The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented demand on manufacturers of syringes and vials.

Prefilled syringes containing a single-dose were quickly deemed too restrictive to get the vaccine rolled-out to the population at the hugely accelerated speed required. So using multiple-dose vials from which up to 10 syringes can be filled, has now become the established method to administer the vaccine .. at least during this first wave of inoculations.

Ramping up production of syringes has been a challenge which manufacturers have pulled out all the stops to meet. But with increased production comes increased testing.

Checking the performance and functionality of a syringe is critical with physical testing being high on the list. How much ‘break-loose’ force does it take to initiate movement of the plunger? Once the plunger is moving, does it have a smooth gliding action to safely and consistently inject the drug without causing discomfort to the patient?

International test standards clearly define the methods to follow for these tests and manufacturers are looking for simple, cost-effective test systems to help them cope with the extra testing throughput from increased production runs.

Mecmesin offers a stand-alone test system for checking the ‘break-loose’ and ‘glide force’ of an individual syringe. Operators manually load each syringe into the tester, start the test and then unloads the syringe when finished. But when you’re looking to test hundreds of syringes over various production batches, it can really speed things up if you can load multiple syringes at a time.

A world-leading manufacturer of syringe assemblies approached Mecmesin and was seeking an affordable automated testing station with the capability to load syringes in a rotating carousel and then let the testing machine do the rest.

Each stage of the test sequence is controlled by Mecmesin’s Emperor software:

1. Recognises where the syringe is positioned and then indexes it to the correct spot.
2. Approaches the top of the syringe, ‘touches-on’ lightly and sets a reference point for the test.
3. Compresses the plunger rod by a set distance and measures the forces it exerts.

...and finally records those all-important break-loose and glide force results with a Pass/Fail indicator based on the specifications laid down.

So, if you’re looking for a convenient bench-top tester for checking the mechanical properties of your syringes, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.