Laboratory hardness tester AT50

for the pharmaceutical industry

Product overview
The AT50 is an automatic, multi-parameter tablet hardness tester designed for laboratory and online use in pharmaceutical manufacturing and compression rooms. It handles a wide variety of tablet shapes and sizes and is suitable for IPC, QC and R&D workflows. The benchtop version supports fast cycle times for multi-batch testing and can be integrated for unattended online in-process control with a tablet press.

Key capabilities

• Measures five parameters: weight, thickness, width, length/diameter and hardness (breaking force).
• Benchtop design for multi-batch testing of different products and shapes.
• Reliable tablet alignment for oblong, diamond-, almond-, convex, oval, hexagonal, triangular and other shapes.
• Online connectivity: can be connected to a tablet press for unattended IPC and automatic self-adjustment of compression parameters.
• High precision and repeatable operation using robust high-end components.
• Test area designed for easy cleaning and protected to IP52.
• Data integrity with support to manage results in compliance with 21 CFR part 11.

Highlights and features

• AutoAlign™: Two counter-rotating rollers align even highly convex shapes for width, length (diameter) and hardness measuring.
• SmartAlign™: Integrated flap with tilting mechanism to reliably align round tablets, oblongs and unconventional dosage forms; the system can alternate between SmartAlign™ and AutoAlign™ without change-over.
• Universal high-speed feeder with integrated weighing module (Mettler Toledo balance): reliably separates tablets and positions samples on a vibration-resistant platform; fragments or double tablets are discharged automatically.
• TouchControl™ thickness sensor: a thickness foot with integrated sensor prevents compression of samples during measurement and a linear feed track prevents rolling of convex shapes.
• SmartAdd™ magazine feeder: load up to 10 different products concurrently, enabling continuous unattended test runs and the ability to add new sample sets to empty magazines at any time.
• Automated collection: tested, non-broken tablets are diverted into individual bins; multiple collection modes available for single- and double-sided presses; DustX™ brake cyclone prevents dust ingress.
• Dynamic Qualification Device (DQD™): high-precision dynamic qualification tool for adjustment and verification of the hardness tester over multiple points without removing the tester loadcell.
• Minimum Weighing Kit: automatic determination of the minimum weighing limit of the built-in balance and generation of a detailed report without extra software.
• Data management: integrates with q-doc® software to consolidate hardness results and comply with data integrity requirements.

Applications
The AT50 is intended for in-process control (IPC), quality control (QC) and R&D testing of tablets in laboratory environments and directly inside compression rooms when connected online to a tablet press.

Specifications / technical data

• Measured parameters: weight, thickness, width, length/diameter, hardness.
• Alignment technologies: AutoAlign™ and SmartAlign™ (patented approaches for diverse tablet shapes).
• Integrated weighing: built-in Mettler Toledo balance on vibration-resistant platform; automatic fragment/double detection and discharge.
• Thickness measurement: TouchControl™ sensor to avoid sample compression during measurement.
• Feeder / throughput: universal high-speed feeder; SmartAdd™ magazine holds up to 10 products for continuous unattended operation.
• Online operation: supports automatic sample diversion from tablet press and press self-adjustment based on measured results for 100% unattended IPC.
• Sample collection: individual bins for tested tablets; modes for double-sided presses and bulk collection; DustX™ brake cyclone for dust control.
• Protection rating: IP52 protected test area for easy cleaning in dusty environments.
• Qualification & calibration: supports DQD™ for dynamic calibration/verification and Minimum Weighing Kit for balance validation on site.
• Data integrity & software: integrates with q-doc® data management; designed to meet 21 CFR part 11 requirements.
• Typical use cases: IPC, QC, R&D, online process monitoring with tablet presses, qualification and verification workflows.