This section provides an overview for tablet hardness testers as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 15 tablet hardness tester manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked tablet hardness tester companies as of November, 2024: 1.Natoli Engineering Company, Inc, 2.BIOEVOPEAK INC., 3.Fison Instruments Ltd..
Table of Contents
A tablet hardness tester is an instrument used to measure the hardness of pharmaceutical tablets and other similar products.
The hardness of a tablet is indicative of its physical properties. Generally, a harder tablet has lower solubility in the body. Conversely, a tablet with low hardness may break during transportation, affecting the stability, uniformity, and potentially the composition of the product. Therefore, controlling tablet hardness is essential.
Other tests, such as disintegration tests, confirm a tablet's solubility in the body. It is often observed that tablets with low hardness disintegrate more easily. However, recently developed orally fast-disintegrating tablets can disintegrate quickly despite having low hardness.
Tablet hardness testers are primarily used in research and development, as well as in quality control of tablets, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry.
During the design and improvement stages of pharmaceutical products, various quality parameters are checked. Hardness testing is a critical control item during the validation of manufacturing processes on the production line.
Post design confirmation, manufacturing commences. Some manufacturers routinely test tablet hardness as part of quality control. Hardness tests are also conducted for quality assurance in response to complaints.
Tablet Hardness Testers measure the hardness of a tablet by placing it between two plates. Pressure is applied at a constant rate in one direction, and the force required to break the tablet is measured. This hardness value reflects the tablet's breaking strength (the force needed to break the cross-section) and/or crushing strength (the force required to completely destroy the shape and structure).
Several factors influence measurement accuracy. The pressure plate clamping the tablet must have a smooth, frictionless contact surface and be parallel to the tablet. The load application rate during pressurization should be constant to avoid unpredictable crushing and sudden load application. Consistent tablet orientation during testing is also crucial for reproducible results. For instance, tablets with a scored line should be aligned either parallel or perpendicular to the pressure plate.
Various types of tablet hardness testers exist, differing in the structure of the tablet holding section and the mechanism of the pressure plate movement. Simple manual testers include the Monsanto type, which applies pressure using a spring and screw, the Pfizer type that utilizes pliers for pressure application, and the Strong Cobb type, which employs compressed air for loading.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Natoli Engineering Company Inc., founded in 1973 and based in Saint Charles, Missouri, is a manufacturer of tablet compression tooling, presses, and replacement parts. It maintains over 250,000 products, including turrets, die locks, and cam tracks, and stocks accessories for lubrication, inspection, and cleaning. The company also manufactures encapsulation change kits and spare parts and provides software for tool management and R&D data acquisition. It has scientific and metallurgy divisions that provide scientific testing and analysis and also offers refurbishing services for several makes and models of tablet presses.
United Pharmatek, founded in the United States in 2006, is a manufacturer and supplier of processing, packaging, and laboratory equipment for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, food, and chemical industries. The company offers a wide range of equipment, including blenders and mixers, tablet presses, capsule fillers, lab equipment, and other primary and secondary packaging machines. The company also provides custom manufacturing and integration of complete upstream and downstream pharmaceutical equipment to meet small pilot lab, medium-sized, and large-capacity production plant requirements.
SaintyCo., founded in China more than 20 years ago, is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical machines. The company has more than 18 members (partners and factories) and owns 07 Brands. The machines manufactured by the company meet European standards and are reasonably priced. The company is also specialized in pharmaceutical & and cosmetic, chocolate & and candy, foodstuff processing and packaging equipment. Along with medium and large sizes, single rotary and double-sided rotary tablet presses, the tablet presses series also offers compact R&D single and bi-layer tablet presses. It's whole line of products has received the CE certification.
BIOEVOPEAK INC. functions as the representative office of Bioevopeak Co., Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer based in Jinan, Shandong, specializing in laboratory instruments and equipment. Since its inception in 2010, the company has operated across 18 manufacturing facilities. Operating under the brands of Bioevopeak, Infitek, and Sunoom, the company offers a range of products, including microscopes, digital pathology slide scanners, autoclaves, sterilizers, incubators, and centrifuges. BIOEVOPEAK INC. has also made investments in processing equipment and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines sourced from Japanese companies, DMG MORI SEIKI CO., LTD. and AMADA CO., LTD. The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications.
Fison Instruments Ltd. is a manufacturer and supplier of laboratory equipment and scientific instruments, headquartered in Glasgow, UK. The company's products range encompasses balances, centrifuges, incubators, ovens, pipettes, and glassware. These instruments are used for conducting various experiments, tests, measurements, and analyses in different fields such as life science, biotechnology, pharmaceauticals, and chemical industries. Pharmacy refrigerators, magnetic stirrer, and other products are also offered. The company ensures product authenticity and strict surveillance to uphold good manufacturing and laboratory practices.
