Blister machines are used in pharmaceutical industries to blister tablets or capsules. In routine practices, we challenge our blister machines to ensure that high-quality & defect-free products are blistered.
Advance-type blister machines are installed with an inspection camera system which ensures product quality & defective blisters are rejected.
Note
In the blister machine challenge test, we are challenging our inspection system installed on the machine to check whether it is working properly or not.
Types Of Challenge Test
Various types of challenge tests are performed for inspection cameras of blister machines but in this article, we will discuss the most common tests which are considered basic & are performed in the majority of the pharmaceutical industries.
- Empty Pocket Challenge Test
- Empty Blister Challenge Test
- Broken Tablet Challenge Test
Empty Pocket Challenge Test
In the empty pocket challenge test, we challenge the inspection system of the blister machine to check whether it is working properly or not to remove empty pocket blisters.
How To Perform
We deliberately left one pocket of blister empty to perform an empty pocket challenge test. As a thumb rule, the blister having an empty pocket must be rejected which means that challenge test is passed & inspection camera is working properly.
Empty Blister Challenge Test
As the name indicates this test is performed to check what happens if an empty blister is detected.
How To Perform
We intentionally left one blister empty during feeding, meaning all pockets are free from tablets or capsules. When this empty blister is passed through the inspection camera of the blister machine it must be rejected to ensure that our test is passed.
Broken Tablet Challenge Test
What will happen if a broken tablet is found in a blister? As a thumb rule, it must be rejected by the visual inspection system of the bister machine.
How To Perform
We add a broken tablet in one of the pockets of the blister & this blister is passed through the inspection camera of the blister machine.If the blister containing the broken tablet is rejected it means that our test is passed & system is working efficiently.
Frequency Of Challenge Test
When will the challenge test for blister machines be performed or what should be the frequency of the challenge test?
It can be defined by the in-house SOP & generally it performed at following stages,
- Before starting of a batch
- After major Breakdown
Image Credit
Image Source – Google | Image By – SaintyCo