Originally Published PMPN July 2001
PRODUCT UPDATE: Testers
Dependable TestersDesigned for a wide range of applications, testers lead the way through every phase of packaging.
Using near-infrared light, an inspection system ensures that the right tablets have been placed into the right blister packages on the form-fill-seal line, without touching a single tablet. Developed specifically for integration into blister-forming lines from Klöckner Medipak (Clearwater, FL), the QualitySpec TI system verifies the chemical composition of solid-dosage products in each individual pocket of a blister package. Traditional pharmaceutical blister packaging equipment relies on inspection systems that visually identify tablets by shape, size, and color, explains the firm. With the integration of the QualitySpec TI NIR analyzer, errant tablets of the same size, shape, and color can be detected. With fiber-optic probes positioned above each blister cavity, the analyzer interprets the tablets using the firm's field-proven spectrometer, which measures reflectance, transmittance, and transreflectance and features a spectral range of 350 to 2500 nm. It maintains a wavelength accuracy of ±0.8 nm and a wavelength repeatability of ±0.02 nm. Photometric range is 5 Au (adsorbance units) and noise is 60 µAu. Featuring a scan time of 0.1 sec, the system is designed for high-volume production environments. It has an evaluation speed of 90 cycles per minute per head that can easily accommodate up to 200 tablets per cycle, giving it the ability to scan 18,000 tablets per minute. Analytical Spectral Devices Inc., Boulder, CO.
Single and dual package testers satisfy the needs of a wide range of packaging applications with enhanced sensitivity. The QualiPak Q700 package testers can detect holes as small as 12.5 mm in packages. The units are ideal for testing at the end of a production line or in a quality control laboratory. Using strain gauge technology, the testers easily accommodate variations in the fill volume of the package. After a package is loaded into the test module and the lid is closed, the completely automated preprogrammed test cycle begins. When the test is completed, a green pass or a red reject lamp indicator will light up, based on preset variable limits. The alphanumeric display provides information concerning setup parameters, result details, and testing statistics. An RS-232 interface port is available for companies that need to document their testing data and results information. ITI Qualitek Inc., North Billerica, MA.
A cost-efficient, nondestructive package-integrity tester can detect channels in seals and holes in trays. The Pac Guard 450 is well suited for use with trays prior to filling and using. On the other hand, the Pac Guard 460 can be used at every phase of medical device packaging, in design and process validation, before and after sterilization evaluations, stability studies, shipping simulations, production and quality assurance monitoring, and returned-goods package assessment. The testers can evaluate a single package in less than 1 minute. Mocon, Minneapolis, MN.
A clean, dry, and nondestructive leak tester for blister packages allows all machine functions to be accessed using virtual instrumentation on a touch screen display. The BlisterScan detects leaks and imperfections in individual blister pockets as small as 5 mm. During its 30-second test cycle, the tester pinpoints the location of a faulty pocket seal and allows blister-line engineers to identify its source quickly. Product changeover takes approximately 2 minutes because only two plates are required for each different blister format. SephaScan Ltd., Newtownards, UK.
Pressure-decay technology has been combined with mass-flow sensing and multichannel sequencing to produce an automated leak-and-flow test system. The ES-1000 series of leak-and-flow testers allows for consecutive testing of up to four different components. The new model ES7-1000 can perform tests on one to seven ports, or it can be configured to use only the leak-and-flow sequence needed by the user. Features of the testers include audible and visual alarms, data collection capabilities, an RS-232 interface for data output, and PLC connections for remote-control capabilities. TM Electronics Inc., Worcester, MA.
An instrument tests the seal integrity of blister packs, strip packs, pouches, sachets, and capped bottles and containers. The Leak Test Apparatus is designed to replace conventional systems that use a separate desiccator and a vacuum pump. Compact enough to save space in laboratories, the instrument is equipped with a monoblock diaphragm-type vacuum pump, a die-pressed polycarbonate vacuum desiccator, a vacuum gauge, an isolation valve to disconnect the vacuum source, and a 0-to-5(check)minute timer for an automatic stop. Jicon Machines, Mumbai, India.
A compact single-column benchtop tester has been designed for tension, compression, and flexural testing of materials such as plastics, film, paper, packaging, and adhesives. With force measurement ranges from 1 N to 2.5 kN, the LTL universal tester displays a readout of peak force, elongation, tensile energy absorption, and the calculated statistics of mean and standard deviation, and more—without the need of a separate PC. Test parameters are entered through a user-friendly control panel in a sequential, menu-driven format. For more-detailed applications, the LTL can be connected to a PC through its RS-232 interface, and a range of software packages provides the user with a testing system complete with comprehensive data analysis capabilities. Testing Machines Inc., Islandia, NY.
A line of gauges handles products up to 500 pounds and tests nine ranges of force. Digital force gauges include the CB, CE, and CM models. The gauges have an accuracy of up to 0.2% and are suitable for remote applications such as keypad, switch, and product-pull testing. Digital force gauges can be combined with the E-Z test stand for tensile and compression testing of peel, film, burst, seal, and other packaging applications. Com-Ten Industries, Pinellas Park, FL.
Copyright ©2001 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
