Dedicated Expert Closure Testing Microsite

Closure testing microsite for users and manufacturers

Mecmesin has launched a new microsite, ClosureTesting.com, for manufacturers and end users of packaging closures, collecting our knowledge and experience in delivering quality testing solutions into one easily accessible resource.

Plastic, metal or cork? Torque, force or both?

Multiple devices for multiple closures

Visitors can select the closure material and test type relevant to their industry to be guided to the range of Mecmesin products suited to their application—from simple manual testers through to complete automated systems.

All of this expertise is available via a responsive design, equally accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop browsing devices. Closure testing products.

Customer success stories

Mecmesin has supplied test solutions to customers in all consumer packaging industries;

• drinks (including wines and spirits), 
• cosmetics and personal care, 
• food/dairy, 
• household/industrial, 
• medical/pharmaceutical.  

The site brings together how our closure testing capabilities have benefitted OEMs and producers of the final packaged product.

In-depth videos

ClosureTesting.com also collects together our informative and in-depth videos covering test standards related specifically to caps and closures, how to ensure the best possible accuracy and repeatability in measuring test data, plus product overviews.

Of particular importance in the measurement of screw cap removal or application torque, is consistent gripping of the closure, and we recommend using a mandrel to eliminate distortion and inaccuracy of results. See our video here.

Mecmesin Systems Test Beauty Product Closures

A Greece-based manufacturer of skin, hair-care, make-up, and sun-care products has recently replaced their outdated torque testers with up-to-date digital torque testers supplied by Mecmesin, a British company with over three decades of experience in engineering force and torque testing systems. The beauty manufacturer, whose wide ranging key lines include numerous well-known personal care products, acquired the torque testing devices to ensure consistency in production quality, focusing on the integrity of seals, which are vital to leak prevention and maintenance of product quality.

The manufacturer required torque testers with the ability to test the tamper-evident closures of various plastic and glass bottles and pots for slip and bridge torque. In addition, the torque testers had to feature clear, intuitive controls, easy-to-read pass/fail indicators, onboard memory for storage of statistical test data, and waterproofing to withstand the splashing that is common on the production floor.

Mecmesin supplied the company with two Tornado 10Nm digital torque testers. These devices are comfortably capable of testing the torque required to open tamper-evident closures, which is a critical specification in the design of packaging for personal care creams and liquids. The Tornados are fitted with a four-peg clamping frame (shown in the illustrations). These frames provide the versatility required by the manufacturer, since their adjustability allows them to secure a large variety of containers while their seals undergo torque testing. During the test, peak torque readings are clearly displayed, and operators have the option of exporting the test data to a statistical printer or other output device.

Mecmesin’s Greek distributor, George Gousoulis and Co., provided the manufacturer with several after-sales services, including training and technical instruction. The manufacturer was pleased to say that reliability and value for money were their main reasons for their choosing Mecmesin’s Tornado digital torque tester.




Plastic pot placed on Mecmesin Tornado torque tester




Equipment
• Two Mecmesin Tornado 10Nm digital torque testers
• One Mitutoyo DP1VR printer

Mecmesin Screwdriver Tests Torque of Cereal

The Netherlands’ top agricultural and horticultural school, the University of Applied Sciences HAS Den Bosch, in conjunction with Wageningen University, another leading Dutch institution, acquired a Mecmesin Static Torque Screwdriver and Advanced Torque Gauge to help in their research into improving the yield and quality of Teff, a gluten-free cereal.

Teff – Latin name: eragrostis tef – originates in Ethiopia but is currently grown in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. Teff contains no gluten but is rich in protein, calcium, fibre, and iron, so is potentially important as a health food product and as a wheat alternative for sufferers of coeliac disease.

But teff has struggled to bring growers commercial benefits. The quantities of Ethiopian-grown teff sold on world markets are low, and the cereal failed to grow well in the early stages of its introduction to Europe. Researchers at Wageningen University discovered that a major cause of inhibited yield was the lodging (permanent displacement) of plants. Several field trials were conducted to identify the causes of this lodging.

