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Automated Physical Properties Testing Overview

The system was designed to perform new formulations and product testing of liquid properties as they age. The test results determine liquid quality and shelf-life expectancy using three measured parameters: viscosity, pH, and color. An automated process was developed using a track-mounted robotic system to manipulate the preselected bottles for liquid sample removal and testing. After defining the aging study to be tested using the StudyEditor program, bar code labels are generated to identify each of the bottles in the study.

The system was developed in modules. Each system function was optimized in the module phase of development and during final system testing. Some module prototypes were implemented early in the timeline to assess risk areas of the conceptual design. InnovaSystems engineers could easily make necessary design adjustments since each module was tested separately. The robot transport, color, pH, or viscosity measurement assemblies of the system design are adaptable as separate subsystems.

The actual test procedure involves:

Retrieving a preselected plastic or glass bottle using a robotic arm
Reading the bar code
Uncapping the bottle
Removing a sample
Testing the sample
Reporting the test results to the StudyEditor, a data collection program
Cleaning, drying, and resetting the test equipment for the next sample
Recapping the bottle and moving it back into storage
Retrieving the next bottle to be tested

Resulting data collected from the tests may be exported into a spreadsheet program for further analysis. Special consideration was required by the client to design a system that would fit in a limited amount of floor space. The system was accepted and is in use in the client's facilities today.