Computer interface for vial sealing force measurements.

The force applied to the closure of a parenteral container is a critical parameter in assuring the integrity of a seal. Measurement of the force can be accomplished either off line, through residual force measurements, or on line, through instrumentation of the sealing station. The instrumentation of the sealing station provides a dynamic profile of the sealing event for development of the optimal sealing parameters. A computer interface for this application has been developed using a standard IBM-AT and commercially available data acquisition hardware and software. The resultant data can be set up in Lotus 1-2-3, or any other analysis package capable of importing ASCII files, for graphic display, and/or additional analysis. The system thus provides a means to acquire quantitative data on the sealing event for development of optimal sealing parameters.