The University of Manchester supplied the Centre for Crop Systems Analysis in the Netherlands with a Mecmesin torque testing screwdriver to perform tests in the field. For over 30 years, Mecmesin, a UK-based maker of torque and force testing devices, has been providing innovative and affordable measuring solutions for a broad range of applications.

In these tests, entire plants were measured and the three largest shoots carefully removed. The centres of gravity of the entire plant and each separate shoot were obtained by balancing the plant/shoot on a thin, smooth metal tube and measuring the distance between balance point and base end. The gravitational moment of plants, shoots, and panicles under 0, 3, 45, and 60 degrees was obtained using a custom-designed lodging meter, made from a highly sensitive Mecmesin digital torque screwdriver that reads up to 1.5Nm of torque in steps of 0.0001Nm.

The Dutch researchers adopted the Mecmesin device on the advice of their colleagues at Manchester University and praise it warmly for its simplicity and usability.

“The Mecmesin digital torque screwdriver was simple and straightforward to operate and it was very helpful that the user guide PDF was on the net.”

Sander H van Delden, Teacher/Researcher at the Department of Plant-Soil Interaction, HAS Den Bosch, Wageningen University

Equipment
• Static Torque Screwdriver – recommended for torque applications requiring fewer than 180 degrees of rotation
• Advanced Torque Gauge – for reading of torque and storage of test data

Mecmesin torque testing screwdriver, enclosed and fitted with lightweight metal tube to measure dislodging torque of teff shoot


For details about the study in which the Mecmesin device was used, please see Delden, S.H. van; Vos, J.; Ennos, A.R.; Stomph, T.J. (2010). Analysing lodging of the panicle bearing cereal teff (Eragrostis tef). New Phytologist 186 (3). - p. 696 - 707.

Full Of Hot Air! Testing balloon fabric to ensure a safe flight

It was a lovely midsummer’s evening when I decided to brave it and take a ride in a hot air balloon. It was a challenge I had set myself to see how well I would cope, given my fear of heights, plus it offered the added benefit of gaining a bird’s eye view of the South Downs National Park.

Seeing the balloon laid out in a park near the coastal city of Brighton, several minutes passed before enough hot air had been pumped into the ‘envelope’ to move the basket into an upright position. This enabled myself and the other passengers to negotiate the small slots on the side and eventually clamber into one of four spaces located around the central compartment, from where our pilot would control the flight!

With the basket fully loaded, we took off and before you knew it everything from people to vehicles seemed like tiny specks on the landscape. Initially weary of looking straight down, I decided to get to know the other travellers. The cosiness of each compartment certainly called for being on first name terms with my fellow ‘high fliers’.

Between the blasts of hot air from the burner, there was a real sense of tranquillity as we passed over fields, vineyards and a few very nice houses with swimming pools! We crossed close to a golfing green. Though it was tempting to shout ‘fore’ to see the reaction, I thought better of it when I considered we were within striking distance of a well placed shot!

Then, I thought about the balloon manufacturer, Ultramagic, who, without the additional antics of passengers, must ensure the hot air balloon is up to the task of launching people to the skies and keeping them there safely. Ultramagic, are the second largest hot air balloon manufacturer in the world. To guarantee the quality of their balloon cloth material, it must undergo stringent tensile and tear tests to quantify its strength and life expectancy. Fixtures are also subjected to quality checks to ensure they are able to withstand the forces placed upon them.

Thankfully, the only safety hazard we encountered was clipping some trees as we made our descent, and landing with a positive, if somewhat abrupt, thump, ensuring we were still wide awake!

Similar test principles hold true for parachutes. If you can imagine a skydiver in freefall, plunging to the earth at a frightening velocity, the importance of the parachute opening and smoothly gliding the skydiver back to earth safely is critical. The same tests, described above, can be applied here too, enabling the manufacturer to determine the material’s strength tolerance.

Needless to say I am not ready to test that one out in the field just yet, but pleased with my last achievement, it may end up on the list!

If you have any comments or questions about textile testing, please use the comments area shown. We look forward to hearing from you.