Tested: Aluminum Aerosol Containers
Inspection Requested: The purpose of this test was to determine the effectiveness of the TapTone FS system in detecting the internal pressure of pressurized dispensers. Low pressures in the dispenser can be an indication of under-filled or leaking dispensers. If these faulty containers get shipped out to consumers, it can damage the image of the manufacturer. Further to this point, dispensers with too much internal pressure can be a risk for potential injury to the consumer. The FS system is ideal for this application, and can identify these dangerous or faulty dispensers and remove them from the production line, keeping them from ever reaching the consumer.
TapTone Equipment Used: TapTone Force Sensor (FS)
How it works
TapTone Force technology detects leaks and low pressure in LN2 dosed dispensers, carbonated beverage dispensers and aerosol dispensers. Parallel belts transport the dispenser past a sensor that measures the tension on the sidewall of the dispenser. This action allows the system to measure the pressure inside the dispenser. Utilizing DSP technology, the controller analyzes the measurement and assigns a merit value* to each dispenser. If the merit value is outside of the acceptable range, a reject signal activates a remote reject system and the dispenser is removed from the line.
Testing
In this style of pressurized dispenser, the product is kept in a section in the upper half of the dispenser, and the lower section is taken up by a pressure chamber. During testing , a 65lb load cell and high pressure decks were used, the line was run at 30 feet per minute.
In this test, the dispensers were tested in the unit at varying pressures ranging from 29.4-45.57 psi (2.0-3.1 bar). Each sample had progressively decreasing levels of pressure which the FS sensor was able to identify. When passed through the machine, the belts squeezed the upper section of the bottle containing the product. This test clearly demonstrated the capability of the FS sensor in identifying varying pressure in this type of dispenser. Containers under 35psi (2.4 bar) were considered rejects.
Results
These tests show that the TapTone FS Force System is capable of identifying the pressure in pressurized dispensers accurately and consistently, and would be recommended for this application.
* Merit value is a calculated number determined using an algorithm to compute a resultant from a set of data values.
