Toothbrush Tester
Specification3 parameters needed to be tested on a range of toothbrushes:
- Stiffness of bristles according to ISO 8627, 1987/BS5757
- Strength of a single bristle
- Strength of a tuft of bristles
The equipment needed to be simple to operate for production staff, robust enough for a factory environment with extremes in temperature and offer the ability to perform all 3 tests with the minimum of 'set-up' time.
SolutionA VersaTest motorised test stand adapted with accessories and sensors was used to perform
each test.
According to the ISO 8627 bristle stiffness test, the toothbrush has to be mounted in a holder and rubbed against a metal grid at a speed of 200 mm/min. The grid is attached directly to a 100N S-Beam Loadcell which detects the stiffness of the bristles as they travel over it's surface. The graph of force/deflection was recorded using DataPlot-X software. Soft bristles will show a low force compared to hard bristles.
A surgical clamp with serrated jaws was used to hold the bristle for the 'single bristle' pull test. Forces in the region of 10-15N were required to remove the nylon bristle from the polypropylene
toothbrush head.
For the 'tuft' pull test, a set of bristles were held in a pin-chuck and connected to a 200N S-Beam sensor, via a flexible chain link. Removal forces for the complete tuft were in the region of 50 - 70N.
System- VersaTest Motorised Test Stand with Height Scale
- 100N and 200N Smart S-Beam
- Pin Chuck and Chain
- X-Y Table c/w Toothbrush Head Holder for above tests.
- Bristle Stiffness Fixture
- 2 AFTI displays
- Surgical Clamp and Chain
- DataPlot-X Software
- DigiCon Interface and Cables
Supplied toWestone Products, UK & China
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