Automated Torque Sensing Equipment for Cosmetics and Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

The limited accuracy of existing closure torque testers and the subjectivity of the measurements imparted by human operators has led to the development of an automated closure testing machine, the Auto-Torque.As packaging requirements become more stringent in order to provide Improved consumer safety and product integrity, improved quality control techniques become necessary. Torque testing of closures has relied for years on a manually operated spring scale with a claimed accuracy of plus or minus four percent (4%) full scale. The closure testing process becomes more inaccurate when you add to this error the inconsistencies due to reading errors, data entry/analysis errors, and operator technique (1). Automation of the closure torque testing process narrows the range of errors down to those of the machine itself which are easily quantified by a calibration procedure.Currently available spring scale closure testers have no provision for measuring downward force needed to engage child-resistant (CR) closures, requiring the user to develop their own apparatus (2). Currently, the Auto-Torque is being used for university research and by major pharmaceutical companies in both the package development and quality assurance test area to support the productivity of multiple lines.This paper describes the Auto-Torque's ability to provide the quality assurance needed In the closure torque testing process. Technical problems encountered and their solutions are viewed from a general systems automation perspective.