PEN INJECTOR AUTOMATED TEST EQUIPMENT MEASURES NEEDLE EXTENSION, DOSE VOLUME, AND DELIVERY TIME
THE CLIENT’S NEED
NOVO’s client, a major pharmaceutical company, needed custom automated test equipment that would measure needle extension, delivery volume, and dispense time for a pen injector drug delivery device. The measurement method was not specified; however, accuracy and repeatability were. Manual loading of the injector was allowed, but all other functions needed to operate automatically under the control of a custom software application. An aggressive timeline was requested.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES
Technical challenges in the design of the equipment included:
- Position repeatability and means for detecting incorrectly loaded devices
- Non-contact method of measuring delivery time
- Non-contact measurement of needle extension
THE ENGINEERING BEHIND GREAT PRODUCTS
NOVO’s electromechanical and software engineers delivered a fully functional solution in six weeks. Some of the features incorporated into the custom automated test equipment included:
- A vision system and image processing software to measure needle extension and duration of flow for the fluid stream
- High-contrast, uniform back lighting
- A precision weighing system to measure dose volume
- Actuators to bias the device under test and to trigger the device
- An enclosure with vibration and shock isolation to filter external disturbances during testing (not shown)