Copley Scientific Limited., founded in 1946 and headquartered in Nottingham, UK, is a manufacturer of inhaler and pharmaceutical test equipment. The company provides a range of inhaler test equipment including Aerodynamic Particle Size Distribution (APSD), Delivered Dose Uniformity (DDU) and supporting equipment. It also provides test instrumentation for other pharmaceutical dosage forms including tablets, capsules and suppositories. The company offers training courses, presentations and seminars on relevant topics and provides both in-house and on-site product servicing options.
Labtron Equipment Ltd., established in 2015, is a British manufacturer located in Camberley, Surrey, specializing in laboratory equipment and analytical instruments. Their range of laboratory equipment includes amino acid and biochemistry analyzers, analytical balances, automated strainers, and freeze dryers, as well as various analytical instruments such as air permeability testers, airborne particle counters, and carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen (CHN) elemental analyzers These products are widely utilized in scientific research, testing, and educational laboratories. Moreover, they serve various industries, including food, polymer, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemical.
ERWEKA GmbH, established in 1951 and headquartered in Langen, Germany, is a manufacturer of test equipment for the pharmaceutical industry. The company designs, manufactures and installs the whole range of dissolution and physical test equipment for pharmaceutical and life science companies, research and test laboratories, and universities all over the world. It offers a product for every required test for solid dosage form drugs. The company has been granted ISO 9001 and 14001 certificates, and shares all the Certificates of Compliance(CoC) and other Declarations of Conformity of its products on the website.
Key International, Inc., established in 1968 and based in Cranbury, New Jersey, USA, is a manufacturer of pharmaceutical preparation equipment. The company’s product lineup includes pharmaceutical processing equipment such as capsule fillers and tablet presses, and pharmaceutical packaging equipment such as suppository fillers and bottle cappers. It also offers CORA brand sanitary butterfly valves for controlling the flow of food- and pharmaceutical-grade bulk powders, and food packaging equipment such as stick packers and cartoners. The company is ISO 9001-certified, and serves clients in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and cosmetic industries.
CCS GROUP, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Huntingdon Valley, USA, is a manufacturer of CCS control systems, index capsule fillers, and stokes tablet presses. The company provides solutions to tablet press end users, including control systems, spare parts, new and remanufactured equipment as well as training, field, and calibration services. It also produces tamping-style and capsule filling customized solutions for pharmaceutical & nutraceutical manufacturing companies. The company's products also find applications in other industries including nutritional and industrial sectors.
SOTAX AG, established in 1973 and headquartered in Aesch, Switzerland, is a manufacturer of test equipment for the pharmaceutical industry. The company provides automated dissolution testing systems, sample prep workstations for content uniformity and assay testing, and tablet testing instruments for the pharmaceutical, medical device, biopharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries. It offers complete system integration with method development, qualification and maintenance contracts. The company has a global network of service engineers and certified SOTAX partners to provide services like on-site installation, calibration, qualification and regular re-qualification such as mechanical qualification ASTM or dissolution performance verification (PVT).
LABINDIA ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS PVT. LTD. is a manufacturer, exporter, and distributor of analytical laboratory instrumentations founded in 1980 and headquartered in Maharashtra, India. The company’s product line consists of dissolution testers, hardness testers, spectrophotometers, automatic titrators, and pH meters. It also offers laboratory glassware and a wide range of instrument accessories and reagents. The company provides qualification and validation services for analytical instruments, including performance verification tests, installation qualification, preventative maintenance, and on-site repairs. It caters to the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and beverage, lubricant, and paint industries.
Charles Ischi AG, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Zuchwil, Switzerland, is a manufacturer of testing equipment for tablets, capsules, and in-process control solutions for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry. The company specializes in oral solid dosage testing technology for research, development and quality control. Its product line consists of tablet breaking force testers, multiparameter tablet testing systems and friability testers. The company is also a supplier of Kraemer Elektronik tablet, capsule testing equipment and Charles Ischi solutions which include an In-Process Control (IPC) turnkey add-on solution.
Panomex Inc., an established manufacturing company based in India with more than 15 years of experience, specializes in a wide range of industrial and scientific instruments. Their product portfolio includes digital moisture meters, gas detectors, ultrasonic thickness gauges, and more. The company also continues to deliver advanced solutions to a wide range industries, and owns manufacturing unit equipping with research and development lab, with an engineering team with sound experience in meteorology. They offer products to both Indian market and export to overseas mainly in Asia, Africa and Middle East countries.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Natoli Engineering Company, Inc |
11.8%
|
2 | BIOEVOPEAK INC. |
10.8%
|
3 | Fison Instruments Ltd. |
10.0%
|
4 | United Pharmatek LLC |
8.2%
|
5 | Copley Scientific Limited. |
7.9%
|
6 | Key International、Inc |
6.5%
|
7 | SaintyCo. |
6.1%
|
8 | Labtron Equipment Ltd. |
6.1%
|
9 | ANALAB SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS PVT. LTD. |
5.0%
|
10 | SOTAX AG |
5.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the tablet hardness tester page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 3 | 25.0% |
India | 3 | 25.0% |
United States of America | 2 | 16.7% |
China | 2 | 16.7% |
Germany | 1 | 8.3% |
Switzerland | 1 | 8.3% |