature should I store filled pods at before shipping?
Store filled pods between 15–25°C, away from direct sunlight and humidity. Avoid temperature cycling (hot days / cold nights) during storage — thermal expansion and contraction stresses the cap seal. For concentrates: do not refrigerate below 10°C as this significantly increases viscosity and can cause the oil to pull away from the coil.
My HHC oil is very thick even at 60°C. Which pod do you recommend?
For ultra-high viscosity HHC (raw distillate with no terpene cut), R13 (1.2ml duck-bill with enhanced ceramic) is the most forgiving option. Its larger ceramic mass provides more wicking surface area. Alternatively, cut your distillate with 5–10% terpenes to bring viscosity below 30,000 cP, which opens up the full RELX-compatible ceramic pod range.
We received a batch and some pods don’t fire on the device. Hardware defect?
Check two things first: (1) confirm the pod is fully inserted — RELX-compatible pods require firm downward pressure until the magnetic click is felt; (2) check for oil contamination on the pod contact pins — a drip of oil on the pin surface breaks the electrical connection. Clean with an IPA swab and retry. If the pod still fails after both checks, document with a photo and submit a warranty claim — this qualifies as a manufacturing defect.
Still Have Filling Questions?
Send us your oil viscosity profile and fill volume target — we’ll recommend the right pod and walk you through the setup.
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