Nursery toy product puncture resistance safety testing

Case study

Puncture testing a baby chew toy with a gauge, compression tester with needle probe and vice grip

AFG with puncture fixture, standard with AFG and VFG

Solution

Motorised force testing system with digital gauge
Needle probe matched to safety test standard requirements
Vice grip with rubber-faced jaws

Benefits

Simple, cost-efficient and repeatable test system
Easy to operate for all quality-control personnel

Requirement

Wonderstar was established in 2010 in Thailand, with a mission of providing quality and well-designed baby products for families. The company is committed to innovation and efficiency as it grows its distribution and export business.

Wonderstar’s range of baby and nursery products, includes feeding bottles, food storage containers, utensils and associated items such as cups, teats, pacifiers and teether toys. In addition to testing functionality in products of this nature—activation and opening forces, for example—there is the requirement to conform to safety standards. Break strength and resistance to burst or puncture are essential checks regulated by the industry and for which Wonderstar required a test system. In addition, an in-house capability would enable the company to perform its own testing procedures to assure quality and brand reputation.

Solution

Mecmesin Asia supplied a MultiTest 2.5-dV motorised force test stand with an Advanced Force Gauge, able to be connected to a range of probes. The touchscreen version, the VFG is also a suitable choice for use with this type of compression stand. A versatile medium capacity vice fixture attached to the anvil plate was able to securely grip a range of different-sized and irregularly-shaped product specimens, typical of items aimed at nursery aged children. The rubber-faced jaws grasp the low-friction materials without damage. An important puncture resistance test for liquid-filled products specifies using a 1 mm diameter needle profiled probe to compress areas of the sample and to then check for any leakage.

This procedure enables Wonderstar to check that their fun, brightly coloured and novel products still resist being bitten through by children. The cost effective and easy to use MultiTest dV range of force testers features extremely precise control of displacement, particularly well suited to the safety testing of small plastic parts.