Product Inspection White Papers & Case Studies

41. Rupture Test: A Quick and Easy Way to Avoid Soft Gel Capsule Failure

    When soft gel capsules rupture during production, packaging or subsequent handling, the damage is oftentimes more extensive than just the single capsule that fails. When consumed by patients, if the active ingredients in soft gel capsules fail to escape as designed at the appropriate time (by rupture, dissolution, or melting), then the product is a failure. Both types of problems are due to non-conforming capsule film strength. How can you predict these types of problems before they occur? Performing a simple rupture test is the quickest way to avoid these potential disasters.

    By Eric Chiang, Product Manager, Brookfield

42. Can You Syringe A BioScience Material?

    Bioscience engineering is producing an array of new materials for use in the human body. Dental adhesives, ophthalmic fluids, bone joint fillers are but a few of the examples. Physical property testing is needed to qualify the performance of these materials, both in terms of how they handle as well as their final application within the body.

43. Medicinal Sprays: How Do You Test For “Stickiness?"

    By Eric Chiang and By Robert G. McGregor, Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

    Medicinal and pharmaceutical products that are applied by spraying have gained in popularity because they easily coat the targeted surface without need for further spreading action by the consumer. Oral and nasal sprays may actually work with greater rapidity, migrating quickly to the target area and producing a very desirable benefit for the patient in terms of faster relief. How do manufacturers know whether the spray will actually stick to the targeted surface once it arrives?

44. Slope's Effect On Accurate Weighing

    We often have customers call in with concerns that their floor is out of level and what affect that will have on their weight readings. The scale is designed with the assumption that the load will be parallel to the direction of gravity and perpendicular to the weighing platform; meaning, there is only a vertical force.

45. Destructive Testing: Does Your Hard Tablet Measure Up?

    Vitamins and medicines oftentimes come in the form of hard tablets. Manufacturers need to ensure that they hold together from time of manufacture to moment of consumption by the customer. R&D scientists have come up with a battery of tests that can evaluate the physical properties of tablets related to fracturability and crush worthiness. Instruments of choice called “Texture Analyzers” which have come initially from the food industry are being used to perform these tests.

46. High-Speed Pharmaceutical Glass Vial Inspection With In-Sight Vision Systems

    Few industrial sectors have such stringent quality requirements as the pharmaceutical industry. To meet these exacting specifications, companies are increasingly utilizing intelligent vision systems.

47. Vision System Increases OEE By 200% On Pharmaceutical Packaging Line

    A major pharmaceutical manufacturer’s packaging line presents a challenging vision system application because of the need to select exactly the right label among dozens of possible alternatives needed to meet differing languages and regulatory requirements around the world.

48. Procedural Reliability In Pharmaceutical Production

    The worst thing that can happen on a pharmaceutical production line is a mix-up, i.e. either the product or the ID code is not what it should be.

49. Container Closure Integrity Testing Of IV Bags

    As a means to ensuring the safety of sterile products, the FDA and the United States Pharmacopeia have provided strict guidelines for the testing of container closure systems.

50. Microbial Challenge Test Results Of Purified Water

    This fact sheet provides a summary of microbial test results obtained with the IMD-WTM-series instantaneous microbial detection™ system for water.