Squeeze Force Tester

In evaluating a medication, ease of use is nearly as an important a factor as its effectiveness.  Along with determining the correct dosage, medication developers need to determine whether or not its packaging will break or leak under normal usage and if too much finger strength is required by either the patient or care giver in administering it. Difficulty in administrating a medication can lead to poor compliance which, in turn, can result in poor treatment results or further disease progression. 

Challenge

When testing plastic bottles used for medication, such factors as the rigidity of the plastic, length of the nib, viscosity of the medication, and the dimensions of the bottle are all influencers on the amount of force needed to properly administer the medication. 

Solution

Using the Ophthalmic bottle squeeze force tester, the manufacturers are able to determine the finger strength needed to squeeze different bottle designs made from a variety of plastic materials. The tests is performed at 90 degrees to simulate assisted administration of the drop and at 45 degrees to simulate self-administration by the patient.

At the heart of the squeeze force testing system is the digital force gauge that features a simple user interface, large full color display and offers accuracy better than 0.1% of full scale. Loads are displayed in ozf, gf, lbf, kgf and N units. The digital force gauge was used with a mounting plate along with universal fixtures to accommodate testing of ophthalmic bottles of various sizes.